From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!ames!agate!netsys!pagesat!spssig.spss.com!markrose Tue Nov 24 10:51:18 EST 1992
Article 7574 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: markrose@spss.com (Mark Rosenfelder)
Subject: Dreams (Was: grounding and the entity/environment boundary)
Message-ID: <1992Nov10.175916.6928@spss.com>
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References: <1992Nov3.181425.8089@spss.com> <720937346@sheol.UUCP> <1992Nov9.221842.18550@spss.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 17:59:16 GMT
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In article <1992Nov9.221842.18550@spss.com> I write:
>I'd be more comfortable with this if we knew exactly what dreams *are*.
>For instance, one theory is that they are the brain's attempt to make sense
>of random neural activity.  If that were true-- if the brain when deprived 
>of sensory input starts making up its own-- it doesn't support the idea 
>that world-grounded systems do so well when removed from the world.
>(But of course there are other theories of dreams.)

[Harry Erwin asked me to post this reply, since his newsserver is broken.]

-------------------------

Speculations on the purpose of dreams:

Evidence: dreams are not usually remembered
          sleep deprivation causes insanity

Other Data:
          The mammalian brain uses a chaotic attractor as the starting
          point for pattern recognition and novelty creation processes.
          This is apparently due to the very small amount of energy
          needed for controlling that type of system and for that type
          of system to converge to a terminal state. Initializing a
          chaotic process for that purpose is equivalent to finding
          a delicate balance point. It can be disturbed easily.

Conjecture:
          Dreaming is an adaptation associated with the use of chaotic
          attractors in the mammalian brain. It recalibrates/restabilizes
          the dynamics of the brain to ensure that the initial state of
          the chaotic attractor can be easily found. It erases stable
          states that are activated by random noise to help ensure that
          pattern recognition responds to real patterns, not "ghosts."
          It also ensures that novelty creation responds to the "real
          world" rather than being influenced by delusions.

Cheers,
   Harry Erwin



