«Men call miracle the sudden appearance of a hidden reality. »
Romain Rolland
How to understand the emergence of the mind in a broader context.
What can we learn from the analysis of the data transmission modes and of the emergence of complex or thought systems.
10.1 Data transmission
The signal is a sign carrying information, its physical medium.
The electricity has enabled data to be transmitted, the analog signal being transmitted by wire or radio wave.
Computers have privileged automatic data processing, the signal being associated with a number, it is «digitized».
Analog signal
An analog signal is any continuous signal whose value varies with the time, its recording requiring continuous measurement.
The signal value varying analogously to its source, matching the variation of a physical measure, which is expressed in volts, mA and recorded via a microphone or oscilloscope.
The temperature, atmospheric pressure, electromagnetic field are analog variables.
Digital signal
A signal is said to be digital if it is discontinuous and can only take a discrete value at an instant t, the magnitude being then quantified by an integer.
Analog transmission
The analog transmission is the information transport via a 75
carrier wave which amplitude, frequency or phase is altered.
The transmitted wave associating the carrier wave with the transmitted signal.
Digital transmission
The digital transmission is the transport of data in the form of an integer sequence on a medium.
Digitization
The digital transmission of an analog signal needs its prior digitization.
Obtaining a digital signal from an analog one requires its analog-to-digital conversion.
The converter transforms an incoming analog signal into an outgoing digital one in three steps:
- The acquisition of the quantity at regular moments,
- The preservation of this value throughout the process,
- The digitization of the analog signal in bits.
Summary
The signal is the physical medium of the information.
An analog signal is any continuous value constantly varying.
A signal is said digital if it is discontinuous and can only take a discrete value.
The analog transmission carries information via a modified carrier wave.
The digital one transmits data in the form of integral numbers on a physical medium.
10.2 Chaos theory
The chaos theory deals with complex systems highly sensitive to variations in the initial conditions.
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Like a liquid or gas containing many atoms and having many degrees of freedom on a microscopic scale.
Tiny variations of these conditions lead to totally different results, illustrated by the so called butterfly effect.
A chaotic system, however, obeys the physical laws governing other systems, but its long-term behaviour is unpredictable.
The chaos theory has succeeded in finding order under
disorder, succeeding to the determinism and describing its probabilistic nature.
This paradigm shift concerns all disciplines: astronomy, physics, meteorology, biology, economics or social sciences.
Even a simple system with a few degrees of freedom can have a complex dynamic, as long as it is sensitive to variations in the primary conditions.
The mathematical theory of chaos mainly studies these systems with a few degrees of freedom, simpler to define and model.
The chaos theory contributes to the understanding of complex dynamic systems through awareness of their sensitivity to initial conditions.
Summary
The chaos theory deals with complex dynamic systems
sensitive to initial conditions.
Small deviations resulting in completely different outputs, making their long-term forecasts difficult.
10.3 Complex system
Definition
A complex system consists of many entities whose integration leads to the appearance of a global behaviour.
It is characterized by emerging properties that do not exist at the level of its constituents: the whole is greater than the sum 77
There are many examples: quantum particles, crystals, brains, anthills, schools of fish, flying bird groups, or financial markets, businesses, oral communication.
Complex systems are defined by their structure, the existence of non-linear interactions, the appearance of other levels of organization or even their behaviours.
Properties
Describing them is not an easy task, however, a complex
system has the following characteristics:
- Composed of many entities,
- Emergence of a structured global behaviour,
- Local interaction, little central organization,
- Existence of privileged links,
- Feedback loops.
And the following behaviours:
- Emergence of coherent properties or structures and
memorization of their evolution,
- Self-organization, influencing its future states,
- Resistance to local disturbances through the
interdependence of its constituents,
- Broken symmetry, presence of several states in
competition,
- Different spatial and temporal scales prioritising
different structures,
- Openness to the outside world with exchange of
energy and information at its borders.
Modelling
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The modelling of a complex system makes it possible to study its resistance to external disturbances.
Robust systems are resistant to a large number of disturbances but remain sensitive to a few others.
In a changing environment, the first point assures them a sustainable existence and the second increases their
adaptability.
Several important theories have contributed to the recent development of the complex systems theory:
- The chaos theory presented above,
- The cybernetics based on the concept of positive or
negative feedback,
- The systematics based on the holism: the simultaneous
study of all its components and interactions,
Leading to the consideration of new factors: diversity,
unpredictability, bottom to top functioning, tipping points, dominant power.
Summary
The quantum particles, the brain or the financial markets are some examples of complex systems.
A complex system consists of many entities whose integration leads to the appearance of a global behaviour and emerging properties: the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
It is defined by bottom-up operation, self-organization, resistance to local disturbances, feedback loops and several spatio-temporal scales.
A complex system is open to the outside exchanging energy and information at its borders.
10.4 Complex thought
The brain plays a major role in the formation of thought, 79
increasingly assimilated to a complex dynamic system.
Thought process
While it is not possible to identify its fine mechanism, Berkeley scientists were able to follow the thought brain path.
The prefrontal cortex is a key actor throughout the process: from the first stimulus to the appropriate response formulation.
The prefrontal cortex acts as the thought conductor by
coordinating the brain areas in question.
Divergence and convergence
For Edgard Morin, divergence and convergence are inseparable in complex thinking.
He therefore recommends opposites articulation based on:
- The nformation theory: conformity between the
message transmitted and received,
- The systems theory: the paradoxical nature of its
opening and closing, necessary for its equilibrium,
- The self-organisation theory: the ability of a
system to be autonomous while interacting with its
environment,
As on the complexity paradigm composed of:
- The dialogical principle: association of
complementary and antagonistic terms;
- The recursion principle: products and effects are both causes and producers and,
- The hologrammatic principle: all information is in
each point of the hologram.
Thus, the complex thinking becomes an evolving body subject to the environment where contradictions and antagonisms
become complementary.
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In conclusion, both the simplicity and the contradiction are at the heart of the complex thought.
Summary
The brain plays a major role in the formation of thought, but its fine mechanism remains to be elucidated.
The prefrontal cortex acts as the conductor of thought by coordinating the brain areas involved.
For Edgard Morin, divergence and convergence are inseparable in the complex thinking.
He therefore recommends an articulation of opposites based on the complex systems theory.
The complex thought is subject to its environment where
antagonisms are complementary and both simplicity and
contradiction important.
10.5 Conclusion
The signal is the physical medium of the information.
The analog transmission continuously transfers information via a modified carrier wave.
The chaos theory deals with dynamic systems, sensitive to initial conditions and whose behaviour is unpredictable.
A complex system consists of many entities whose integration leads to the appearance of a global behaviour and emerging properties.
It is defined by bottom-up functioning, self-organization, resistance to local disturbances, feedback loops and several spatial-temporal scales.
The complex thought is evolutionary and based on articulation of opposites and of self-organization, two concepts used in the complex systems theory.
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