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diff --git a/essays/energy_cube1961.tex b/essays/energy_cube1961.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bf2ac5d --- /dev/null +++ b/essays/energy_cube1961.tex @@ -0,0 +1,256 @@ +\chapter{Representation of the Memory of an Energy Cube Organism (Original 1961 Version)} + +\section*{Foreward} + +I have refrained from editing the Original Version except where +absolutely necessary. It is full of inconsistencies and inadequate +explanations, but I have flagged only two major ones, by placing them +between the signs $\ltimes$ and $\rtimes$. Part of the fourth paragraph is flagged because a +sequence of units is not analogous to a sequence of inflected words; it is +rather more like permutations of letters which form words ('rat', 'tar', 'art'). +Most of the seventh paragraph is flagged because I promise to define intervals +by their lengths and ends, but instead give their beginnings and ends. + +In the fourth paragraph, there are two different versions of the +correspondence between possible methods and sequences of units, and of +why any sequence is acceptable. Passages belonging exclusively to the +"multiplex" version are set off by the sign \#. Passages which belong +exclusively to the "style" version and which should be deleted if the +"multiplex" version is used are placed between slashes (\slash). The "style" version is +the main version. In the fifth paragraph, a notion appears which is +interesting, but unconvincingly explained. It is not clear whether this notion +relates only to the "multiplex" version, or whether it would relate to the +"style" version if the word 'multiplex' were omitted. The passages suggesting +this notion are placed in brackets. + +\begin{enumerate} +\item Energy cube organisms are conscious organisms which are cubical +spaces containing only energy. The particular energy cube organism of +concern here has, for an indefinitely long time, been in a body of liquid, +"resting on' a rectangular energy slab also in the body of liquid; the +organism's "bottom" face is separated from the slab by only a very thin film +of the liquid. The "universe" the organism and slab are in is made up of four +infinite triangular right prisms, prismatic spaces, as defined geometrically by +two intersecting planes almost perpendicular to each other. The prismatic +spaces defined by the vertical obtuse dihedral angles are empty. The other +spaces, defined by the vertical acute dihedral angles, are infinite bodies of a +stationary, colorless liquid--the "upper" body of liquid being what the +organism and slab are in. The two opposite shorter edges of the slab are at +the faces of the body of liquid, the planes, near their intersection; the slab is +"slanted," so that the edges are at slightly different distances from the line +of intersection. The organism and slab are the only "objects" in the bodies +of liquid. (See the illustration.) The organism can move (the energy cube can +continuously change position) without creating currents in the liquid. For +almost as long as it has been in the liquid, the organism has devoted all its +"intelligence," all its "energies," to moving across the slab, from one of the +shorter edges to (any point on) the other. + +\item The organism's conscious, distinct memory is entirely concerned +with, is entirely of, its efforts to cross the slab. (I am using 'memory' +narrowly to refer to an organism's memory of its past. I am counting its +"general information," for example knowing a language, not as part of its +memory but as imagings not memories. Thinking the sequence 1, 2, 1, 2 is +not in itself remembering.) The total memory consists of a large number of +units (tens of thousands), of which the organism can be attentive to precisely +one at a time. "Total recall," the total memory, involves considering, having, +all units in any succession, which the organism can do very rapidly. Now +from one point of view, the memory consists of its content; from another, it +consists of symbols, just as human memories often consist of language. In +describing the memory, I will go from considering primarily the content, +what the memory is of; to considering the specific character of the units, +specific symbolism used in the memory, and specific content. Each unit is +first a memory of the amount of progress made toward the destination edge +in a particular interval of time. The amount of progress is the difference +between the minimum distance of the organism from the destination edge at +the beginning of the interval, and the minimum distance at the end of the +interval. The total of intervals, in the total of units, cover the "absolute" +interval of time from the earliest to the most recent remembered event; as +time passes, more units are added to the memory. + +\item Now the memory is temporally dual: the interval of time for each +unit is first, an interval of 'absolute' time; defined by its duration, and the +"absolute" time of its end (stated with respect to an "absolute event" such +as the appearance of the organism on the slab); and secondly, an interval +defined by its duration, and how far from the present instant its end is. It is +like remembering that so much progress was made during one year which +ended at January 1, 1000 A.D.; as well as remembering that it was made +during one year which ended 1,000 years ago. In the second temporal +memory, the absolute time of the end of the interval to which the progress is +assigned changes according as the absolute time of the present instant +changes. For example, it is like remembering \said{that so much progress was +made during one year ending 1,000 years ago,} and, 100 years later, +remembering---\said{that so much progress was made during one year ending +1,000 years ago}; and in general, always remembering \said{that so much +progress was made during one year ending 1,000 years ago.