The Binding Problem
I came across a very interesting question while doing some research for my Consciousness article called the “Binding Problem”. This problem concerns how consciousness and the advanced thought it entails is formed by the wide and seemingly independent actions of the brain. How is the distinct sense of self – the “I” – interpreted from the mess of neuron firings occurring throughout the CNS (central nervous system)?
As far as research has shown, there does not seem to be a computational center for the brain that would somehow process the neurons’ activities. Therefore, there must be some other method that connects the actual events to the individual who is experiencing them.
Also, the binding problem is not limited to the establishment of a mental identity, it also occurs in basic sensory and motor processes where the effect experienced by the person results from interactions among various, specialized neurons. There is a particularly good example in the Wikipedia entry:
“When humans view a scene containing a red circle and a green square, some neurons signal the presence of red, others signal the presence of green, still others the circle shape and square shape. Here, the binding problem is the issue of how the brain represents the pairing of color and shape. Specifically, are the circles red or green?”
So now I turn it over to you, hypothesize to your heart’s content on the explanation of the Binding Problem.
Benedict
Nov 9, 11:38
You might be interested in Dennett’s multiple drafts theory of consciousness – I suppose it could be formulated as a way to overcome the binding problem, although it’s a lot more general than that in its ambitions and applications.
Thame
Nov 10, 11:41
That sounds very interesting…I’ll have to look into it.