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Authors: Michio Kaku
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you threw it fast enough, in fact, it would encircle the Earth entirely, and might even return to its original point. Then, Newton claimed, this model represented the path of the moon, so the forces that guided the motion of the apple circling the Earth were identical to the forces guiding the moon.
But the model, by itself, was still useless. The key breakthrough came when Newton was able to use his new theory to simulate the future, to calculate the future position of moving objects. This was a difficult problem, requiring him to create an entirely new branch of mathematics, called calculus. Using this new mathematics, Newton was then able to predict the trajectory of not just the moon, but also Halley’s Comet and the planets.Since then, scientists have used Newton’s laws to simulate the future path of moving objects, from cannonballs, machines, automobiles, and rockets to asteroids and meteors, and even stars and galaxies.
The success or failure of a model depends on how faithfully it reproduces the basic parameters of the original. In this case, the basic parameter was the location of the apple and the moon in space and time. By allowing this parameter to evolve (i.e., letting time move forward), Newton unlocked, for the first time in history, the action of moving bodies, which is one of the most important discoveries in science.
Models are useful, until they are replaced by even more accurate models described by better parameters. Einstein replaced Newton’s picture of forces acting on apples and moons with a new model based on a new parameter, the curvature of space and time. An apple moved not because the Earth exerted a force on it, but because the fabric of space and time was stretched by the Earth, so the apple was simply moving along the surface of a curved space-time. From this, Einstein could then simulate the future of the entire universe. Now, with computers, we can run simulations of this model into the future and create gorgeous pictures presenting the collisions of black holes.
Let us now incorporate this basic strategy into a new theory of consciousness.
DEFINITION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
I’ve taken bits and pieces from previous descriptions of consciousness in the fields of neurology and biology in order to define consciousness as follows:
Consciousness is the process of creating a model of the world using multiple feedback loops in various parameters (e.g., in temperature, space, time, and in relation to others), in order to accomplish a goal (e.g., find mates, food, shelter) .
I call this the “space-time theory of consciousness,” because it emphasizes the idea that animals create a model of the world mainly in relation to space, and to one another, while humans go beyond and create a model of the world in relation to time, both forward and backward.
For example, the lowest level of consciousness is Level 0, where an organismis stationary or has limited mobility and creates a model of its place using feedback loops in a few parameters (e.g., temperature). For example, the simplest level of consciousness is a thermostat. It automatically turns on an air conditioner or heater to adjust the temperature in a room, without any help. The key is a feedback loop that turns on a switch if the temperature gets too hot or cold. (For example, metals expand when heated, so a thermostat can turn on a switch if a metal strip expands beyond a certain point.)
Each feedback loop registers “one unit of consciousness,” so a thermostat would have a single unit of Level 0 consciousness, that is, Level 0:1.
In this way, we can rank consciousness numerically, on the basis of the number and complexity of the feedback loops used to create a model of the world. Consciousness is then no longer a vague collection of undefined, circular concepts, but a system of hierarchies that can be ranked numerically. For example, a bacterium or a flower has many more feedback loops, so they would have a higher level of Level 0
But the model, by itself, was still useless. The key breakthrough came when Newton was able to use his new theory to simulate the future, to calculate the future position of moving objects. This was a difficult problem, requiring him to create an entirely new branch of mathematics, called calculus. Using this new mathematics, Newton was then able to predict the trajectory of not just the moon, but also Halley’s Comet and the planets.Since then, scientists have used Newton’s laws to simulate the future path of moving objects, from cannonballs, machines, automobiles, and rockets to asteroids and meteors, and even stars and galaxies.
The success or failure of a model depends on how faithfully it reproduces the basic parameters of the original. In this case, the basic parameter was the location of the apple and the moon in space and time. By allowing this parameter to evolve (i.e., letting time move forward), Newton unlocked, for the first time in history, the action of moving bodies, which is one of the most important discoveries in science.
Models are useful, until they are replaced by even more accurate models described by better parameters. Einstein replaced Newton’s picture of forces acting on apples and moons with a new model based on a new parameter, the curvature of space and time. An apple moved not because the Earth exerted a force on it, but because the fabric of space and time was stretched by the Earth, so the apple was simply moving along the surface of a curved space-time. From this, Einstein could then simulate the future of the entire universe. Now, with computers, we can run simulations of this model into the future and create gorgeous pictures presenting the collisions of black holes.
Let us now incorporate this basic strategy into a new theory of consciousness.
DEFINITION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
I’ve taken bits and pieces from previous descriptions of consciousness in the fields of neurology and biology in order to define consciousness as follows:
Consciousness is the process of creating a model of the world using multiple feedback loops in various parameters (e.g., in temperature, space, time, and in relation to others), in order to accomplish a goal (e.g., find mates, food, shelter) .
I call this the “space-time theory of consciousness,” because it emphasizes the idea that animals create a model of the world mainly in relation to space, and to one another, while humans go beyond and create a model of the world in relation to time, both forward and backward.
For example, the lowest level of consciousness is Level 0, where an organismis stationary or has limited mobility and creates a model of its place using feedback loops in a few parameters (e.g., temperature). For example, the simplest level of consciousness is a thermostat. It automatically turns on an air conditioner or heater to adjust the temperature in a room, without any help. The key is a feedback loop that turns on a switch if the temperature gets too hot or cold. (For example, metals expand when heated, so a thermostat can turn on a switch if a metal strip expands beyond a certain point.)
Each feedback loop registers “one unit of consciousness,” so a thermostat would have a single unit of Level 0 consciousness, that is, Level 0:1.
In this way, we can rank consciousness numerically, on the basis of the number and complexity of the feedback loops used to create a model of the world. Consciousness is then no longer a vague collection of undefined, circular concepts, but a system of hierarchies that can be ranked numerically. For example, a bacterium or a flower has many more feedback loops, so they would have a higher level of Level 0
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