} Both temporal +memories are in their own ways "natural," the first being anchored at an +"absolute beginning," the second at the present instant. When a unit is added +to the memory, the interval of time of the first temporal memory is added at +the end, exactly covers the time not already covered, up to the absolute time +when the unit is added; so that the total of intervals of the first temporal +memory exactly cover, without overlap, the absolute total time. In contrast, +although the intervals of the second temporal memory do not overlap at any +time, there can be gaps between them; so that when a unit is added to the +memory, the interval for the second temporal memory may be placed +between existing intervals and not have to cover an absolute time which they +have left behind, that is, not have to be placed farther back than all of them. +Intervals of both temporal memories are of different sizes, a "natural +complexity." (See the graph.) Incidentally, the condition for coincidence of +the two temporal intervals of a unit is: if the two intervals are of the same +duration, they will coincide at the absolute time which is the sum of the +absolute time of the end of the first interval, and the distance from the +present instant of the end of the second interval. The two temporal +memories complement each other; aside from this comment I will not be +concerned to "explain" the duality with respect to when the amounts of +progress were made, whether when they were "really" made stayed the same +and changed, or whether the memory is inconsistent about it, or what. + +\item I will now turn to the aspect of the memory concerned with the +method the organism has used to move itself. \# Methodologically, the +memory is a multiplex symbol. \# A "single method" is everything to be done +by the organism, to move itself, throughout the total time it takes to reach +the destination edge; so that the organism could not use two different +"single methods," must, after it chooses its method, continue with it alone +throughout. The organism has available different (single) methods, has +different methods it could try. The different sequences, of all units, are +assigned to the different (single) methods available to the organism to signify +them; are symbols for them. (Thus, the number of available methods +increases as units are added to the memory.) \slash Now all this only approximates +what is the case, because contrary to what I may have implied, which +method is used is not a matter of "fact" as are the temporal intervals and +amounts of progress. As I have said, having all units in any succession +constitutes the total memory, total recall ("factually")--different sequences +of all units are each the total memory, total recall, $\ltimes$ but, as language, the +total memory in different styles (like words in different orders in a highly +inflected language); and the matter of method (which might better be said to +be "manner") corresponds to the matter of style, rather than factual +content, of language. Different styles exclude each other, but not what is +said in each other's being true.$\rtimes$ Thus it is that the number of available +methods can increase; and that any sequence of all units can constitute the +total memory, total recall ("factually"), although different sequences signify +different methods used. \slash \# As an indicator of the method used, the whole +memory is a multiplex symbol. Names for each of the methods are combined +in a single symbol, the totality of units. In remembering, the organism +separates any single name by going through all the units in succession, and +that name is the complete reading of the multiplex symbol, the complete +information about the method used. I will not be concerned to "explain" +the matter of the increasing number of available methods; or the matter of +any sequence of all units' constituting the complete reading, the total +memory, total recall, but different sequences' signifying different methods +used. \# + +\item I will give just an indication of what the available methods [and +their relations through the multiplex memory] are like. Throughout this +description, there has been the difficulty that English lacks a vocabulary +appropriate for describing the "universe" I am concerned with, but the +difficulty is particularly great here, in the case of the methods [and their +relations through the multiplex memory]; so that I will just have to +approximate a vocabulary with present English as best as I can. The +methods, instruments of autokinesis, are all mental, teleportation, result in +teleportation. The "consciousnesses" available to the organism to be +combined into methods are infinitely many. It has available many states of +mind (as humans have non-consciousness, autohypnotic trance, dizziness, +dreaming, clear-headed calculation, and so forth), corresponding to different +forms its energy can assume. To give this description more content I will +differentiate its states of mind by referring to them with the names of the +human states of mind (rather than just with letters). It has available an +indefinite variety of contents, as humans have particular imagings, in its +conscious states of mind. I will outline the principal contents. There are +"visualized" fluid regions of color (like colored liquids), first-order contents. +There are 'visualized' radient surfaces, and non-radient surfaces or regions +("holes"), the intermediate contents. The second-order contents are +"projective" constructs of imaged geometric surfaces, "covers," "lattices," +and "shells." Fluid colors can be stationary or flowing. They can occur in +certain series, "channels"; and in certain arrays, "reservoirs." A channel can +be "closed" or "open"; two channels can be "crossed," or +"screw-connected" (earlier members of each channel flowing into later +members of the other). First-order contents (fluid colors) often occur on or +within second-order ones (projective surfaces). Second-order contents can be +"held" or "growing." States of mind have