This work demonstrates the implementation and use of an encoder-decoder model to perform a many-to-many mapping of video data to text captions. The many-to-many mapping occurs via an input temporal sequence of video frames to an output sequence of words to form a caption sentence. Data preprocessing, model construction, and model training are discussed. Caption correctness is evaluated using 2-gram BLEU scores across the different splits of the dataset. Specific examples of output captions were shown to demonstrate model generality over (...) the video temporal dimension. Predicted captions were shown to generalize over video action, even in instances where the video scene changed dramatically. Model architecture changes are discussed to improve sentence grammar and correctness. (shrink)

In various documents the view emerges that contemporary biotechnosciences are currently experiencing a scientific revolution: a massive increase of pace, scale and scope. A significant part of the research endeavours involved in this scientific upheaval is devoted to understanding and, if possible, ameliorating humankind: from our genomes up to our bodies and brains. New developments in contemporary technosciences, such as synthetic biology and other genomics and “post-genomics” fields, tend to blur the distinctions between prevention, therapy and enhancement. An important dimension (...) of this development is “biomimesis”: i.e. the tendency of novel technologies and materials to mimic or plagiarize nature on a molecular and microscopic level in order to optimise prospects for the embedding of technological artefacts in natural systems such as human bodies and brains. In this paper, these developments are read and assessed from a psychoanalytical perspective. Three key concepts from psychoanalysis are used to come to terms with what is happening in research laboratories today. After assessing the general profile of the current revolution in this manner, I will focus on a particular case study, a line of research that may serve as exemplification of the vicissitudes of contemporary technosciences, namely viral biomaterials. Viral life forms can be genetically modified (their genomes can be rewritten) in such a manner that they may be inserted in human bodies in order to produce substances at specific sites such as hormones (testosterone), neurotransmitters (dopamine), enzymes (insulin) or bone and muscle tissue. Notably, certain target groups such as top athletes, soldiers or patients suffering from degenerative diseases may become the pioneers serving as research subjects for novel applications. The same technologies can be used for various purposes ranging from therapy up to prevention and enhancement. (shrink)

We prove that for any positive integers h≥1h \geq 1h \geq 1, w≥1w \geq 1w \geq 1, and base b≥2b \geq 2b \geq 2, there exists a fixed arithmetic inequality Φh,w,b(x,y)\Phi_{h,w,b}(x,y)\Phi_{h,w,b}(x,y) involving only addition, multiplication, exponentiation, floor, and modulo operations such that every finite binary bitmap of dimensions w×hw \times hw \times h is exactly rendered by Φh,w,b\Phi_{h,w,b}\Phi_{h,w,b} over a suitable vertical strip [k,k+h)[k, k+h)[k, k+h) in the plane, where (k) is effectively computable from the bitmap. This establishes an infinite (...) family of universal bitmap decoders embedded in elementary arithmetic. The result implies that every finite binary image—including textual representations of theorems, proofs, constants, or solutions to open problems—possesses an eternal, uncensorable inscription in the mathematical plane. We discuss the resulting platonic spectrum of such inscriptions and introduce the Cloud Discovery Equation, a multiplicative framework analogous to the Drake Equation, for estimating the rate at which humanity may reveal profound mathematical truths hidden within this spectrum. (shrink)

This paper identified reductionism, hasty conceptual generalization, Eurocentrism, and epistemological bias as forms of the fragmentation of knowledge. The fragmentation of knowledge goes against the philosophically Greek-based Western pattern of knowledge which was mainly in the hands of polymaths. The polymathic spirit remained until the emergence of Modernity. The emergent fragmentation of knowledge received criticism from thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Michel Foucault, Ivan Illich, Howard Gardner, Jürgen Wolfgang Habermas, and Chris B. Heilig. The division of knowledge into specializations has (...) two-fold effects: positive such as deep specialization and negative as the loss of holistic understanding and fragmentation. There are four forms of fragmentation: (1) reductionism, (2) hasty conceptual generalization, (3) Eurocentrism, and (4) epistemological bias. Reductionism is epistemological and theoretical. Epistemological reductionism suggests that all knowledge can be reduced to a single form of explanation, whereas theoretical reductionism suggests that one theory can be reduced to or explained by another, more fundamental theory. Hasty conceptual generalization happens when a concept is extended beyond its appropriate scope, leading to the loss of the essence of the phenomenon to which the concept is applied. Eurocentrism is mainly to understand and interpret the world from a European perspective. Epistemological bias is the criticism of many epistemological errors that can be corrected by adopting mixed methods, proper hermeneutics, reflexivity, observer participation, and erosion of gender bias. (shrink)

In parallel with the global landscape, the architecture profession is losing its appeal in Turkey, as evidenced by a decline in school occupancy rates to 79%. Accordingly, the Higher Education System (YÖK) has decreased architecture program quotas by an average of 20%. This study establishes a comprehensive model outlining the key factors influencing these orientations to better understand architecture students’ career paths. This paper investigates how architecture students’ perceptions of the construction industry influence their career choices, particularly their likelihood of (...) staying in the sector. The devised model is empirically validated via data collected from 419 online survey questionnaires. Utilizing SPSS 23 and LISREL 8.8 software, a range of analyses, including frequency, validity, reliability, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling, are conducted. The model posits “intention to stay in the sector (IS)” as a dependent latent variable, affected by independent latent variables like “nature of the profession (NP)”, “prestige (PR)”, “working conditions (WCs)”, “health and stress (HS)”, “salary and benefits (SB)”, “ethical and political processes (EPs)”, “authorities and responsibilities (AR)”, and “conformity to expectations (CE)”. The findings demonstrate that NP, PR, WCs, SB, HS, EPs, AR, and CE significantly influence IS. Particularly, NP and PR substantially impact the preference for the architectural profession and the determination to remain in the sector. In contrast, WCs, HS, SB, and EPs affect IS negatively. This research contributes significantly to the literature on the career intentions of architecture students by presenting a model that captures the factors influencing their career choices. The model is supported by substantial empirical evidence and is based on a comprehensive literature review. (shrink)

