All this research paints a picture of minute physical systems which build up via self-organization principles into what we call life. As Kolchinsky suggests, this is pre-cognitive behavior. Does this behavior eventually build up into and explain consciousness as well?
Read moreThe Phenomenology of Animal Tracking
What is the relevance of Phenomenology in elucidating mind in the 21st century, when elucidating mind is increasingly accomplished via neuroscience and artificial intelligence? I will compare Merleau-Ponty’s World War II era work to a modern attempt at modeling the mind (Hierarchical Temporal Memory) and show that Merleau-Ponty anticipates, albeit roughly, some of its key findings. In doing so, I will also contribute to Philosophy of Mind by offering a plausible evolutionary pathway and mechanism for the production of consciousness (maps-of-maps hypothesis). An additional thread running throughout will be animal tracking as a type of Phenomenological exercise with a surprise impact on cognitive evolution.
[reading time: 20 minutes]