In a previous paper [1], we presented a formal framework supporting potentially unbounded phenomenal emergence in spatially extended finite systems such as cellular automata (CAs). This framework incorporated the notion of a bidirectionally infinite hierarchy of metarules governing the spatio-temporal evolution of the system. It was shown that the way in which hierarchical levels are `cut' (or selected) determines what are to count as physical laws and atomic substrate in a relativistic model of nature. In conclusion, it was argued that this `cutting' necessitates the existence of a `cutter', thereby motivating adoption of a variant of panpsychism in order to address the `hard' problem of consciousness. One of the more sophisticated variants of panpsychism is Whiteheadian panexperientialism [2]. On this view, the world is comprised of creative, experiential, physical-mental events. An event (or actual occasion) is a happening at a certain place at a certain time and involves physical prehension (feeling) of the incoming causation associated with objects (prior events) by a mental subject who structures this causation by selecting from amongst a set of given forms (ingressing eternal objects). Crucially, and against crude panpsychism, panexperientialism does not afford consciousness the status of an ontological-primitive; on the contrary, consciousness is held to emerge as a temporal society of experiential events. This is possible because Whiteheadian panexperientialism distinguishes between aggregates (non-experiential) and genuine compound individuals (experiential) on the basis of a difference in spatio-temporal organisation.

In this proposed paper, Whiteheadian panexperientialism is formalised by extending the framework for emergence described in [1]. Metarule cellular automata (MCAs) appear to provide appropriate frameworks within which to model panexperientialism since both are discrete systems supporting potentially unbounded emergence through infinite hierarchical structuring. However, MCAs assume - against panexperientialism - that spatio-temporal events are externally-related (billiard-ball interaction) and homogeneously-connected (all prehensions are positive). In order to address both these problems, it is necessary to modify the MCA formalism so as to incorporate the notion of dynamic heterogeneous connectivity [3]. Baas has argued that the observer must be included as an essential component in any framework for emergence [4]. However, his conception of observer ontology is highly problematic since although it distinguishes between deducible (or algorithmic) emergence and observational (or non-algorithmic) emergence, it simultaneously adopts a representational-constructivist (or hyperstructuralist) view of consciousness. In the extended MCA framework presented in this proposed paper, the observer is identified with that which is responsible for `cutting' the hierarchy, thereby constituting a formal yet non-computational component of the system. Additional extensions to be investigated include (1) adoption of a bootstrap metarule topology (`wrapped hierarchies'), (2) incorporating the notion of prehensive scope (or degree) via the application of CA mask operators [5], and (3) support for non-local interaction.

References

[1] Ali, S.M., Zimmer, R.M. (1998) Beyond Substance and Process: A New Framework for Emergence. In Toward a Science of Consciousness: The Second Tucson Discussions and Debates. Edited by Hameroff, S.R., Kaszniak, A.W., Scott, A.C. MIT Press, pp.585-592.

[2] Griffin, D.R. (1998) Unsnarling The World-Knot: Consciousness, Freedom, and the Mind-Body Problem. University of California Press.

[3] Halpern, P. (1989) Sticks and stones: A guide to structurally dynamic cellular automata. Am. J. Phys. 57 (5), pp.405-408.

[4] Baas, N. (1993) Emergence, Hierarchies and Hyperstructures. In Artificial Life III. Santa Fe Institute Studies in the Sciences of Complexity Vol. XVII. Addison-Wesley, pp.515-537.

[5] Ali, S.M., Zimmer, R.M. (1994) Games of Proto-Life in Masked Cellular Automata (MCA). In Complex Systems - Mechanism of Adaptation. Edited by Stonier, R.J., Yu, X.H. IOS Press, pp.77-84.