Chapter 4: What's the Problem?

post by ld97 · 2020-03-02T10:04:52.514Z · LW · GW · 0 comments

Contents

No comments

To solve some task, you need to have it. What's the reason to have a task? Why do we work on it? Imagine someone has a job for you. Or you defined your mission by yourself. What do you trying to achieve?

I've described it like this: I am solving Problem.

But what is the Problem? When do you have problems? Let's find some examples. I feel like I have a Problem:

  1. When I want an ice-cream, but there is no shop around.
  2. When I want to buy a new smartphone because I've broken my old one.
  3. When I realize that there is only one smartphone of reasonable size that will fit in my hand released in 2019.
  4. When I see that this smartphone created by a Japanese company and it doesn't ship to my country.
  5. When I find that if I will buy it somewhere and ship it to myself, I'll pay twice.
  6. When I want to know what the Problem is, but no definition fits my needs.

(Sorry for all those smartphone examples, but they have stupidly enormous sizes)

You can think about it yourself too. What are your problems?

By asking the previous question, I've created another problem. But don't think about it too much. Continuous recursive thinking makes your brain ache. That's was not an example of reverse motivation, really don't go too deep! And the previous sentence wasn't also. And... Sorry, I couldn't resist it.

What's common with all these examples?

We have some expectation about how should the World look like:

  1. "There should be something common in these examples" or
  2. "There should exist a small smartphone with 3.5 jack" or
  3. "I can remember some of my problems" or
  4. "I can make some definition of "problem."

What we also have is our current state:

  1. "I don't know what's common in these examples" or
  2. "I don't know any smartphone that fits my needs" or
  3. "Right now I am not thinking about any of my problems" or
  4. "I hadn't defined "problem" yet."

We have a difference between them. And basically, that's it. The Problem is the difference between your expectations and the current state.

But how to map it on our model? There are no expectations, only objects, and their connections. How to realize that there is a problem? Let's define the parts.

Our current state is a result of the processing of our sensory information. It represents "me right now." Our Problem differs from it and activates another part of our mental model.

How to describe the Problem in the language of coactivations?

I've been thinking a lot and finally completed this puzzle.

There should be no path between coactivated parts. The signal should lose before the connection established.

Problem - is the disconnection between objects or models. Houston, we have a PROBLEM!

And in opposit of it we can define a solution:

We feel like we have solved the Problem when parts become connected.

Solution - is the established connection between parts of our model.

And that's a pretty good explanation on the question "Why do people believe in weird things?". On the level we are now, there is no censor. We don't have a "weird" definition. We need to do additional work on ourselves to create a censoring model. Before it looks like:

-*Panic sounds* We don't know why the World exists!

-We have a Problem! Activate searching for Solution mode!

-We found an article that says that Aliens created the World.

-Do we have a connection?

-Yes, sir! The World exists because Aliens created it!

-Problem is Solved!

You recognized that behavioral model. At least, we are on the site that is about creating censor for yourself. This level doesn't care about circles and links to null. That's why we are wrong so many times.

And that's why activation of the whole network won't work for solution-finding. You will find what's common between the Raven and Writing desk and start falling into Wonderland. If you want a more detailed description of what happens if we will decrease the activation threshold - search for "Psychedelics effects" and "Schizophrenia/Mania symptoms". That is what you probably will feel if something will happen with the brain regulation system.

We defined Problem - the disconnection between objects. Found Solution - establishing the connection. And we discussed why can't we increase the signal strength to find a solution - because we will get weird results.

Now our goal to connect two models. We need to add something that will do it for us.

0 comments

Comments sorted by top scores.