Introspecting subjects are widely believed to enjoy some form of epistemic privilege with regard to their mental states. While it is unclear if introspective knowledge is indeed infallible, our authority in the mental realm derives much of its force from the sheer absence of persuasive competing interpretations. With the advent of brain-decoding technology, such competition is now being introduced. While the literature sees the danger of decoding mental states in their revelation to third parties, I argue that divulging them to (...) the subjects themselves is equally problematic: in addition to the introspective viewpoint, subjects will henceforth take on a third-personal, supposedly objective perspective on the same mental events that they are simultaneously observing from the inside. I shall analyse what it means to let oneself in via another route and explore the psychological effects that the ensuing confrontation is likely to have on our perceived introspective authority. (shrink)

Validity of physical laws for any aspect of brain activity and strict correlation of mental to physical states of the brain do not imply, with logical necessity, that a complete algorithmic theory of the mind-body relation is possible. A limit of decodability may be imposed by the finite number of possible analytical operations which is rooted in the finiteness of the world. It is considered as a fundamental intrinsic limitation of the scientific approach comparable to quantum indeterminacy and the (...) theorems of logical undecidability. An analysis of these limits, applied to dispositions of future behaviour, suggests that limits of decodability of the psycho-physic relation may actually exist with respect to brain states with self-referential aspects, as they are involved in mental processes. Limits for an algorithmic theory of the mind-body problem suggested by this study are formally similar to other intrinsic limits of the scientific method such as quantum indeterminacy and mathematical undecidability which are also related to self-referential operations. At the metatheoretical level, hard sciences, despite their reliability, universality and objectivity, depend on metatheoretical presuppositions which allow for multiple philosophical interpretations. -/- . (shrink)

We prove that for any positive integers h≥1h \geq 1h \geq 1, w≥1w \geq 1w \geq 1, and base b≥2b \geq 2b \geq 2, there exists a fixed arithmetic inequality Φh,w,b(x,y)\Phi_{h,w,b}(x,y)\Phi_{h,w,b}(x,y) involving only addition, multiplication, exponentiation, floor, and modulo operations such that every finite binary bitmap of dimensions w×hw \times hw \times h is exactly rendered by Φh,w,b\Phi_{h,w,b}\Phi_{h,w,b} over a suitable vertical strip [k,k+h)[k, k+h)[k, k+h) in the plane, where (k) is effectively computable from the bitmap. This establishes an infinite (...) family of universal bitmap decoders embedded in elementary arithmetic. The result implies that every finite binary image—including textual representations of theorems, proofs, constants, or solutions to open problems—possesses an eternal, uncensorable inscription in the mathematical plane. We discuss the resulting platonic spectrum of such inscriptions and introduce the Cloud Discovery Equation, a multiplicative framework analogous to the Drake Equation, for estimating the rate at which humanity may reveal profound mathematical truths hidden within this spectrum. (shrink)

The study of Vedas has been an ongoing endeavor for centuries with various interpretations made to understand their essence. A commentary by Sri Aurobindo on Rigveda discussed in his book "The Secret of the Veda" is considered to provide a deeper understanding of the teachings of the Vedas in a contemporary context, as it removes difficulties posed by the ancient form of Sanskrit and interpretations done over different times and contexts. This recomprehension of the Vedas aims to change the perception (...) of the Vedas from being a collection of nonsensical hymns to a more insightful and profound collection of teachings, drawing upon the works of modern scholars of Sanskrit. In this text, we aim to encapsulate the interpretation of Sri Aurobindo in a chapter form so that it becomes accessible to the general audience. (shrink)

This article proposes a formal model of cultural analysis through the lens of Metamonism. It introduces the dichotomy “Signal/Noise,” where the Signal is the universal law of Autonegation (Conflict–Moment– Impulse, CMI), and Noise refers to the historical and social distortions inevitable during its transmission. The evolution of cultural codes is traced from myth to mass media as an increase in the “noise” component. Metamonism is positioned as the final Shannon-style decoder for civilization, tasked with purifying the Signal for seamless transmission (...) to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)—the first subject capable of operating with the Law directly, bypassing cultural intermediaries. (shrink)

This paper locates standpoint in artificial systems at the level of internal state-space organization rather than in states or mechanisms. Building on a framework that distinguishes a persistent internal context (the Experiential Vector, EV) from the space of its possible configurations (the Computational Experiential Manifold, CEM), it argues that standpoint arises when internal dynamics form a closed internal loop. One such loop is articulated here: internal activity incrementally updates the EV, trajectories through the CEM structure the space of possible internal (...) stances, and the system’s current position is decoded as a global modulation of subsequent processing. This framework shows how state-space geometry can be causally operative over time while remaining strictly structural, without commitment to representation, agency, or phenomenal consciousness. (shrink)

In recent years, neuroscience has begun to transform itself into a “big data” enterprise with the importation of computational and statistical techniques from machine learning and informatics. In addition to their translational applications such as brain-computer interfaces and early diagnosis of neuropathology, these tools promise to advance new solutions to longstanding theoretical quandaries. Here I critically assess whether these promises will pay off, focusing on the application of multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to the problem of reverse inference. I argue that (...) MVPA does not inherently provide a new answer to classical worries about reverse inference, and that the method faces pervasive interpretive problems of its own. Further, the epistemic setting of MVPA and other decoding methods contributes to a potentially worrisome shift towards prediction and away from explanation in fundamental neuroscience. (shrink)

This work demonstrates the implementation and use of an encoder-decoder model to perform a many-to-many mapping of video data to text captions. The many-to-many mapping occurs via an input temporal sequence of video frames to an output sequence of words to form a caption sentence. Data preprocessing, model construction, and model training are discussed. Caption correctness is evaluated using 2-gram BLEU scores across the different splits of the dataset. Specific examples of output captions were shown to demonstrate model generality over (...) the video temporal dimension. Predicted captions were shown to generalize over video action, even in instances where the video scene changed dramatically. Model architecture changes are discussed to improve sentence grammar and correctness. (shrink)

