Co-evolution of consciousness and operating systems (Коэволюция сознания и операционных систем) - страница 9

And so, intelligence emerges- a psychic organism. Or perhaps a psychic organ. External to the body, external to the brain, yet inseparable from and irreducible to it. The psyche, in the words of Professor of Biology V.R. Bogdanov, is an extracorporeal organ relative to the body [2].

Let me clarify from the outset that I will use the terms "mind," "psychic organism," and "consciousness" almost as synonyms, occasionally emphasizing specific nuances in their meanings. I understand consciousnessprimarily as a philosophical category – a form of reflection – rather than as a utilitarian term used in neurology and psychiatry to denote the level of wakefulness. However, it is not just a philosophical category but also what makes us ourselves: our individuality, what makes us rational individuals, aware of our rationality – individuals with reflection, empathy, and personality.

The mind is the technical component of consciousness – its anatomy, its appearance, its physiology, and even its pathological physiology, because, unfortunately, describing life and consciousness without considering diseases and pathologies is inconceivable.

The psychic organismencompasses both these aspects. It is a living entity from the realm of thought, capable of self-maintenance within certain boundaries, as long as the biological substrate in which it exists remains intact.

In his work Spirit, Soul, and Body, Professor V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky [11] cites a statement by I.P. Pavlov, where Pavlov defines consciousness as follows:

"Consciousness appears to me as the nervous activity of a specific area of the cerebral cortex, at a given moment, under given conditions, possessing optimal (probably an average) excitability. At the same time, the rest of the cerebral cortex is in a state of more or less reduced excitability."

Voyno-Yasenetsky further comments:

"The area with optimal activity is, of course, not a fixed area; on the contrary, it constantly moves throughout the cortex, depending on the connections between centers and under the influence of stimuli—accordingly, the territory with reduced excitability also changes."

This description reminds me of the functioning of a computer's operating system. It operates according to our commands but also follows its own rules, opening and closing various programs and files stored on hard drives or removable media. It utilizes operational memory, video and audio cards, and the motherboard. We can hear its activity through the sounds of the CD drive, the hard disk, or the floppy disk drive.