depth, 'deeper' being 'farther from +the forefront of attention'; and contents can be at different depths. A state +of mind as a unity can be "frozen," which is more than just unchanging (in +particular having its contents stationary or held). It can be projected into +"superstate," remaining a state of mind but being superenergized. [Most +interesting, states of mind, in different methods signified by different +symbols combined in the multiplex methodological memory, can have +contact with each other, for example be "interfrozen."] A partial description +of a method will give an idea of the complexity of the methods. Channels are +generated by a frozen non-conscious state, and become fixed in the surface +layer of an [inter] melted trance. The screw-crossed channels erode crevices +in a held shell, which breaks into growing sheets (certain covers). The sheets +are stacked, and held in a frozen dream thawed at intervals for reshuffling. +The dream becomes melted, and proceeds in a trajectory which shears, and +closes, open channels. If no violation of the channels cross-mars the melt, the +stack meshes with the sharp-open channels. The dream becomes [inter] +frozen, and mixed calculation states compress the closed channels which +were not surface-fixed in it. A fused exterior double-flash (a certain +maximally radient surface) is expand-enveloped by a trance, which becomes +dizziness; and oblique lattices are projected from the paralinear deviation of +guided open channels in it. Growing shells are dreamed into violet +sound-slices (certain fluid colors) by the needed jumped drag (a certain +consciousness), a [cross] frozen dream. Channels in a growing trance enspiral +concentric shells having intermixed reservoirs between them, during cyclic +intersection of the trance in superstate. I will not say more about the +available methods, because in a sense the memory does not: a sequence of +units is a marker arbitrarily assigned to a method to signify it, like an +arbitrary letter, say 'q', assigned to a certain table to signify it; it no more +gives characteristics of the method than 'q' does of the table. In fact, the +available methods and sequences do not have any particular order; one +cannot speak of the "first" method, the "second," or the like. + +\item I will now concentrate on the character of the memory as a mental +entity, and the rest of the symbolism used in it and specific content. A unit +is a rectangular plane ("visualized") radient surface (! ---the terminology is +that introduced in the last paragraph), which has two stationary plane +reservoirs (!) on it, and has a triangular hole (!) in it. The triangular hole is +a simple symboi not yet explained: its perimeter equals the amount of the +organism's progress, the difference in its minimum distances from the +destination edge, in the interval the unit is concerned with. Absence of the +hole indicates zero perimeter and no progress. + +\item As for the symbols for the temporal interval. The colors in each of +the two reservoirs on each unit are primary, and are mixed together. +Speaking as accurately as possible in English, in each reservoir there is +precisely one point of "maximum mixture' of the primary colors. (The rest +of the reservoirs are not significant: the primary colors are mentally mixed in +any way to get the right amount of mixture, as pigments are mixed on a +palette.) $\ltimes$ For the first temporal memory, these points are two points on a +scale of amounts of color mixture. For the second memory, the points are +two points on a scale of vertical distances from the imaginary horizontal line +which bisects the rectangular surface, divides it into lower and upper halves. +The units are marked in their lower halves only; because for the second +memory the imaginary dividing line represents the present instant, distances +below it represent distances into the past, and distances above it distances +into the future (lower and upper edges representing equal distances from the +present). Now a scale is required so that it can be told what temporal +intervals the interval on the amount of mixture scale and the interval on the +distance scale represent. The parts of the scale which may vary from unit to +unit and have to be specified in each unit are the "absolute" time +corresponding to the maximum possible color mixture, the number of units +of absolute duration per unit difference in amounts of mixture, and the +number of units of absolute duration per unit difference in distances from +the imaginary dividing line. The markers arbitrarily assigned to the triples of +information giving these parts of the scale are average radiences per unit +areas of the units (excepting the holes). $\rtimes$ + +\item A final aspect of interest. Not too surprisingly, the transformation +which is inverting all units gives, if one considers not the first temporal +memory but its reflection in the present instant, the organism's precognized +course of action in the future, specifically, what progress will be made when. +\end{enumerate} + + +\section*{The Representation} + +With this background, it is not surprising that the method of +representation I have chosen is visual representation of the units, the +"visualizations." Units are represented by rectangular sheets of paper of +different translucencies with mixtures of inks of primary colors on them and +holes cut in them, together in an envelope. Only one sheet should be out of +the envelope at a time. A sheet should be viewed while placed before a white +light in front of a black background, so that the light illuminates the whole +sheet as evenly as possible without being seen through the hole, only the +black being seen at the hole. The ultimate in fidelity would be to learn to +visualize these sheets as they look when viewed properly; then one could +have the memory as nearly as possible as the organism does. I have +represented eleven of the tens of thousands of units in the total memory. + |