Rand Quote About the Subconscious

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Dennis Hackethal’s avatar
Dennis HackethalOP revised 12 months ago·#667· Collapse
2nd of 2 versions leading to #1191

Ayn Rand writes:

Your subconscious is like a computer—more complex a computer than men can build—and its main function is the integration of your ideas. Who programs it? Your conscious mind. If you default, if you don’t reach any firm convictions, your subconscious is programmed by chance—and you deliver yourself into the power of ideas you do not know you have accepted.

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Dennis Hackethal’s avatar
Dennis HackethalOP revised 12 months ago·#696· Collapse

Your subconscious is like a computer […]

She says “like” so the sentence is technically correct, but it would have been better if she had said the subconscious is a program (or an amalgamation of programs). What she’s presumably getting at here is that the subconscious is automatic like a computer and unlike the conscious, which can stop and reflect and criticize and so on.

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Knut Sondre Sæbø’s avatar
Knut Sondre Sæbø revised 8 months ago·#1260· Collapse
6th of 6 versions leading to #1191

Wouldn't the more correct framing be the mind has automatic programs and consciousness? In other words, the mind has a dual process of explicit thoughts and conscious reflection on the one hand, and ingrained habits or "mental programs" on the other.

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Dennis Hackethal’s avatar

You marked your idea as a criticism but I don’t see where it conflicts with its parent. Explain?

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Knut Sondre Sæbø’s avatar

I misread your text. I originally read it as the whole mind is a program (or programs).

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Dennis Hackethal’s avatar

I do think the whole mind is a program (or programs).

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Knut Sondre Sæbø’s avatar

I know. But we don’t don't know if consciousness can emerge as a byproduct of computation, so I think Rands distinction is useful until proven false. Programs run according to their rules, while consciousness seems to transcend "its own rules", which is why it can be creative. To create rules with self-awareness isn’t an incremental improvement that logically follows from what we know of rules and programs today (as I can see it). I see there was another thread on this topic though, so I’ll go in and drop my comments there!

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Dennis Hackethal’s avatar

But we don’t don't know if consciousness can emerge as a byproduct of computation […]

We do know that. From the laws of physics. From BoI ch. 6:

[E]xpecting a computer to be able to do whatever neurons can is not a metaphor: it is a known and proven property of the laws of physics as best we know them.

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Dennis Hackethal’s avatar

I know.

I’m not quite sure, but it sounds like you are reverting your stance on having misread #696. Does that mean #1192 should be marked as a criticism after all?

Criticism of #1222