Consciousness
From GPWiki
Thursday 09 of September, 2010
An Observation By Verna Allee
"The topic of consciousness makes me dizzy. I hold an MA degree in the Study of Human Consciousness (which I guess makes me a "real" master of consciousness - scary thought!)
After years of study and reflection,"there is no more proof that human consciousness is "an emergent property of our brains, neurological and hormonal systems as well as other senses interacting with the environment" than there is that our brains, neurological and hormonal systems as well as other senses, and even our environment, are an emergent property of consciousness."
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At this point in my life it is sufficient for me to honor and appreciate "the mystery." My senses (at multiple levels) tell me that everything is indeed alive, and physicists seem to be "discoving" this intriguing concept thousands of years after Native Americans and Vedic masters.
"The question of the role of SELF consciousness and networks, however is an important question and one that I think we can addres in regard to value creating networks. I do think of network visualizations as an exercise in "holding up the mirror" so the system can see and know itself - as I am a beliver in the value of our attempts at self knowledge, whether individual or collective.
Self knowledge includes the capacity to reflect on our thinking and creative process and make conscious (deliberate) choices about both our creations and our thought processes. "The interesting stuff is coming out of the "naturalising school" which has picked up on the cognitive sciences and evolutionary psychology.
"In my view it is unarguable that everything we deliberately create as humans is a product of our cognitive processes - both conscious and unconscious. For this reason the question of the self consciousness at the individual, collective and network level I believe is a relevant question for understanding human networks and organizations.
Without the requisite variety in properties and capability to meet a complex and variable environment any living system eventually becomes extinct. Bodies heal, ecosystems can heal - given the right conditions. When it comes to networks we can attend to the conditions for health and wholeness but we cannot "make" it happen any more than we can "make" our body heal a skinned knee".
4."Human networks can and do become self conscious and in so doing can make choices about increasing variety, creating linkages, and moving collectively toward desired outcomes and impacts. The Macedonia(sic) example is a great example of a simple way to tap the self consciousness of a network, by simply reflecting on previous action.
What other ways can we support healthy and vital value creating networks throgh tapping into the collective self consciousness of a network? Dave's work, world cafes, conscious conversation and even value network analysis all help a network become more conscious of itself and its choices. I think that is a good thing".
By the way, while I may admittedly be a fluffy bunny and closet mystic - also love to exercise more "rational" intelligences through the rigors of something like value network analysis. I have enormous respect for the beauty of mathematics (truly a mystery to my limited intelligences) and have avidly read lay science and physics for years. I really chafe at being put in any kind of "box" predicting what I believe or how I behave. Verna Allee.
A growing collection of thinking that makes the hair on your neck stand up :
 Collective Intelligence || Cognition || Complexity || Consciousness || Contemplation || Dunbars Number || Emergent Properties || Idea || Imagination || Logic || Meaning || Purpose || Rationality || Reason || Rigor || Subconsciousness || The Human Network || Thinking Process || Visualisation || |