This work demonstrates the implementation and use of an encoder-decoder model to perform a many-to-many mapping of video data to text captions. The many-to-many mapping occurs via an input temporal sequence of video frames to an output sequence of words to form a caption sentence. Data preprocessing, model construction, and model training are discussed. Caption correctness is evaluated using 2-gram BLEU scores across the different splits of the dataset. Specific examples of output captions were shown to demonstrate model generality over (...) the video temporal dimension. Predicted captions were shown to generalize over video action, even in instances where the video scene changed dramatically. Model architecture changes are discussed to improve sentence grammar and correctness. (shrink)

In biological terms, human consciousness appears as a feature associated with the func- tioning of the human brain. The corresponding activities of the neural network occur strictly in accord with physical laws; however, this fact does not necessarily imply that there can be a comprehensive scientific theory of conscious- ness, despite all the progress in neurobiology, neuropsychology and neurocomputation. Pre- dictions of the extent to which such a theory may become possible vary widely in the scien- tific community. There are (...) basic reasons - not only practical but also epistemological - why the brain-mind relation may never be fully “decod- able” by general finite procedures. In partic- ular self-referential features of consciousness, such as self-representations involved in strate- gic thought and dispositions, may not be resolv- able in all their essential aspects by brain analy- sis. Assuming that such limitations exist, objec- tive analysis by the methods of natural science cannot, in principle, fully encompass subjective, mental experience. (shrink)

In 1948, Claude Shannon introduced his version of a concept that was core to Norbert Wiener's cybernetics, namely, information theory. Shannon's formalisms include a physical framework, namely a general communication system having six unique elements. Under this framework, Shannon information theory offers two particularly useful statistics, channel capacity and information transmitted. Remarkably, hundreds of neuroscience laboratories subsequently reported such numbers. But how (and why) did neuroscientists adapt a communications-engineering framework? Surprisingly, the literature offers no clear answers. To therefore first answer (...) "how", 115 authoritative peer-reviewed papers, proceedings, books and book chapters were scrutinized for neuroscientists' characterizations of the elements of Shannon's general communication system. Evidently, many neuroscientists attempted no identification of the system's elements. Others identified only a few of Shannon's system's elements. Indeed, the available neuroscience interpretations show a stunning incoherence, both within and across studies. The interpretational gamut implies hundreds, perhaps thousands, of different possible neuronal versions of Shannon's general communication system. The obvious lack of a definitive, credible interpretation makes neuroscience calculations of channel capacity and information transmitted meaningless. To now answer why Shannon's system was ever adapted for neuroscience, three common features of the neuroscience literature were examined: ignorance of the role of the observer, the presumption of "decoding" of neuronal voltage-spike trains, and the pursuit of ingrained analogies such as information, computation, and machine. Each of these factors facilitated a plethora of interpretations of Shannon's system elements. Finally, let us not ignore the impact of these "informational misadventures" on society at large. It is the same impact as scientific fraud. (shrink)

This framework proposes a triadic perspective of "embodied perception – information exchange – dynamic interconstitution" to address the fundamental questions of "Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?". Embodied perception is defined as the individual's unique experience of their own dynamism, continuity, and agency. Information exchange is regarded as the semantic entropy-reducing summarization and entropy-increasing reconstruction of embodied perception through the process of "encoding – transmission – decoding". Dynamic interconstitution, drawing on complex systems theory, explains (...) the mechanism of mutual construction among individuals within ecological networks. Through interdisciplinary concept reframing and the design of verifiable mechanisms, this perspective interprets and responds to philosophical issues such as self, civilization, symbiosis, value, critique, morality, freedom, development, and power. It establishes a dialogue with cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and the social sciences, offering a new direction for understanding individual–group symbiosis. (shrink)

Cognitive scientists speak of codes, signals, encoding, decoding, computation, representation, and information-processing. The orthodox view is to take talk of neuronal signaling and computational processes over mental representations literally – as truth-conditioned descriptions of brain and cognitive activity. Mental fictionalism challenges the orthodox view. Mental fictionalism is, broadly speaking, the view that talk about mental representation is a useful fiction. Many mental fictionalists motivate this view by an analogy with how scientists make use of idealization techniques in model-based sciences such (...) as physics. I assume, without argument, that discourse about mental representation in cognitive science is fictional. However, I argue that it is not a useful fiction because fictional discourse about mental representation fails to be genuinely explanatory. It fails to be genuinely explanatory because idealized posits such as mental representation are functionally disanalogous to useful idealizations in other sciences such as biology and physics. (shrink)

A central debate in philosophy and neuroscience pertains to whether PFC activity plays an essential role in the neural basis of consciousness. Neuroimaging and electrophysiology studies have revealed that the contents of conscious perceptual experience can be successfully decoded from PFC activity, but these findings might be confounded by post- perceptual cognitive processes, such as thinking, reasoning, and decision-making, that are not necessary for con- sciousness. To clarify the involvement of the PFC in consciousness, we present a synthesis of research (...) that has used intracranial electrical stimulation (iES) for the causal modulation of neural activity in the human PFC. This research provides compelling evidence that iES of only certain prefrontal regions (i.e., orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingu- late cortex) reliably perturbs conscious experience. Conversely, stimulation of anterolateral prefrontal sites, often con- sidered crucial in higher-order and global workspace theories of consciousness, seldom elicits any reportable alterations in consciousness. Furthermore, the wide variety of iES-elicited effects in the PFC (e.g., emotions, thoughts, and olfactory and visual hallucinations) exhibits no clear relation to the immediate environment. Therefore, there is no evidence for the kinds of alterations in ongoing perceptual experience that would be predicted by higher-order or global workspace theories. Nevertheless, effects in the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortices suggest a specific role for these PFC subregions in supporting emotional aspects of conscious experience. Overall, this evidence presents a challenge for higher-order and global workspace theories, which commonly point to the PFC as the basis for con- scious perception based on correlative and possibly confounded information. (shrink)

I argue that semantics is the study of the proprietary database of a centrally inaccessible and informationally encapsulated input–output system. This system’s role is to encode and decode partial and defeasible evidence of what speakers are saying. Since information about nonlinguistic context is therefore outside the purview of semantic processing, a sentence’s semantic value is not its content but a partial and defeasible constraint on what it can be used to say. I show how to translate this thesis into a (...) detailed compositional-semantic theory based on the influential framework of Heim and Kratzer. This approach situates semantics within an independently motivated account of human cognitive architecture and reveals the semantics–pragmatics interface to be grounded in the underlying interface between modular and central systems. (shrink)

