Introducing the brain: general (Introduction)

by dhw, Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 11:46 (974 days ago) @ David Turell

Memory formation

DAVID: […] Complexification works because neurons contain in their DNA God's instructions of how to respond to new uses.

dhw: So when you say the kidneys and complexification work without God, you actually mean they follow God’s instructions. […]

DAVID: They work autonomously following the guide lines God gave them in their DNA.

dhw: That’s what I’ve just objected to. “Autonomy” is the exact opposite of obeying instructions, even if you change the word “instructions” to “guidelines”.

DAVID: The cells use the info, don't they? That makes them autonomous in the use.

What info are you referring to? Autonomy means that whatever the new requirements may be, cells process the info and act on it independently of your God. He does not give them instructions on what to do in each and every situation. Assuming he exists, he has provided them with an autonomous means of processing and acting. What else could this means be if it is not some form of intelligence?

DAVID: I base my thoughts on the evidence in our current brain which evolved from previous similar brains.

dhw: What a coincidence! So do I! I think previous brains complexified like ours, and added new cells when required, as ours have done with the hippocampus, although otherwise complexification has now taken over completely. And forgive me if my memory is at fault, but I thought you thought your God had to operate on a special group of pre-sapiens in order to do some redesigning, as opposed to our brain evolving from previous similar brains.

DAVID: I haven't changed my belief, a designing God makes bigger more complex brains.

So your God has created a mechanism which allows for autonomous complexification and the autonomous addition of cells to the hippocampus, but earlier additions required special surgery on groups of homos to insert brand new bits and pieces their brains didn’t have before. And you reckon my intelligent cell theory is a just-so story.

dhw: You have posted two wonderful articles that show how the brain cells adapt to conditions of blindness and deafness.

DAVID: the brain can make amazing accommodations following God's DNA instructions.

dhw: Once more you have your God issuing instructions for every single new requirement in the history of the brain! And so once again, I suggest to you that a far more likely method would be for your God to have given brain cells the autonomous intelligence to make these amazing accommodations themselves. […]

DAVID: Neurons do have the instructions to make new decisions and have DNA instructions to properly complexify.

I’d appreciate clarification of this. Are you saying that your God simply tells the neurons that they must make new decisions, and tells the DNA to complexify properly? Or are you saying that he provides the decisions and directs each complexification? If it’s the former, you might just as well agree to the theory that he actually provides them with the means of making decisions/complexifying properly (i.e. intelligence) and tells them to use it.