Tabula rasa: The Glass Room

For a person like me, I would want to define the origination and source of all possibilites. While it might have been a philosophical journey of John Locke, or further rendition by Stephen Pinker. I have a perspective on this, that I think would seem a little strange.

I mean really, if, each of us is born into this world with such a blank slate, then how is an idea incorporated into such a design of our blank slate. Especially, if there had not been some influence predisposed, to draw ideas into the appropriate environment for consideration?



Science of (17 Febuary 2006 Wikpedia)

In computer science, tabula rasa refers to the development of autonomous agents which are provided with a mechanism to reason and plan toward their goal, but no "built-in" knowledge-base of their environment. They are thus truly a "blank slate".

In reality autonomous agents are provided with an initial data-set or knowledge-base, but this should not be immutable or it will hamper autonomy and heuristic ability. Even if the data-set is empty, it can usually be argued that there is an in-built bias in the reasoning and planning mechanisms. Either intentionally or unintentionally placed there by the human designer, it thus negates the true spirit of tabula rasa.

Generally people now recognise the fact that most of the brain is indeed preprogrammed and organised in order to process sensory input, motor control, emotions and natural responses. These preprogrammed parts of the brain then learn and refine their ability to perform their tasks. The only true clean slate in the brain is the neo-cortex. This part of the brain is involved in thought and decision making and is strongly linked with the amygdala. The amygdala is involved in responses such as fight or flight and emotions and like other parts of the brain is largely "pre-programmed", but has space to learn within its "programming". The amygdala is important in that it has a strong influence over the neo-cortex. There is much debate as to whether the amygdala prevents the neo-cortex from being defined as a clean slate.

Controversially the amygdala is different from person to person. However, it only affects emotions and not intelligence. Another controversial element is in the differing size of the neo-cortex.

So from a science perspective now that we might have located the physical intepretation, I am more concerned with how the creative abilities will have allowed such a D brane intersection interpretation, possible in such a glass room for consideration?

While you had yor balckboards and created the envirnonment( glass room), the room becomes somewhat different, if held to perspectve, where images and information would makes its way into this room, as well as, having tentacles that reach into other laptops discussed in the Future of the Notebook.