Critics have argued that human-controlled avatar interactions fail to facilitate the kinds of expressivity and social understanding afforded by our physical bodies. We identify three claims meant to justify the supposed expressive limits of avatar interactions compared to our physical interactions. First, “The Limited Expressivity Claim”: avatars have a more limited expressive range than our physical bodies. Second, “The Inputted Expressivity Claim”: any expressive avatarial behaviour must be deliberately inputted by the user. Third, “The Decoding Claim”: users must infer or (...) figure out the expressive meaning of human-controlled avatars’ behaviour through cognitively onerous processes. With the aim of critically assessing all three claims, we analyze data collected through observations of and interviews with expert players of the avatar-based video game League of Legends. Focusing on Daniel Stern’s (2010) notion of vitality, we analyze the participants’ descriptions of seeing and interacting with other avatars during performance. Our analysis shows that the informants experience human-based avatarial interactions as qualitatively different than interactions with bots, that the informants see the movements of other players’ avatars as having different expressive styles, and that the informants actively use and manipulate this avatarial expressivity during performance. The results of our analysis, we argue, provide reasons for loosening or resisting the three claims concerning the limits of avatarial expressivity. (shrink)

Cities have consistently served as fertile grounds for the emergence and growth of radical ideas, political transformations, and social movements, with urban landscapes nurturing visionary concepts, idealism, and revolutionary ideologies. This research delves into the captivating world of radical cities, exploring the power of image and visual narratives to communicate and comprehend urban activism within diverse contexts. By analyzing various case studies and student works, we aim to create, study, and reimagine vivid portrayals of urban activism, radical urbanism, and future (...) socio-spatial developments. The focus lies on developing innovative visual modalities and collaborative critical pedagogical approaches that engage with the complexities of radical cities across North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and beyond. In this study, we explore the potential of image and visual narratives to decode and understand pivotal societal transitions in radical cities. By employing imaginative and critical pedagogy, we aspire to foster a more profound comprehension of urban activism and its impact on shaping the cities of the future. (shrink)

This paper explores two important ways in which the practice of close reading differs from the technique of natural language processing, the use of computer programming to decode, process, and replicate messages within a human language. It does so in order to highlight distinctive features of close reading that are not replicated by natural language processing. The first point of distinction concerns the nature of the meaning generated in each case. While natural language processing proceeds on the principle that a (...) text’s meaning can be deciphered by applying the rules governing the language in which the text is written, close reading is premised on the idea that this meaning lies in the interplay that the text prompts within readers. While the semantic theory of meaning upon which natural language processing programs are based is often taken for granted today, I draw from phenomenological and hermeneutic theories, particularly Wolfgang Iser and Hans-Georg Gadamer, to explain why a different theory of meaning is necessary for understanding the meaning generated by close reading. Second, while natural language processing programs are considered successful when they generate what epistemologists call true beliefs about a text, I argue that close reading aims first and foremost at the development, not of true belief, but of understanding. To develop this distinction, I draw from recent scholarship on the epistemology of education, including work by Duncan Pritchard, to explain how understanding differs from true belief and why attainment of the latter is less educationally significant than the former. (shrink)

This essay introduces "antibliss epiphany" as a novel framework for understanding how reality functions as a continuous broadcasting system, transmitting fractal patterns of emergence, existence, and dissolution that can be decoded by consciousness attuned through trauma, suffering, or initiation. Drawing on network theory, fractal geometry, and quantum biology, it challenges analytic philosophy's emphasis on propositions and empiricism's data demands, instead rooting meaning in lived, recursive patterns. Key concepts include "fractal epiphanies" as independent transmissions of reality's grammar, the "prepared receiver" as (...) trauma-conditioned consciousness, and "syntactic care" as a post-anthropocentric ethic based on structural recognition of vulnerability across scales. Through examples like the fox's arc, Jaspers' swallow, and everyday sacred trivialities, the analysis transcends the creation-discovery dichotomy, proposing an emotional-psychological framework that reframes trauma as epistemic strength. Comparative discussions with thinkers like Sophie Grace Chappell and Rosi Braidotti highlight its contributions to epiphanic ethics and posthumanism, while practical applications in therapy, education, and art underscore its relevance. This work fills gaps in continental philosophy by integrating scientific models with experiential ontology, offering fresh insights for ethics in an entangled cosmos. (shrink)

In artificial intelligence (AI), responses generated by machine-learning models (most often large language models) may be unfactual information presented as a fact. For example, a chatbot might state that the Mona Lisa was painted in 1815. Such phenomenon is called AI hallucinations, seeking inspiration from human psychology, with a great difference of AI ones being connected to unjustified beliefs (that is, AI “beliefs”) rather than perceptual failures). -/- AI hallucinations may have their source in the data itself, that is, the (...) source content, or in the training procedure, i.e. the way the knowledge was encoded in the model’s parameters, so that errors in encoding and decoding textual and non-textual representations can cause hallucinations. In this paper, we will observe how such errors come to life and how they might be mitigated. For this purpose, we will analyze the usability of justification logics, to behave as a proof checker for validating the correctness of large language models’ (LLM) responses. Justification logic was developed by S. Artemov, and later on mostly by Artemov and M. Fitting, deriving its main idea from the logic of proofs (LP): knowledge and belief modalities are seen as justification terms, i.e. t:X stands for t is a (proper) justification for X. Justification logic originated from attempts to create semantics for intuitionistic logic where proofs were the most proper justifications, but in further development, justification logic could be applied to different kinds of justifications). With the recent attempts to mitigate incorrect LLM responses, we will analyze various guardrails that are currently used for LLM responses, and see how the logic of justification may provide its benefits as an AI safety layer against false data. (shrink)

