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~ 04/09/2005

August Klotz / 080803-020905
From DLa #19 / August, 2003
 

I n t r o d u c t i o n :

 As we scuffle about our daily lives, experiencing various activity with varying degrees of awareness, our brains are scrambling to process the continual flow of sensory information. As the brain registers its interaction with the physical, material, external environment, brain cells are rapidly firing thousands of electrical impulses back and forth, communicating with many other nerve cells, and continually rearranging themselves according to the demands of external reality. Thus, the brain of an auto-mechanic, if surgically dissected and microscopically analyzed, would reveal a neuronal architecture representing the fashion in which that particular mechanic's nervous system adapted to the demands of auto-repair: we would find those areas of the brain most closely associated with strong problem-solving skills, spatial manipulation, and eye-hand coordination well-developed and rich in neuronal complexity, robust in electrical conductivity, and extensive in inter-neuronal associations, given an adequate specimen. Although such brain development occurs through an intimate relationship between genetics and experience, it is the specific, subjective, individualistic experience that manifests genetic potential. Thus, experience itself happens as a person's genetically defined biochemistry interacts with the external, physical universe. That said, we can play.

T h e  S p e c t r u m :

 Let's consider a hypothetical spectrum defined as encompassing everything between, and including, two extreme situations. On the one end of the spectrum, we find caveman, in any given environment, experiencing some reality. On the other end of the spectrum, we have modern man, in any given environment, experiencing some reality. The idea here is to employ models of individuals representing different genetic propensities, as defined via correspondingly opposite developmental contexts: cave-world or modern-world, in our example. With these models as the extremes, it may be helpful to establish a very average example, such as a fifth-century farmer, whose genetic makeup would represent genes affected by an environment somewhat more advanced than life in a cave, yet not quite as advanced as someone ordering online lyophilized urine for personal use.

T h e  F i l t r a t i o n  S y s t e m :

 Looking, then, at a spectrum representing the overall, general, and continuous differences in genetic or biological ability, as a function of the hypothesized subject's brain development within different and unique social, political, and technological contexts, we focus specifically on the propensity of any given subject to perceive, process, and effectively utilize varying degrees of environmental complexity. Much like human filtration devices, our brains receive information from the environment, process information, and utilize the experience.

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( our daily lives ) ( physical universe ) ( lyophilized urine ) ( environmental complexity ) ( human filtration devices ) ( seek hidden symbols )
 
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 Every detail making its way into the brain, either consciously or subconsciously, is available, if only for a moment, for further processing within the central nervous system. Once optimally incorporated into the neuronal network, data obtained from the environment becomes available for development, analysis, and contemplation, as required. For example, a funtastic day at the shopping mall may introduce many useful pieces of information. Sucka. The brain could remember things such as product identification, slashed prices, or background muzak. Then, at some point, the brain may utilize the newly embedded information to describe to a friend the wonderful shopping trip, or to write a poem expressing sadness at the closing of a favorite store, or even to paint a picture of the new showcase Hummer, all tuff. Thus, to sum it all up, we have observed experience flowing in, and we have reason to directly or indirectly express our involvement with such experience. That is, we are environmental filtration systems, human filters that express input according to their idealized position along the complexity spectrum.

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