No Mentation Without Representation
Manage episode 278867808 series 2815874
In this episode, Dr. Ray and Oyani discuss the process of navigating the conceptual space using the no mentation without representation principle. Here, mentation refers to mental states and representation refers to physical states. The purpose of this principle is to bridge our understanding of the conceptual and physical spaces.
To demonstrate their point, the hosts use the thought experiment of telling someone a secret. If someone is told a secret, they can physically carry that secret by walking into another room and telling another person. This is no different than if it the secret was written on a piece of paper, carried into another room, and handed to someone. Therefore, the act of communicating is the act of changing something's physical configuration. It is also true that one changes their own physical configuration as they think. As one thinks, they are traversing a trajectory in the space of all configurations their system could be in. The state of happiness is a different physical configuration from the state of sadness. But to go from one to the other, one must know how to program their physical system from one to the other. This is the process of navigating the conceptual space.
The hosts further discuss the role of feelings when navigating the conceptual space. Feelings act as a physical measurements that informs one about their location in the conceptual space. To effectively navigate it, one must be honest about their feelings; they tell you what conceptual neighborhood you're in.
So, if you find these ideas interesting and want to hear more, check out the episode. Also, don't forget to leave a review!
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