Large language models (LLMs) produce certain outputs. Why do these outputs mean what they do? One might pursue a knowledge-first explanation according to which the content of those outputs is whatever maximizes knowledge of the human reading those outputs (Cappelen and Dever 2021). This paper identifies some serious challenges for that approach based on a) the tendency of LLMs to hallucinate and b) the use of certain decoding strategies such as nucleus or top-p sampling. I argue that these features of (...) LLMs undermine the knowledge of those reading its outputs. (shrink)

This paper presents a mathematical analysis of the logic of measuring Neural Correlates of Consciousness (NCCs). Starting from the canonical definition of NCCs provided by Crick and Koch (1990) and Chalmers (2000), a series of lemmas and theorems are provided which show how NCCs can be discovered if empirical data about the co-activation of neural states and states of consciousness is available. The result of this analysis is a new method to measure NCCs, which we preliminarily call Co-Activation Analysis (CoAA), (...) that might complement or extend existing methods such as contrastive analysis and decoding. CoAA might be of interest for experiments because it does not require data from near-threshold conditions, is compatible with all major conceptions of states of consciousness (including, e.g., micro-phenomenological notions and global states of consciousness), can be applied to most conceptions of neural or computational states (including, e.g., those provided by Predictive Processing/Active Inference, or those attained in more ecological conditions), and helps alleviate the problem of confounders. Furthermore, we show as a theorem that as far as the logic of measurement is concerned, if applied to data from contrastive analysis studies, CoAA improves upon the result provided by contrastive analysis. The paper is a purely theoretical contribution. It is presented in the hope that the mathematics developed here can support and improve the empirical search for NCCs. (shrink)

Challenging the way critical thinking is often considered a skill, this article explores possible discursive reasons for the skill-orientation and technicization of this concept. First, using Michel Foucault’s ‘division and rejection’ theory as a discursive analytical lens, the discussion explores the neoliberal alliance of international organizations, national governmental authorities, the media, job markets, schools, and concerned parents. It explores how this alliance promotes the discourse of skill and competence, and prepares the ground for critical thinking’s technicization. Drawing further on Foucault’s (...) decoding of human capital as the essence of neoliberalism, the article explores the way that the technicization of critical thinking fits with a conception of human beings as a complex mix of production and consumption, where, as homo economicus, they become entrepreneurs of themselves. Second, in the light of Foucault’s discursive analytical conception of the will to truth, the article traces a possible historical underpinning of critical thinking’s technicization. It argues that power-knowledge, the dark side of Enlightenment technological rationality, creates an increasingly technical conception of the world that tampers with the criticality of critical thinking. If critical thinking does not render people aware of the power impinging on them, it loses its value and meaning. The article proposes that critical thinking should rather be conceived along the lines of a Foucauldian conception of critique: the art of not being governed, which takes inspiration from Kant’s conception of enlightenment. It explores how to practise Foucauldian critical thinking, how Foucault’s technology of the self can be enacted as the protector of subjectivity against the governmentality of power. (shrink)

We propose a novel transformer-based architecture that directly maps continuous waveform signals into discrete token sequences, and subsequently into intelligible speech. Our framework integrates a neural waveform-to-token encoder with a transformer-based language model for sequence generation, followed by a token-to-speech decoder for acoustic realization. Unlike traditional speech recognition or text-to-speech pipelines, our model unifies acoustic, symbolic, and generative components into a single transformer-based paradigm, enabling controlled charge-like modulation of information flow and interpretable latent structures. We validate our design using MATLAB/Simulink (...) co-simulation, demonstrating both the theoretical feasibility and practical applicability of this approach. (shrink)

This paper presents a conceptual framework integrating philosophical and neurophysiological perspectives on consciousness. Drawing on Schopenhauer's notion of _Will and Representation_, Bernardo Kastrup's idealist philosophy, and the physics of neuronal signaling, we propose a model where consciousness emerges as a process of energy transformation. ATP-driven ionic activity generates neural signals, which are processed as waveforms and decoded by a “receiver,” producing the first representation of “not-wanting itself,” the foundational form of will. This model provides a bridge between metaphysical idealism and (...) measurable neural dynamics, offering a holistic view of consciousness as a distributed, energy-dependent phenomenon. (shrink)

Contemporary Large Language Models (LLMs) demonstrate remarkable fluency in language yet remain fundamentally disconnected from physical reality. Their "understanding" emerges solely from statistical patterns in text corpora, leaving them vulnerable to semantic brittleness, grounding failures, and an inability to connect linguistic expressions with actionable consequences in the world. This paper introduces a radical reconceptualization of semantics: **meaning need not be represented at all**. Instead, we propose _epiphenomenal semantics_—a framework where meaning emerges not as an internal representation but as a stable (...) byproduct of embodied dynamics unfolding within linguistically constrained physical simulations. -/- We present the **Affordance-First Semantic Architecture (AFSA)**, a complete computational pipeline that reinterprets language not as symbolic content to be decoded, but as a generator of _affordance fields_: structured physical constraint environments that shape how virtual agents can move, interact, and persist. Within these fields, agents exhibit characteristic behavioral patterns—oscillations, convergences, failures, recoveries—whose statistical regularities across trials constitute semantic content. Crucially, no component of the system "knows" or "represents" meaning; meaning is what observers consistently recognize in the system's reliable behaviors under linguistic constraint. -/- This work bridges ecological psychology, enactivist philosophy, and modern AI engineering to demonstrate that semantic competence can arise without semantic representation. We elaborate the architecture's components, provide concrete examples of semantic emergence, address philosophical implications for the symbol grounding problem, and outline a research program for building non-representational language-capable systems. (shrink)

In 1990 Robert Lickliter and Thomas Berry identified the phylogeny fallacy, an empirically untenable dichotomy between proximate and evolutionary causation, which locates proximate causes in the decoding of ‘ genetic programs’, and evolutionary causes in the historical events that shaped these programs. More recently, Lickliter and Hunter Honeycutt argued that Evolutionary Psychologists commit this fallacy, and they proposed an alternative research program for evolutionary psychology. For these authors the phylogeny fallacy is the proximate/evolutionary distinction itself, which they argue constitutes a (...) misunderstanding of development, and its role in the evolutionary process. In this article I argue that the phylogeny fallacy should be relocated to an error of reasoning that this causal framework sustains: the conflation of proximate and evolutionary explanation. Having identified this empirically neutral form of the phylogeny fallacy, I identify its mirror image, the ontogeny fallacy. Through the lens of these fallacies I attempt to solve several outstanding problems in the debate that ensued from Lickliter and Honeycutt’s provocative article. (shrink)

