Molecules and Thoughts

Pattern Complexity and Evolution in Chemical Systems and the MindYuri Tarnopolsky

January, 2003

SUMMARY

Pattern Theory is representation of complexity in terms of atom-like blocks and bonds betweenthem, similar to chemical structures. The paper attempts to look at chemistry from pattern perspective, “patternize” some general ideas of chemical kinetics, and import them into the pattern representation of the mind. In particular, it is intended to complement the recent

Patternsof Thought

by Ulf Grenander [1], which is the main frame of reference for this paper. Thechemical concepts in question are: chemical complexity, transition state, catalysis, non-equilibrium systems, competition and selection of chemical species, and molecular evolution.Distinction is made between Ar-complexity (Aristotelian), which displays in the fixed generator space, and He-complexity (Heraclitean), which displays in the expanding generator space. Themind is regarded as an expanding configuration space, with the topology of a subset of the scaleof sets (Bourbaki), where configurations compete for presence in consciousness. The concept isillustrated with computer simulations of building a He-system and spontaneous activity on someconnectors.

Abbreviations

LMS

: Life, Mind, Society;

: Artificial Intelligence;

: Natural Intelligence;

Alife

: ArtificialLife;

: Pattern Theory;

Ar-System

: A system in a fixed generator space (Aristotelian);

He-System

: A system in a changing generator space (Heraclitean).

CONTENTS

Introduction 31. Chemical complexity 72. Molecular patterns 143. Regularity and probabilityin chemistry 204. Thoughts and molecules 275. Stability in LMS 316. Patterns of transformation. 367. Chemical kinetics andtransition state 398. Catalysis 509. Competition and selection of configurations 5710. The competitive mind 6710.1. BIRDS 7010.2. PROTO 7610.3. Discussion 8711. SCALE 90Conclusion 100References 105

Introduction

A lecturer tells some students to learn the phone-book by heart.The mathematicians are baffled: `By heart? You kidding?'The physics-students ask: `Why?'The engineers sigh: `Do we have to?'The chemistry-students ask: `Till next Monday?'

source: http://www.talisman.org/~erlkonig/humour/science-jokes

Pattern Theory (PT) is a mathematical representation of objects with large and incompressiblecomplexity [2, 3, 4]. Some of the complex objects are static, as for example, telephone directory,others are natural and artificial dynamical systems, among them, life, mind, and society, for which the abbreviation LMS will be further used without distinction between natural andartificial. In the long run, a telephone directory evolves, too.There is an obvious conceptual isomorphism between PT and chemistry. Both share thesame principles of atomism, bonding, and transformation. Molecules, forms of life, thoughts, andsocial structures are typical and frequent illustrations of pattern analysis and synthesis in Ulf Grenander’s works on Pattern Theory [2, 3, 4]. The parallel with chemistry is widely used in [1],for example:

Note the resemblance to chemistry: generators correspond to atoms, configurations (ideas) tomolecules, and bonds to bonds ([1], 2.4:

Regularity of Mind States: Conformation of Ideas