Emergence of the
Wisdom of the Body (WOB)
WOB is a medical metaphor accounting for the fact that we are unconscious
of the 99.999% occurrences in our body. They proceed by themselves
without our interference. What we regard as our free will affects
only marginally this amazing universe. Despite our ignorance we are
pretty well alive. Many (if not most) of our diseases are self healing.
In order to discuss rationally this amazing gift of our organism to
keep us alive, we need a nice metaphor, WOB.
Aristotle called it soul. It resides in animals and plants and is mortal.
Yet soul, also a metaphor, serves other purposes as well. Hindus
favor an immortal soul. Catholics need it to drive sinners into Hell.
Descartes regarded the organism as a complex machine with an immortal
soul to handle some non mechanistic properties of our body. Bergson
called it élan vital and so on. I prefer WOB since it is devoid of metaphysical
or religious connotations.
Actually WOB has two meanings: 1. The set of processes in the body,
and 2 Their optimal control. It is an attribute of complexity and emerges
with it. When sperm and egg unite, each is equipped with a relatively
simple WOB whose complexity is still enormous. During the coming years
the organism becomes more and more complex, its WOB emerges and gets
smarter.
I was pleased to realize that with two interacting CA I can simulate
WOB and illustrate what the Aristotelian soul might be.
Soul and complexity
WOB
WOB
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