Towards a theory of mind

Abstract

The language of nonlinear dynamical systems and ergodic theory is used to present a theoretical framework for the study of mind. The basic spaceXconsists of the collection of all brain images (clusters of activated neurons) that are relevant to consciousness. The dynamics of the brain is modelled by means of a discrete time transformationTwhich takes a cluster of activated brain cells into another cluster of activated brain cells. The spaceXis partitioned into subcollections of brain images, namely those generated by the five senses and by other processes that produce brain images relevant to consciousness. It is argued thatTis a Markov transformation with respect to this partition ofX. This leads to the existence of an objectμ, referred to as an SRB measure which possesses properties that make it a candidate for mind:μis ‘aware’ of the brain images in its support;μis time-invariant and acts as an attractor into which all orbits of (conscious) brain images settle. Furthermore, the dynamical systems model for mind allows the estimation of brain information rates and provides a framework in which a number of mind related issues can be discussed.