The Kekulé Problem – Cormac McCarthy

Interesting article on a very important topic. I would relate it to the idea of embodied mind, as in Merleau-Ponty. Also Eugene Gendlin's experiential focusing.

But I see the unconscious and conscious mind as having a more cooperative relationship, at least much of the time. All day long the unconscious mind sends thoughts into the conscious mind, like reminding you of what that object in front of you is for and how to use it, and what you need to be doing today. But going the other way the conscious mind regularly makes requests of the unconscious mind, like how to express something in language, or what is the name of the person you were talking with last week.

Back and forth it goes, each type of mind performing its unique function in order to get us through life. And I would agree the AI people don't understand this at all.

Absolutely fascinating and very important topic. My 2c is that there is a very low bit rate link between the conscious and subconscious mind that can be made a bit faster by the practice of meditation. Re why snake and not ring my theory is that the subconscious thinks in primal terms.

(2017)

> How might we make inquiries of it?

At 60 I've come to understand dreams as being a conversation between the conscious and unconscious. And I converse with my unconscious simply by paying attention. I dream as easily as falling asleep both during naps as well as overnight. As far as I can tell I remember all my dreams upon wakening. They are almost all recurring. My current understanding is that the trauma of my early years utterly stunted my psychological and emotional growth and this is entirely what my dreams are about. The journey is very slow but perhaps quickening. I think I've finally left highschool but not yet my first job out of uni. It is my life's work.

> But if you believe that you actually use language in the solving of problems I wish that you would write to me and tell me how you go about it.

Apparently, its really good next token prediction.

If you'll pardon the pun, language was always here. Even before man was, language waited for him.

Another novelist who wrestled with this stuff is Walker Percy.