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Consciousness in Four Dimensions: Biological Relativity and the Origins of Thought

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This book is the first of it's kind to actually define the physical nature of consciousness - it's evolution, limitations and uniqueness - without equivocation. From the underlying principles to the profound implications, the author presents his model with clarity and rigor. He introduces us to the principle of Biological Relativity, a seamless extension of Einstein's powerful vision of the universe, penetrating the biological world. With this insightful 4-dimensional frame-of-reference perspective the author sheds new light on the evolution of life. WITH NEW EYES we are shown the development of cellular life in terms of spatial order and time; the evolution of cellular life to multicellular organisms and the specialized cells that compose our nervous systems; the higher order functions of mammalian brains; and, finally, the development of consciousness, again, in terms of spatial order and time. A fascinating tour of our natural world! In the final chapters of the book, the author reflects on the consequences and implications of his model. Unlike most books on consciousness, the conclusions follow naturally and logically from the model and draw clear lines through age old debates about free will, animal consciousness and artificial intelligence. This work sets a new standard for books on consciousness. Finally.

What a great book!

I have never seen so clear a presentation of the mechanics of consciousness. Don't expect an explanation of qualia, but everything but that is included in this book.

Actually, the book is more original than I made it seem above. Pico makes an analogy between Einstein's allowing us to better understand gravity via his theories of relativity in 4 dimensions and the ability to see how our consciousness works by viewing the brain's functions in 4 dimensions.

His main point, I believe, was that unless one understands the proper frame of reference from which to view and analyze phenomena of consciousness we will not understand why the human brain so differs from the brains of even our nearest relatives. Further, we will not understand the narrative that we maintain that allows us to have a self. Certain brain changes have allowed a necessary holding space for afferent input (from senses and from memory stores) that holds info just long enough to allow efferent response that allows us to plod moment to moment in a line, so to speak.

One very interesting point that Pico makes is about a distinction between ape and human consciousness. He believes that the human brain alone has this ability to create a narrative, and that this new function is a SMALL change from ape brain structure. While apes may not have this similar ability to have the narrative, they almost certainly sense the qualia of the world in a way that is very similar if not identical to that of human beings. It is just that there is no moment to moment story in the ape brain. The only way that a moment to moment story to be allowed to nonhuman brains is when there is some aspect of the environment that, because of its properties, holds the context constant. Apes that know sign language, or African grays that can identify colors -- these can do these things only if there is a constant environment that can maintain a place holder, so to speak.

But the human brain has such a place keeping ability without needed a constant context.

READ THIS BOOK. NOW.

Space and time run parallel in the universe, but in presence of matter they bend (curve) proportional to the mass of the object as predicted by theory of relativity resulting in gravitational effect. Light passing through spacetime bend wherever the spacetime dimension is bent.

Life and consciousness run parallel like space and time. Biological consciousness, at the most fundamental form of life exists in a primitive state, but evolves into complex form in the upper region of the evolutionary ladder. Consciousness is a collection, processing, storage, and communication of information in spacetime of life. Likewise life also collects, process, and communicates information in a 4D spacetime. The biochemical and biophysical processes that perform the functions of life is unique form of matter where laws of thermodynamics are intricately preserved. The Second law requiring increasing entropy, and increasing order required for a living cell is derived by the evolution of unique structure; cell compartmentization, nesting, and segregation of functions (cell organelles), membrane bound enzymes, multienzyme complexes, coupled reactions, metal mediated enzyme reactions, and use of stored chemical energy instead of electrical energy are uniquely evolved so that cell (life) could exist independently and perform its functions in coherence with consciousness. A living cell is characterized by cell division, reproduction and thus carrying the blue print of the parent in genetic code. Thus a star can not be a living being even though it is born, then grows, matures, dies, and requires fuel (hydrogen) to feed on to generate energy and for independent existence.

In this book the author presents a strange analogy between life & consciousness with the theory of relativity. In this comparison he visualizes matter and energy (gravity) referred to as inorganic universe, and the life forms referred to as organic universe, and consciousness, evolved during the course of evolution as three independent frames of references in four dimensional spacetime (4D; three space & one time dimensions). In this model of biological relativity the consciousness and life which are related to internal world of sensory experience and brain function creates reality. The 4D reality is a result of continuous information gathering, processing, storage, recollection and application; the referent system emerging from neural activity is referred to as consciousness. This book concentrates mainly on human consciousness with a discussion of structure and function of human brain and central nervous system, although there are some discussions about consciousness in other nonhuman non-primate life forms. The authors contention that biological relativity is a unique feature is little confusing. The process of sensation, perception, and emotion, learning, memory, thought, etc., are all information processing mechanisms and visualizing them as frame of reference does not make sense because they are all information processing and communicating mechanisms in 4D spacetime.

1. The 4th Dimension and Beyond: Imagining Worlds with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 Dimensions and More
2. Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life (Life and Mind: Philosophical Issues in Biology and Psychology)
3. Travels in Four Dimensions: The Enigmas of Space and Time
4. Geometry Of Four Dimensions - Illustrated
5. A First Course in General Relativity
6. General Relativity
7. Quantum Gravity in Four Dimensions

The Brilliant Doctor has done it! No single philosopher, scientist or mathematician could have pulled together all the pieces that this book does. Consciousness as a frame of reference equivalent to what Einstein described for the space-time continuum. This new view will change the way I think about alot of things including where we are going in human evolution. I want more! Thank you!!

Pico's book is a welcome addition to the growing body of literature on cognative studies. He is very clear about what he proposes and what he doesn't think we know at present. His work is a good complement to approaches from evolutionary approaches. His writing is engaging - you will have to stick with it if you aren't a medical person (I'm not - physics and theology are in my background). It helps to read this over a few days so you get the whole argument at once. He did a good job of calming our fears that we are losing something by not having an elan vital.

THIS BOOK ALLOWS YOU TO OPEN YOUR MIND AND SINK INTO A WOUNDFUL UNIVERSE, THAT LOOKS A LIFE AND ALL THATS IN IT, IN A HOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE. IT READS CLEAR AND TO THE POINT.
A MUST READ IF YOU LOVE SCIENCE. YOU WOULD OF WISHED YOU BOUGHT THE BOOK THE FIRST TIME YOU LOOK AT IT. WELCOME TO THE FUTURE AND A GUIDE TO LIFE AND YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS!