People understand ‘reality’ by making mental models based on
what they already know. Thus, for example, our heavenly father ensures that the
sun moves around the flat earth.
Early models were simple in terms of the number of causes
and effects. For example man sees lion approaching (stimulus), brings up
earlier example from memory and reacts (response) by climbing a tree. There
will be about four nerve cells involved in carrying messages between about
three modules in the brain.
BUT that is seriously over simple. Natural selection has no
forward plans and neither does it have stand alone, rigid modules. There are
billions if not trillions of connections between nerve cells to act as causes,
and a similar number of effects.
The mind does not hold steady in discrete processes and
events. It is better to think of ongoing networks and webs. Any given synapse
hosts a multitude of globules which simultaneously act as stimulant or inhibitor
in many processes or events.
An everlasting synaptic churn.
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