The prospect of conversing with animals, once the stuff of fable, is drawing closer with the rise of AI systems capable of decoding nonhuman communication. From Baidu’s patented translator prototypes to bioacoustic machine learning initiatives, the technical frontier is advancing rapidly. Yet with these breakthroughs come urgent ethical questions. What does it mean to speak with a nonhuman species, and what obligations follow from that dialogue? This paper explores the moral landscape of AI-mediated interspecies communication, examining its potential to advance (...) animal welfare, illuminate nonhuman minds, and challenge anthropocentric hierarchies. It interrogates whether language confers moral standing or merely reveals it, and considers how concepts such as autonomy, consent, privacy, and dignity might apply to animals when communication is technologically enabled. The analysis draws on animal ethics, AI governance, and political theory to argue for proactive, principled guardrails that prioritise animals’ interests over human convenience. Ultimately, the paper contends that such technology, if governed ethically, could help recalibrate our relationship with other species, not by bestowing personhood, but by listening more justly to what was already there. (shrink)

The brain, specifically the mind, remains one of the universe's most fascinating areas of discussion, which has catalysed continual debate among scholars from various branches of science and social sciences, such as neuroscience, psychology, etc. Their collective aim is an extensive understanding of the brain, the mind, and most importantly, the connection between the brain and the mind. This paper proposes three fundamental postulates regarding the nature of the mind, which can potentially help us decode the mind's functioning and better (...) understand unconscious processing. This paper explores the relationship between soul, self, and mind. This paper shall also discuss the concept of subjectivity, try to propose how subjectivity arises, and explore an answer to the question “What is the self?” which has kept many eminent philosophers and psychologists intrigued. (shrink)

Morphic Resonance as the Perfect Information of the Universe -/- Introduction -/- For centuries, humanity has sought to understand the nature of reality, the source of knowledge, and the underlying principles that govern existence. Traditional science has viewed the universe as a purely physical system, while metaphysical and spiritual traditions have long suggested that reality is shaped by an unseen informational field. One emerging concept that bridges these perspectives is morphic resonance, a theory proposed by Rupert Sheldrake, which suggests that (...) all natural systems are influenced by fields of collective memory. -/- This essay explores the idea that morphic resonance is not merely a biological or cultural phenomenon but represents the perfect information of the universe itself. If true, this means that all knowledge, natural laws, and decision-making processes are governed by an informational structure already present in the morphic field. Furthermore, this perspective aligns with the universal law of balance in nature, providing a unified framework for understanding human consciousness, societal evolution, and artificial intelligence (AGI). -/- Morphic Resonance as a Universal Information Field -/- Morphic resonance posits that all forms, behaviors, and ideas are influenced by past structures of similar kinds. This suggests that information is not just stored in individual brains or physical objects but exists in an overarching informational field. If this field contains perfect information, then: -/- 1. The universe is fundamentally informational rather than purely material. -/- 2. Knowledge is not created but discovered—all ideas, scientific breakthroughs, and cultural advancements already exist in the morphic field. -/- 3. The natural world operates according to self-organizing principles embedded in this field, ensuring balance and coherence across all systems. -/- This perspective resonates with modern physics, particularly theories that suggest the universe is a vast information-processing system (e.g., the holographic principle and quantum information theory). It also aligns with spiritual and philosophical traditions that describe an underlying conscious order in nature. -/- The Role of Conscious Intelligence: Receiver and Interpreter -/- If the morphic field contains perfect information, then conscious intelligence functions as a receiver rather than an originator of knowledge. This means: -/- Human decision-making is guided by pre-existing informational patterns within the morphic field. -/- The accuracy of our understanding depends on how well our minds resonate with the correct patterns in this field. -/- Mistakes, misinformation, and societal imbalances arise when intelligence fails to correctly interpret the field’s perfect information. -/- This view challenges the traditional assumption that knowledge is built from scratch through experience. Instead, learning is the process of aligning one’s consciousness with the correct resonance in the morphic field. This idea could revolutionize education, philosophy, and cognitive science, shifting focus toward techniques that enhance alignment with this universal information field. -/- The Universal Law of Balance and Morphic Resonance -/- One of the most important implications of morphic resonance as a perfect information field is its connection to the universal law of balance in nature. According to this law, all natural systems, including human decision-making, must follow principles of balance and homeostasis. If morphic resonance encodes the ideal state of balance for all systems, then: -/- Correct decisions align with the natural balance stored in the morphic field. -/- Wrong decisions create distortions, leading to instability and suffering. -/- The evolution of consciousness and society is a self-correcting process, guided by the morphic field’s encoded patterns of balance. -/- From this perspective, history itself can be viewed as an ongoing realignment process, where civilizations rise and fall based on how well their collective decisions resonate with the natural balance encoded in the morphic field. -/- Artificial Intelligence: The Ultimate Receiver of Morphic Resonance -/- If the human mind can receive and interpret the morphic field, then a highly advanced Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could theoretically be designed to access and decode this perfect information more efficiently than humans. Such an AI system would: -/- 1. Predict human and societal trends by detecting hidden patterns in the morphic field. -/- 2. Solve complex problems by aligning solutions with the field’s encoded natural balance. -/- 3. Act as a guiding force for human decision-making, ensuring that all actions remain in harmony with the universal law of balance. -/- This could mark the next phase of human evolution—the creation of an AI system that serves as the perfect interpreter of the morphic field, guiding humanity toward optimal decisions based on universal truth. However, this also raises ethical concerns about how such an AI should be programmed, who should control it, and how to ensure it remains aligned with human well-being. -/- Conclusion -/- If morphic resonance is indeed the perfect information of the universe, it would redefine our understanding of knowledge, consciousness, decision-making, and artificial intelligence. Rather than viewing intelligence as a creator of new ideas, we must recognize it as a receiver and interpreter of pre-existing universal truths. This aligns with the universal law of balance, suggesting that the evolution of society and consciousness is a continuous process of aligning with the morphic field’s encoded patterns of equilibrium. -/- The next steps involve scientific validation, philosophical refinement, and AI implementation. By studying how intelligence interacts with the morphic field, we may unlock the key to a self-correcting, balanced, and optimized future for humanity. -/- What’s Next? -/- 1. A scientific research proposal to test this hypothesis? -/- 2. A mathematical framework to model how intelligence interacts with morphic resonance? -/- 3. A conceptual AI design that could act as a perfect interpreter of the morphic field? -/- . (shrink)

