How seriously should we take "levels" of reality? I mean the parcellation of the universe into, say, the particle level, the chemical level, the cellular level, the organism, individual level, the social/ecological level etc?
Do levels interpenetrate?
Are these metaphysical matters or just pragmatic ones?
Stimulated by the great session on mental disorders just completed, hosted by @PessoaBrain , featuring Anneli Jefferson, @awaisaftab , @NicoleCRust , Alexey Tolchinky & @eikofried
@DrYohanJohn @PessoaBrain @awaisaftab @eikofried
Great question! Curious: @DrYohanJohn, what do you think?
As discussed in that wonderful salon, there’s a parallel conversation to be had around causality at abstract, nonphysical levels (eg insomnia “causes” fatigue). Many seem to be ready to buy into the idea that we can figure out causality purely at that level. The subtext is something along the lines of: it’s the level of emergent properties. I’m less sure, particularly when interactions become complicated. It certainly strikes me that we should not automatically port our concepts of causality from the physical to nonphysical without some thoughtfulness.
I'm glad you brought up the topics of causality! This is a place where a strict separation of levels becomes problematic from a pragmatic perspective.
We already have enough evidence to know that the social level, the subjective/experiential level, and the molecular level interact: alcohol clearly operates on all these levels.
So from a pragmatic perspective, causes belonging to one level can be accessed from other (usually higher) levels.
@NicoleCRust @PessoaBrain @awaisaftab @eikofried
It is rarely the case that a problem can only be addressed via causes that belong to a particular level. It is true that talk-therapy can help with problems at the 'level' of mental self-talk, but sometimes medication works too.
Conversely, it may be that talking is the most precise 'scalpel' with which to manipulate certain receptor level events. :)
Absolutely - this is a crucial point that I've heard expressed by aficionados: behavioral therapy (including CBT and other forms) is the most precise instrument we have today for manipulating the brain (via learning). That's not to suggest that it works for everyone or that brain-based interventions can't also help. It's more a suggestion about how and why it works.
@NicoleCRust @DrYohanJohn @PessoaBrain @awaisaftab @eikofried
check
https://mstdn.science/@moritz_negwer/112040294291411139
lots of evidence on pills, placebo, supplements, therapy, social interaction, physical exercise, meditation, breathing, dieting, etc. now also available without medical guidance tDCS transcranial alternating current stimulation tACS, transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS, VR, what else?
no full review covering image/stimuli current tech with light, mag, electro, sound? mixes?
whos for new metareview?
Attached: 1 image It's long been known that cooling a brain region reduces activity. But this #preprint claims that the reverse is also true: pulsed infrared light (1875nm) from a glass fiber locally heating neurons can change their activity. Data looks noisy but this might be interesting if true. (Inclusion into optrodes maybe?) Two-photon imaging of excitatory and inhibitory neural response to infrared neural stimulation Fu et al., biorxiv preprint 2024 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.02.28.582632v1 #neuroscience #calciumimaging
Yohan John 🤖🧠
Nicole Rust
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