Let's say we are in two dodgem's cars on an empty dodgem's thingy.  Let's
say I am tryiing to collide with you.  To manage a collision I have to make
all sorts of calculations that involve facts about me as well as facts
about you.  For instance, if I do not not know the ratio of turning of the
steering wheel to turning of my car (or the ratio of my movement of my arms
to the turning of of the steering wheel), then I cannot manage the
collision, can I?  That is all information about ME.  

I guess I have stipulated that I think that being self conscious is the
same as processing information about ME.  

Thanks for the oportunity to try and clarify. 

Nick 

Nicholas Thompson
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson


> [Original Message]
> From: Russell Standish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; The Friday Morning Applied Complexity
Coffee Group <[email protected]>
> Date: 6/26/2006 12:55:42 AM
> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] RE Self consciousness and Passive Darwinism.
>
> On Sun, Jun 25, 2006 at 12:19:13AM -0400, Nicholas Thompson wrote:
> > I have never understood  the idea that animals are not self conscious in
> > some useful sense.  Heck, self consciousness is a necessary part of any
> > feed forward system, isnt it?  
> > 
>
> Why do you say this?
>
> -- 
> *PS: A number of people ask me about the attachment to my email, which
> is of type "application/pgp-signature". Don't worry, it is not a
> virus. It is an electronic signature, that may be used to verify this
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> may safely ignore this attachment.
>
>
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> A/Prof Russell Standish                  Phone 8308 3119 (mobile)
> Mathematics                                  0425 253119 (")
> UNSW SYDNEY 2052                       [EMAIL PROTECTED]             
> Australia                               
http://parallel.hpc.unsw.edu.au/rks
>             International prefix  +612, Interstate prefix 02
>
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