Engineering

Exploring the Fractal Dimensions of Human Consciousness Through Neural Networks

In the exploration of human consciousness, the metaphor of a neural network provides a fascinating lens through which to view our understanding of the self and the universe. Much like Dante’s journey through the layers of the afterlife in “The Divine Comedy,” we can imagine our cognitive processes as a fractal network where each node represents a concept, an experience, or a piece of knowledge, intricately connected in a web of meaning. This essay delves into this conceptual neural network, drawing inspiration from computational models to explore the depth and breadth of human perception and agency.

At the core of this fractal network lies the ‘World’ layer, encompassing fundamental forces like Entropy, Gravity, and Patterns. These nodes are the bedrock upon which all other layers are built. They symbolize the raw materials of reality - the constants by which we measure the universe’s vastness and our tiny place within it. Moving beyond, the ‘Perception’ layer introduces nodes like ‘Key-to-Kingdom’, ‘Illusion’, and ‘Reality’, suggesting that human consciousness is not just about observing but interpreting the world through lenses shaped by our biases, hopes, and fears. This layer is crucial because it introduces the duality of truth and perception, a theme Dante explored in his journey through different realms of existence.

The ‘Agency’ layer introduces actions and choices - ‘Fall’, ‘Entrance’, ‘Resurrection’, and ‘Ascension’. Here, the narrative takes a turn from passive observation to active participation in one’s fate. This might remind one of Dante’s journey where choices lead to different outcomes, echoing the moral and ethical decisions we make in life, influencing our path through the layers of our own ‘Divine Comedy’. This layer underscores the human capacity for change, growth, and redemption, painting a picture of life not as a static experience but as a dynamic process.

“I had no doubt there was even more to it than that. Those currency speculators, and the other City men, would all be in on it, too: doubtless there were derivatives and swaps, loans and leverages, all the armory of modern financial tools trundling toward this little battlefield—but in essence it was as beautifully straightforward as a game of poker. Pinker and his allies would sell coffee they did not own: the Brazilian government would buy coffee they did not want. The winner would be the one who held his nerve the longest.”

Excerpt From
The Various Flavors of Coffee
Anthony Capella
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-various-flavors-of-coffee/id420768595
This material may be protected by copyright.

Further into the fractal, we encounter the ‘Generative’ layer, where ‘Weaponized’, ‘Tokenized’, ‘Monopolized’, and ‘Digitized’ nodes reside. This layer reflects how human ideas and systems can evolve into structures that either liberate or constrain. It’s here where technology, economics, and societal structures intertwine with consciousness, showing how our creations can feed back into the very fabric of our perception and agency. This layer is particularly reflective of modern times, where digital constructs significantly influence human behavior and thought.

The ‘Physical’ layer, including ‘Inferno’, ‘Unknown’, ‘Limbo’, ‘Known’, ‘Paradiso’, and ‘Purgatorio’, maps directly to Dante’s cosmology, illustrating the physical and spiritual states one might traverse. This layer acts as a bridge between the tangible world and the conceptual, where physical spaces are imbued with metaphysical significance. It represents the journey of the soul or consciousness through states of suffering, ignorance, knowledge, and bliss. ^{1 2 4}

Lastly, the ‘Conceptual’ layer, with nodes like ‘Chaos’, ‘Order’, ‘Void’, and ‘Singularity’, ventures into the abstract, where human thought grapples with the ultimate questions of existence. Here, the fractal nature of our consciousness becomes most apparent, as these concepts are not only vast and encompassing but also infinitely recursive, much like fractals themselves.

Thus, this neural network fractal serves as a metaphor for the human condition, where each layer not only builds upon the last but also connects in complex, non-linear ways, much like the neural connections in our brains. Just as Dante’s journey was one of transformation, this model suggests that human consciousness is continuously evolving, influenced by both the universe it observes and the internal constructs it creates. Through this lens, we see not just a map of the mind but an ongoing process of becoming, where each node and connection tells a part of the story of what it means to be human.

Fig. 12 Leveraged Agency. At Championship-level, tactical approaches aren’t going to win you the trophy. The odds here are 1000/1 or longer and can’t be collapsed, given the numerous entrants and exists each year – similar to what we witnessed in leveraged agency sort of games like horse-racing. The higher the risk, higher the error, because no amount of analysis can ever utilize the most up-to-date dataset when the very populations of study are so dynamic.

Show code cell source Hide code cell source

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import networkx as nx

# Define the neural network fractal
def define_layers():
    return {
        'World': ['Entropy', 'Gravity', 'Patterns', 'Connotation', 'Interaction', 'Tendency', ], ## Cosmos, Planet
        'Perception': ['Key-to-Kingdom'], # Life
        'Agency': ['Fall', 'Entrance'], # Ecosystem (Beyond Principal-Agent-Other)
        'Generative': ['Weaponized', 'Tokenized', 'Monopolized'], # Generative
        'Physical': ['Inferno', 'Unknown',  'Limbo', 'Known', 'Paradiso'] # Physical
    }

# Assign colors to nodes
def assign_colors():
    color_map = {
        'yellow': ['Key-to-Kingdom'],
        'paleturquoise': ['Tendency', 'Entrance', 'Monopolized', 'Paradiso'],
        'lightgreen': ['Interaction', 'Tokenized', 'Known', 'Limbo', 'Unknown'],
        'lightsalmon': [
            'Patterns', 'Connotation', 'Fall', # Ecosystem = Red Queen = Prometheus = Sacrifice
            'Weaponized', 'Inferno'
        ],
    }
    return {node: color for color, nodes in color_map.items() for node in nodes}

# Calculate positions for nodes
def calculate_positions(layer, x_offset):
    y_positions = np.linspace(-len(layer) / 2, len(layer) / 2, len(layer))
    return [(x_offset, y) for y in y_positions]

# Create and visualize the neural network graph
def visualize_nn():
    layers = define_layers()
    colors = assign_colors()
    G = nx.DiGraph()
    pos = {}
    node_colors = []

    # Add nodes and assign positions
    for i, (layer_name, nodes) in enumerate(layers.items()):
        positions = calculate_positions(nodes, x_offset=i * 2)
        for node, position in zip(nodes, positions):
            G.add_node(node, layer=layer_name)
            pos[node] = position
            node_colors.append(colors.get(node, 'lightgray'))  # Default color fallback

    # Add edges (automated for consecutive layers)
    layer_names = list(layers.keys())
    for i in range(len(layer_names) - 1):
        source_layer, target_layer = layer_names[i], layer_names[i + 1]
        for source in layers[source_layer]:
            for target in layers[target_layer]:
                G.add_edge(source, target)

    # Draw the graph
    plt.figure(figsize=(12, 8))
    nx.draw(
        G, pos, with_labels=True, node_color=node_colors, edge_color='gray',
        node_size=3000, font_size=9, connectionstyle="arc3,rad=0.2"
    )
    plt.title("Fractal Dante", fontsize=15)
    plt.show()

# Run the visualization
visualize_nn()

Fig. 13 Tryptophan, Tryptamine, and Y’all Who Be Trippin’. Information in nature is encoded in gravity and photons and zapped from the cosmos, to earth, to life, to silicon. As for the point of view, thats open for discourse. Source: Lorenzo Expeditions. And if we invert all the aforementioned, then we might say something like: The code provides a unique blend of art and science, creating a visual narrative that might engage viewers in thinking about the structure of thought, decision-making, or the whimsical nature of reality as depicted in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” - Grok-2.