Foreword Jim DeLeo

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Foreword Jim DeLeo
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• . Name Jim DeLeo
• Profession Computer Scientist
• Affiliation NIH Clinical Center
• Interest Interest in AI carries over to
  interest
• in mind, brain, and
  cognition.
• Question How do noncontingent reward
  experiments
• relate to data mining? In
  other words how
• do you know that what you
  find when you
• mine data is real and what
  does real in
• the context of data mining
  mean anyway?

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The Invented Reality How do we know what we
believe we know?

• If what we know depends on how we came to know
  it, then our view of reality is no longer a true
  image of what is the case outside ourselves, but
  is inevitably determined also by the processes
  through which we arrived at this view.
• Since what we know depends on how we know our
  representation of reality is biased.
• E.g. The so-called red we see in an apple
  reflects not just the apple but also the visual
  system mechanism that sees the apple.

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reality
the thing in itself suchness noumenon
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sensing
reality
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perception
sensing
reality
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idea of apple
ideation
perception
sensing
reality
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idea of apple
ideation
Epistomology
perception
sensing
reality
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idea of apple
ideation
relationship?
Epistomology
perception
sensing
reality
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idea of apple
ideation
Ontology
relationship?
Epistomology
perception
sensing
reality
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idea of apple
ideation
Ontology
relationship?
Epistomology
(phenomena)
perception
sensing
reality
(numenon) (thing in itself)
Constructionism The phenomena is an invention of
neurophysiological mechanisms.
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idea of apple
ideation
Manas
perception
sensing
reality
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idea of apple
Its just sitting there.
ideation
Manas
Buddhi
perception
sensing
reality
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idea of apple
Its just sitting there.
ideation
Manas
Buddhi
perception
sensing
Im going to eat it.
reality
Ahamkar
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idea of apple
Its just sitting there.
ideation
Manas
Buddhi
perception
sensing
Im going to eat it.
reality
Yoga Ahamkar responds to buddhis
dis-crimination of manas impressions.
Ahamkar
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• Yoga Model of Mind
• Chitta mind with manas, buddhi, and ahamkar as
  attributes
• Manas recording facility stores sensory-based
  perceptions
• Buddhi discriminates manas impressions
• Ahamkar ego response to buddhi discrimination
• Vritti a thought wave in the mind
• Samskaras individual collection of vrittis
  stored up over time

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?
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Does the apple posses the perceived properties?
Could it posses other properties not
perceived? Can we even know the answers to such
questions? Do such questions even make sense?
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The Invented Reality How do we know what we
believe we know?

• This book is about constructivism, AKA reality
  research.
• Constructivism says that a reality is the
  construction of those who believe they discovered
  it.
• What is found is an invention.
• The inventor is unaware of his act of invention.
• The inventor considers his invention as a
• discovery that exists independently of him.
• The invention becomes the basis of his world
• view and actions.

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What is observed is not independent of the
observer.
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The Invented reality How do we know what we
believe we know?

• Epistemology how we arrive at knowledge
• Ontology the nature of being
• Metaphysics branch of ontology that straddles
  how we know with what is in and of itself (i.e.
  the nature of being).
• Constructivism (reality research) newly
  emerging term suggesting that we arrive at
  knowledge of reality by inventing it.
• Constructivism is not new traces can be found in
  the pre-Socratic era. (e.g. Xenophanes of
  Colophon)
• Many generations of philosophers, cyberneticians,
  poets and writers have known about what
  constructivism points to, yet it is difficult to
  arrive at a vast synthesis of thought
  representing them all.

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• This is a collection of essays on
  constructionism.
• What unites the contributing authors is their
  interest in the phenomena of constructionism and
  their willingness to describe their interests in
  this book.
• In spite of their common subject matter these
  contributions are like erratic blocks, different
  in style and degree of abstraction they contain
  contradiction and repetition.
• These works have their origin in different
  disciplines.
• Watzlawick knew all the authors and he has
  written introductions to the four main sections
  of the book.