Lifeboat Foundation

I argue for a pattern theory of self as a useful way to organize an interdisciplinary approach to discussions of what constitutes a self. According to the pattern theory, a self is constituted by a number of characteristic features or aspects that may include minimal embodied, minimal experiential, affective, intersubjective, psychological/cognitive, narrative, extended, and situated aspects. A pattern theory of self helps to clarify various interpretations of self as compatible or commensurable instead of thinking them in opposition, and it helps to show how various aspects of self may be related across certain dimensions. I also suggest that a pattern theory of self can help to adjudicate (or at least map the differences) between the idea that the self correlates to self-referential processing in the cortical midline structures of the brain and other narrower or wider conceptions of self.

Keywords: self, pattern theory, cortical midline structures, first-person perspective.

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Neuralink says it has successfully implanted another brain chip in a human patient.

According to a study update shared by the company, the patient, identified by his first name, Alex, has been improving his ability to play video games and has started learning how to use design software to create 3D objects.

The company said the procedure “went well,” and Alex’s recovery “has been smooth.”

A Yale-led study reveals that two types of neurodevelopmental abnormalities emerging early in brain development are linked to autism, with these differences influenced by brain size.

By using brain organoids derived from autistic children’s stem cells, researchers uncovered distinct neural growth patterns, potentially guiding personalized treatments and diagnoses.

Early Brain Development and Autism.

LLMs don’t just memorize word pairs or sequences—they learn to encode abstract representations of language. These models are trained on immense amounts of text data, allowing them to infer relationships between words, phrases, and concepts in ways that extend beyond mere surface-level patterns. This is why LLMs can handle diverse contexts, respond to novel prompts, and even generate creative outputs.

In this sense, LLMs are performing a kind of machine inference. They compress linguistic information into abstract representations that allow them to generalize across contexts—similar to how the hippocampus compresses sensory and experiential data into abstract rules or principles that guide human thought.

But can LLMs really achieve the same level of inference as the human brain? Here, the gap becomes more apparent. While LLMs are impressive at predicting the next word in a sequence and generating text that often appears to be the product of thoughtful inference, their ability to truly understand or infer abstract concepts is still limited. LLMs operate on correlations and patterns rather than understanding the underlying causality or relational depth that drives human inference.

LLMs are reshaping how we think by fostering deeper, sustained engagement and metacognition, potentially transforming our cognitive abilities.

LLMs can open new doors to cognitive and perhaps even conscious expansion, influencing how we experience and interpret the world.

Discover how cognitive connectivity, powered by LLMs, ignites creativity, fuels joyful curiosity, and transforms the way we think and learn, in the emerging Cognitive Age.

I don’t know what’s causing the sound problem my apologies.

Randal and Keith discuss WBE, Mind Uploading and fascinating tangents in neuroscience and neuroprosthetics and pathways for the future, as well as the Carbon Copies foundation and the new book ‘Contemplating Oblivion’ by Keith Wiley.

Continue reading “Whole Brain Emulation & Mind Uploading with Keith Wiley & Randal Koene” »