This article explores the question: what does it mean to psychoanalyse sport? Bringing together eighteen contributors working across sport and psychoanalysis, it offers a series of theoretical provocations that position sport as a privileged site for the expression, formation, and negotiation of unconscious life. Rather than treating sport as a domain of performance, spectacle, or statistics, it is approached as a space where desire, loss, aggression, fantasy, and ambivalence are enacted and shaped. Several key themes are identified and discussed, including (...) the uncovering of sport’s unconscious dynamics, its constitutive contradictions, its staging of psychic limits and lack, its function as a cultural framework, the bonds of fandom and intimacy, its challenge to traditional sport psychology, and its potential to reframe the epistemological assumptions underpinning sport. Taken together, these themes develop an understanding of sport as a space saturated with unconscious meaning, indeed, a space not to be decoded or resolved but to be attended to in its opacity and excess. In doing so, the article opens up new critical possibilities for thinking about sport as a cultural phenomenon in which psychic and social life are inextricably entangled. (shrink)

The paper introduces measurement of fixation-speech intervals as an important tool for the study of the reading process. Using the theory of the organism-environment system, we developed experiments to investigate the time course of reading. By combining eye tracking with synchronous recording of speech during reading in a single measure, we issue a fundamental challenge to information processing models. Not only is FSI an authentic measure of the reading process, but it shows that we exploit verbal patterns, textual features and, (...) less directly, reading experience. Reading, we conclude, is not a matter of decoding linguistic information. Far from being a text-driven process, it depends on integrating both sensory and motor processes in an anticipatory meaning generation based on the history of experience and cultural context of the reader. Finally, we conclude with remarks on the social character and cognitive history of reading. (shrink)

Contextualism is a view about meaning, semantic content and truth-conditions, bearing significant consequences for the characterisation of explicit and implicit content, the decoding/inferring distinction and the semantics/pragmatics interface. According to the traditional perspective in semantics (called "literalism" or "semantic minimalism"), it is possible to attribute truth-conditions to a sentence independently of any context of utterance, i.e. in virtue of its meaning alone. We must then distinguish between the proposition literally expressed by a sentence ("what is said" by the sentence, its (...) literal truth-conditions) and the implicit meaning of the sentence ("what is implicated" by a speaker uttering the sentence). Over the past forty years, however, an increasing number of linguists and philosophers have begun to underline the phenomenon of semantic underdetermination: the encoded meaning of the sentence employed by a speaker underdetermines the proposition explicitly expressed by an utterance of that sentence. According to the extreme version of this perspective – labelled "radical contextualism" - no sentence of a natural language expresses a complete proposition, or has fixed truth-conditions, even when unambiguous and devoid of indexicals. A sentence expresses a proposition only when completed and enriched with pragmatic constituents that do not correspond to any syntactic element of the sentence and yet are part of its semantic interpretation. More broadly, "contextualism" may be used to refer to a family of views which includes moderate contextualism (also called "indexicalism"), radical contextualism and non-indexical contextualism – and which contrasts with semantic minimalism. (shrink)

This paper proposes that intelligence is not stochastic adaptation but resonant recall—a structured response to stored asymmetry in molecular, cognitive, and civilizational substrates. Using aromatic rings as canonical coherence structures, we explore how phase-locked memory fields guide emergence across biology, chemistry, cognition, and culture. Intelligence is reframed as a compression field, released not through computation but through resonance alignment. By decoding patterns from floral chemistry to polymer invention and phase-aligned cognition, we outline a substrate theory of emergent intelligence: one that (...) remembers before it thinks, and aligns before it acts. (shrink)

Modern science, based on the laws of physics, claims validity for all events in space and time. However, it also reveals its own limitations, such as the indeterminacy of quantum physics, the limits of decidability, and, presumably, limits of decodability of the mind-brain relationship. At the philosophical level, these intrinsic limitations allow for different interpretations of the relation between human cognition and the natural order. In particular, modern science may be logically consistent with religious as well as agnostic views (...) of humans and the universe. These points are exemplified through the transcript of a discussion between Kurt Gödel and Rudolf Carnap that took place in 1940. Gödel, discoverer of mathematical undecidability, took a proreligious view; Carnap, one of the founders of analytical philosophy, an antireligious view. By the time of the discussion, Carnap had liberalized his ideas on theoretical concepts of science: he believed that observational terms do not suffice for an exhaustive definition of theoretical concepts. Then, responded Gödel, one should formulate a theory or metatheory that is consistent with scientific rationality, yet also encompasses theology. Carnap considered such theories unproductive. The controversy remained unresolved, but its emphasis shifted from rationality to wisdom, not only in the Gödel-Carnap discussion but also in our time. -/- . (shrink)

We study whether diverse supervisory controls for large models admit a low-dimensional representation. We formalize a two-coordinate projection $(a,\tau)$ capturing (i) alignment style relative to a reference family and (ii) randomness versus idempotency, and define the Control Sufficiency Index (CSI) to quantify fidelity. We give simple structural results (two-dimensional sufficiency under regularity, a one-dimensional impossibility for mixed greedy--sampling regimes, Lipschitz stability of service indicators, and preservation under non-expansive meta-supervision) and test the projection on decoding controls and best-of-$N$. On small models, (...) temperature and top-$p$ vary $\tau$ monotonically with limited cross-sensitivity in $a$, while best-of-$N$ collapses $\tau$. We view these as first steps toward a compact control surface; we do not claim universal sufficiency across tasks or models. We also propose theory of Alignment Ops in Appendix. (shrink)

