Consciousness, Functional Geometry and Internal Representation

Abstract

The geometrical interpretation of brain function by Pellionisz and Llinás and subsequent developments by Roy and Llinás help us to understand brain function in an integrated way. It was originally based on the assumption that the relationship between the brain and the external world is determined by the ability of the central nervous system (CNS) to construct an internal model of the world accomplished through the interactive relationship between sensory and motor expression. In this model the evolutionary realm provides the backbone for the development of an internal functional geometry. The approach henceforth named tensor network theory is sufficiently rich to allow specific computational modelling and addressed the issue of prediction, based on Taylor series expansion properties of the system, at the neuronal level, as a basic property of brain function. It was actually proposed that the evolutionary realm is the backbone for the development of an internal functional space that, while being purely representational, can interact successfully with the totally different world of the so-called external reality. Representationalism and realism have been widely discussed in Indian philosophy including Buddhist framework.

The representations of the internal world and its connection to consciousness associated to functional geometry or sense-dependent geometry will be discussed in this work. Then the epistemological issues will be analysed and compared with those discussed in Indian philosophy. The introduction of functional geometry raises a profound question whether functional geometry is necessary only for the description of the internal world or both internal and external world. The present author along with Ralph Abraham constructed a continuous space–time geometry starting from a discrete evolving cellular network at the smallest level of the physical universe, i.e. at the level of Planck scale. The imminent question is to find a relationship between the functional geometry associated to CNS and at the macroscopic level in the outside world. This will shed new light on the epistemological issues related to nature of consciousness and the validity of physical laws.