Hi ToK Society,
For some time now,I've been intrigued by the concept of
"information metabolism", proposed by Polish psychiatrist, Antoni Kepinski.
It's an interesting metaphor. It's conventional in cognitive psychology to compare the mind to a computer, using the concept of information processing. But perhaps using a
biological metaphor would be better as opposed to a
technological metaphor. Indeed, perhaps it would be more useful in the development of BIT.
If we were to think of
energy metabolism, then a basic dictionary definition would be:
- the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life
This would correspond with the 2nd dimension of the ToK (Life)
Now if we were to think of information metabolism, then a basic definition could be:
- the informational processes that occur with an animal in order to maintain mind
This would correspond with the 3rd dimension of the ToK (Mind)
Furthermore, we could potentially reflect upon the energy metabolism of the brain, the information metabolism of the mind, and the feedback loop between the two, mediated by the neuron.
And there's the evolution of metabolism to consider, as discussed in
this article. It is life that evolves, not computers,(the analogy typically made by cognitive psychologists). Perhaps this could be another reason to think in terms of information metabolism --- that is, in terms of the evolution/phylogeny of information metabolism.
Just a few thoughts.
~ Jason