The External World Is Known Only
as an Internally Constructed Model
David A. Steinberg | Biography
dasteinberg101@gmail.com
This observation might seem too obvious for comment but is actually a gateway to a new understanding of important open questions in many disciplines.
Even natural scientists seem to assume there is no difference between the external world and the internal model that describes it. For this or other reasons, there has been no previous scientific attempt to analyze the relationship between the two. However, as I prove in my book, A Predictive Theory of Mental Evolution and Its Consequences, the external world and any sentient organism’s internal model cannot be the same. Consequently, a detailed analysis of the process of internal reconstruction is both essential and productive.
So, if that’s what the internal model is not, what is it? In humans, it is simply a representation of the essentially continuous external world reassembled from discrete sensory input converted into bioelectric impulses. In general, an internal model reflects the nature of an organism and its external circumstances but my analysis shows that there are key elements that must be shared by all such models.
My book describes in detail the process of internal reconstruction and a theory of mental evolution that it implies. The theory presents each stage of mental development as an explicit generalization of the one that precedes it, resulting in an ordered sequence of these generalizations. Because each stage is defined exclusively in terms of previously defined stages, the nature of mental capacities and their relationships are precise and clear. Strikingly, the expression of these ordinal stages in human evolution exactly predicts and explains the meaning and sequence of artifacts found in the archaeologic record.
This theory is unique in many ways, but most importantly, it is rigorously scientific⸻derived from explicit axioms and methods with verifiable and falsifiable predictions. It explains the internal origins of the external world’s foundational elements, thereby illuminating diverse multidisciplinary ideas. Specifically, it:
- proves a commonality of logic for all physical, sentient organisms.
- reconciles currently exclusive ideas about the nature of mathematical forms.
- defines a nature and origin of time and unifies its separate characteristics.
- provides an integrated description of the mind, including an unambiguous definition of consciousness and how and when it arises from less complex mental functions.
- identifies the nature and temporal origin of language.
- explains the limits of scientific knowledge.
- informs modern research in neurology and neuroscience.
The subject of the mind traditionally has been within the purview of philosophy which does not explicitly define consciousness and so cannot integrate it with other mental functions in an increasingly complex evolutionary sequence. Without a unifying framework that rigorously defines all such functions, a coherent discussion about the origin and relationship of mental capacities is impossible. This theory clearly demonstrates that such a framework is not only possible but inevitable. At the very least, its unambiguous axioms and definitions establish a common basis from which to disagree.
I invite you to make your own decision by following the link to the book preprint or purchasing it at CambridgeScholars.com.