jmcgready’s misc universe

been wanting to write down my observations
and opinions on how the mind works.

my approach would closer to mind technology
than mind science - i.e. application vs theory.

I’m convinced that the mind is a single infinitely complex processor
with 2 major classes of processes - foreground and background.

foreground processes are what most people refer to as “conscious thought”
they’re the most resource intensive of the 2 major classes and
the most ascendant of the two as of late, evolutionarily speaking.

it’s much like the new kid in town with the shiny new tool -
we gather ’round, oooh and ahhhh, then quickly declare it the new
standard of acceptability and belongingness, advocating its adoption and use
even when it’s not the right tool to use -
so if the new tool’s a hammer, every problem is redifined to be a nail.

and so it is with foreground processes - even the popular vernacular
for the 2 major processes defines the 2nd major class as either
below (i.e. subconscious)
or against (i.e. unconscious) the foreground process.

so what is the foreground process good at doing?
analyzing and encoding new input so that it can either
be assigned to a relevant preexisting background process
or be used to create a new relevant background process.

the factors that influence a new encoding are:
Authority
Intensity
Duration

encodings are also influenced by repetition and prior definitions.

I guess it clear by now that I believe our background processes
have more to do with what we do and how we live than the foreground processes,
which can be good, since it is the most effective use of mental resources.

that’s all I have to say for now -
I’ll expand on the topic in later posts…

Technorati: observations

foreground process, major class, background process, new tool, mind, encoding, relevant, theory, good

If you found this post helpful, please leave a donation.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 29th, 2006 at 3:28 am
and is filed under mind theory, observations.

Tags: observations