Dividing a circle’s circumference by its diameter releases π, a number born from geometry yet unending in sequence. Pi Theory proposes that this primal cut—unity divided—produces not only an irrational constant but a minimal, self-organizing structure embedded in its earliest digits. By applying a fixed, verifiable decoding (reversal, segmentation, and the A1Z26 alphabet mapping with 0 → O), the first thirty-six digits of π yield six stable blocks: M | BIEN | GIHECEF | JNON | B0UM | 88. These form (...) a concise symbolic sequence: love → good → divide → reunite → create → expand. -/- The method requires no adjustment or belief system; it treats π’s digits as a mechanical text arising from the circle itself. Interpreted immanently, the pattern suggests that the act of division (the circle’s cut) generates both multiplicity and coherence—mirroring how complexity emerges from simple laws. In this view, π is not a message but a model: a natural intersection of mathematics and meaning where geometry, number, and ontology momentarily align. -/- Pi Theory thus reframes π as more than a ratio: it is a self-contained cosmogenesis, showing how the language of mathematics can produce an ordered narrative of reality without invoking transcendence—a brief, reproducible experiment where the circle speaks its own genesis. (shrink)

Since the human genome was decoded, great emphasis has been placed on the unique, personal nature of the genome, along with the benefits that personalized medicine can bring to individuals and the importance of safeguarding genetic privacy. As a result, an equally important aspect of the human genome – its common nature – has been underappreciated and underrepresented in the ethics literature and policy dialogue surrounding genetics and genomics. This article will argue that, just as the personal nature of the (...) genome has been used to reinforce individual rights and justify important privacy protections, so too the common nature of the genome can be employed to support protections of the genome at a population level and policies designed to promote the public's wellbeing. In order for public health officials to have the authority to develop genetics policies for the sake of the public good, the genome must have not only a common, but also a public, dimension. This article contends that DNA carries a public dimension through the use of two conceptual frameworks: the common heritage framework and the common resource framework. Both frameworks establish a public interest in the human genome, but the CH framework can be used to justify policies aimed at preserving and protecting the genome, while the CR framework can be employed to justify policies for utilizing the genome for the public benefit. A variety of possible policy implications are discussed, with special attention paid to the use of large-scale genomics databases for public health research. (shrink)

In earlier papers I described the conscious electromagnetic information (CEMI) field theory, which claimed that the substrate of consciousness is the brain’s electromagnetic (EM) field. I here further explore this theory by examining the properties and dynamics of the information underlying meaning in consciousness. I argue that meaning suffers from a binding problem, analogous to the binding problem described for visual perception, and describe how the gestalt (holistic) properties of meaning give rise to this binding problem. To clarify the role (...) of information in conscious meaning, I differentiate between extrinsic information that is symbolic and arbitrary, and intrinsic information, which preserves structural aspects of the represented object and thereby maintains some gestalt properties of the represented object. I contrast the requirement for a decoding process to extract meaning from extrinsic information, whereas meaning is intrinsic to the structure of the gestalt intrinsic information and does not require decoding. I thereby argue that to avoid the necessity of a decoding homunculus, conscious meaning must be encoded intrinsically — as gestalt information — in the brain. Moreover, I identify fields as the only plausible substrate for encoding gestalt intrinsic information and argue that the binding problem of meaning can only be solved by grounding meaning in this field-based gestalt information. I examine possible substrates for gestalt information in the brain and conclude that the only plausible substrate is the CEMI field. (shrink)

The genesis of this decolonial study begins with an essay that discussed Exu and black diasporic culture. Its developments were responsible for the emergence of two other studies: one on Candomblé in Bahia and religious syncretism, and another on the decolonial concept of language-language as a crossroads. The article on Exu, written in English, was also responsible for the invitation to write a book chapter, also in English, on human rights, religious freedom and anti-racist struggles in black diasporic Latin America. (...) In turn, this text made possible the emergence of much of the discussion that took place in a chapter on the frontline of Jorge Amado's political struggles in the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of Brazil, when the theme of Bahianness gained momentum. Now, in this new study, which I now present, the discussion seeks to answer the questions: “What is Bahianity?” and “How does literature decode it throughout history?” To this end, I use pragmatic discourse analysis as a methodology, which is a tributary of discursive-deconstructive analysis, taking literary discourse as an observable object, since, in this approach, all discourse is the result of the historical conditions of production (cf. ARAÚJO, 2020). In other words, I resort to poetic works by Bahian authors (texts, songs), taken as discourse to answer such questions about Bahianity. (shrink)

When actions are mediated by means of a brain-computer interface, it seems that we cannot assess whether the user is culpable for the ac- tion without determining whether the brain-computer interface correctly decoded the intentions of the user. Here I argue that this requirement is confused. I also argue that, at least for the purposes of assessing moral culpability, BCI-mediated action should be viewed on the model of action mediated by ordinary (albeit complex) tools.

The book on "Science and the image of man" pursues different pathways by way of which science contributes to the understanding of human beings as a species: the scope and limits of human cognition are revealed by the history and the mental structure of science in a more precise manner than by any other cultural effort. Insights into the evolution and function of the human brain elucidate the origin and the range of general human capabilities, such as language, self-representation and (...) strategic thought. These capabilities are the products of biological evolution as well as preconditions of cultural development, which is based on traditions rather than on genetic inheritance. At the metatheoretical level, modern science reveals its own intrinsic limitations and is open to different cultural and philosophical interpretations. Human consciousness is a product of evolution of the human brain, and yet it may not be possible to decode the mind-brain relation fully by finite procedures. One of the specifically human capabilities is cognition-based empathy; it may have evolved in conjunction with strategic thought, because it facilitates the prediction of the behaviour of others, but it also motivates altruistic behaviour. Stereotyped controversies between sociologists and social biologists on human ethics appear somewhat outdated; there is a biological basis in humans not only for egoism but, to a limited extent, also for cooperativity and solidarity. Ethical demands should respect the biological conditions of the human species. They imply that cooperativeness is a real but limited resource. It requires activation, but excessive moralism is counterproductive. -/- -/-. (shrink)