Pattern activation/recognition theory of mind.

Bertrand Du Castel

doi:10.3389/fncom.2015.00090

Abstract

In his 2012 book How to Create a Mind, Ray Kurzweil defines a “Pattern Recognition Theory of Mind” that states that the brain uses millions of pattern recognizers, plus modules to check, organize, and augment them. In this article, I further the theory to go beyond pattern recognition and include also pattern activation, thus encompassing both sensory and motor functions. In addition, I treat checking, organizing, and augmentation as patterns of patterns instead of separate modules, therefore handling them the same as patterns in general. Henceforth I put forward a unified theory I call “Pattern Activation/Recognition Theory of Mind.” While the original theory was based on hierarchical hidden Markov models, this evolution is based on their precursor: stochastic grammars. I demonstrate that a class of self-describing stochastic grammars allows for unifying pattern activation, recognition, organization, consistency checking, metaphor, and learning, into a single theory that expresses patterns throughout. I have implemented the model as a probabilistic programming language specialized in activation/recognition grammatical and neural operations. I use this prototype to compute and present diagrams for each stochastic grammar and corresponding neural circuit. I then discuss the theory as it relates to artificial network developments, common coding, neural reuse, and unity of mind, concluding by proposing potential paths to validation.

Highlights

In his book How to Create a Mind (Kurzweil, 2012), Ray Kurzweil proposes to model the brain with a unified processing paradigm that consists in a hierarchy of self-organizing pattern routines “. . . constantly predicting the future and hypothesizing what we will experience” and “. . . involved in our ability to recognize objects and situations”
I show with metaphor and composition that this mechanism generalizes up to a self-describing grammar that provides the root of a hierarchical and recursive unified model of pattern activation and recognition in neural circuits
Following is a recapitulation of the figures in this article showing grammars, their schema, and their neural circuit, with comments framed by the whole of this article: Figure 1: Figure 2: Activation/recognition grammars correspond to neural circuits, with recognition represented by cell input, and activation by cell output

Summary

Introduction

In his book How to Create a Mind (Kurzweil, 2012), Ray Kurzweil proposes to model the brain with a unified processing paradigm (pp. 5, 7, 23) that consists in a hierarchy of self-organizing pattern routines (pp. 29, 172) “. . . constantly predicting the future and hypothesizing what we will experience” (pp. 31) and “. . . involved in our ability to recognize objects and situations” (pp. 32). In his book How to Create a Mind (Kurzweil, 2012), Ray Kurzweil proposes to model the brain with a unified processing paradigm While I fully concur to the hypothesis of a unified processing paradigm involving patterns, I suggest in this article that the model Kurzweil presents in his book does not fully achieve his goal and that it can be more ambitious. I note that Kurzweil adds to the central pattern recognition processing two modules: a “critical thinking module” 175) that uses metaphors to create new patterns These two modules invoke additional, separate apparatus to that of his pattern recognition modules. Kurzweil proposes that self-organization of pattern recognition modules is achieved via linear programming Kurzweil proposes that self-organization of pattern recognition modules is achieved via linear programming (p. 174), which is yet another apparatus

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion