Brain complexity: learning new tasks (Introduction)

by dhw, Thursday, January 11, 2018, 15:23 (2294 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: […] we KNOW the implementation of concepts changes the brain, whereas we have no evidence that the brain changes BEFORE it can come up with new concepts?
DAVID: Evidence: Only newly enlarged brains are capable of producing new advanced artifacts.

They can only produce new advances by expanding. In my hypothesis, the expansion does not precede the production, it is CAUSED by the production.

dhw: More computer obfuscation. First you have the soul operating the soul, and now you have the computer enabling me/my soul/my consciousness to do its thinking! Does the computer enable the software to think? Or does it simply implement the instructions of the software?
DAVID: I can think because I have an s/s/c which uses my brain to give me the thoughts. My material brain produces immaterial thoughts I have by the operation of the s/s/c.

How can your self/soul/consciousness use your brain to give your self/soul/consciousness its thoughts? You seem to think that your “I” is not your “self”! Once again: what does the thinking? Your s/s/c or your brain?

dhw: My question to you was straightforward, and we do not need any analogies: Do you or do you not agree that the s/s/c uses the brain to gather information and to implement its concepts? What other concrete functions does it have?
DAVID: The s/s/c uses the brain for information and concepts. The brain also runs the material functions of the body which the s/s/c can recognize and appreciate as a side issue for its main function.

Why have you changed the wording? “Uses the brain for concepts” is not clear. In the context of conceptualisation, the implementation of concepts is the material function. But I'll presume you agree.

DAVID: A thinking brain cannot cause enlargement of itself or its bony container, the skull, only shrinkage as shown by sapiens history.
dhw: Once again, nobody knows what caused brain enlargement, which is why we have so many different theories. However, if a thinking brain can cause shrinkage, it is not unreasonable to assume that it might also cause enlargement, just as physical exercise can cause enlargement of muscles.
DAVID: And incidently tell the skull to enlarge by cellular committee agreement. Muscles are not bound by a bony case.

The muscle reference was an analogy. You make it sound as if skull enlargement is an impossibility! The expansion happened, so the bone-producing cells had to be rearranged. The end result is the same, whether your God did it or the cell communities did it themselves, or random mutations or bipedalism or use of fire or of cooked food did it.