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mcchen's picture

I-function vs. nervous system

 This week, we talked about how the brain is constructed like loopy science.  The nervous system has expectations and output from the nervous system is to promote new observations in order to refine expectations for later uses.  So without the I-function, the nervous system seems to rely on trial and error and "instincts".  Therefore, the I-function is our perception of what is happening in our bodies and it is what we use to make decisions.  It seems as though the I-function is present to excite and inhibit the instinctual functions of the nervous system.  Does this mean we really can't "control" most of the functions in our body? Since the I-function only gets a glimpse at what the nervous system is up to, we really don't have enough information to try and control what the body can and cannot do.  So then is it the I-function that can process external/environmental factors in order to make conscious decisions about how to react in certain situations? I guess I'm just having trouble distinguishing the role of the I-function from the rest of the nervous system.

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