Contextuality in Neurobehavioural and Collective Intelligence Systems

William Sulis

doi:10.3390/quantum3040038

Abstract

Contextuality is often described as a unique feature of the quantum realm, which distinguishes it fundamentally from the classical realm. This is not strictly true, and stems from decades of the misapplication of Kolmogorov probability. Contextuality appears in Kolmogorov theory (observed in the inability to form joint distributions) and in non-Kolmogorov theory (observed in the violation of inequalities of correlations). Both forms of contextuality have been observed in psychological experiments, although the first form has been known for decades but mostly ignored. The complex dynamics of neural systems (neurobehavioural regulatory systems) and of collective intelligence systems (social insect colonies) are described. These systems are contextual in the first sense and possibly in the second as well. Process algebra, based on the Process Theory of Whitehead, describes systems that are generated, transient, open, interactive, and primarily information-driven, and seems ideally suited to modeling these systems. It is argued that these dynamical characteristics give rise to contextuality and non-Kolmogorov probability in spite of these being entirely classical systems.

Highlights

Human beings tend to think in terms of dichotomous categories—up/down, black/white/, good/evil, conscious/unconscious
Newtonian world view been supplemented by the contextual world view of quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics has taken the notion of contextuality one step further through the introduction of the Bell inequality and its myriad variants [12,13,14,15,16,17]

Summary

Introduction

Physics is no exception—linear/non-linear, discrete/continuous, classical/quantum, general relativity/quantum mechanics Such dichotomies are frequently discussed in absolute terms as if they are statements about the nature of reality, the way things are, as opposed to how our minds perceive things to be. Quantum mechanics is held to be the fundamental theory; the question becomes why the classical world is best described as continuous, Kolmogorov, and non-contextual. Quantum mechanics has taken the notion of contextuality one step further through the introduction of the Bell inequality and its myriad variants [12,13,14,15,16,17] These inequalities are formed from sets of correlations and are satisfied whenever the correlations are generated by systems following the laws of Kolmogorov probability. Process algebra provides a high-level, formal language which addresses those features of these systems which potentially could give rise to contextuality, namely, their being processes, i.e., generated, transient, open, and dominated by interaction and information

Neural Systems—Neurobehavioural Regulatory Systems

Collective Intelligence Systems—Social Insects

Commonalities between Neural and Collective Intelligence Systems

Findings

Conclusions