The term human biocomputer, coined by John C. Lilly, refers to the "hardware" of the human anatomy. This would include the brain, internal organs, and other human organ systems such as cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune, integumentary, lymphatic, muscular, nervous, reproductive, respiratory, skeletal, and urinary systems. The biocomputer has stored program properties, and self-metaprogramming properties, with limits determinable and to be determined.
Parts
The functional organization of the human biocomputer is:
General clarification
The levels of the human biocomputer are explained thus: Levels from one to two are the boundaries between external reality and the body. Certain energies and materials (heat, light, sound, food, and secretions) pass through this boundary in special places. Levels two to three are the boundaries of body and brain, in which special structures such as blood vessels, nerve fibers, and cerebrospinal fluid pass. Levels four through eleven are in the brain circuitry, and is the software inside the biocomputer. Levels after ten are termed unknown. This is to allow an openeness for future scientific research, and discoveries. This is also to illustrate the unwillingness to subscribe to any dogmatic belief, to encourage creative, courageous and imaginative investigation, to emphasize the necessity for unknown factors on all levels, and to point out the heuristic nature of this schema.
Definitions
Mind
Mind, which is defined as the sum total of all the programs and metaprograms (and even supraself metaprograms) of a human biocomputer. This is the software and is looked at as the opposite of the hardware.
Brain
The brain is defined as the visible, palpable living set of structures to be included in the human biocomputer.
Stored programs
A stored program is defined as a set of instructions which are placed in memory storage of the biocomputer, and which control the biocomputer when orders are given for that program to be activated. These programs can be activated by the same biocomputer, another biocomputer, or a situation outside of the biocomputer.
Metaprogramming
Metaprogramming is defined as a set of instructions, descriptions, and implementations of related thoughts and actions(programs). Self metaprogramming involves the creation, revision, and reorganization of programs and metaprograms.
See also
- Eight-circuit model of consciousness
- Timothy Leary
Notes
References
- Lilly, John C. (1987) [1968, Communication Research Institute]. Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer: Theory and Experiments (Reprint ed.). Julian Press. ISBNÂ 0-517-52757-X.Â
- Lilly, John C. (2004). Potter, Beverly A., ed. Programming the Human Biocomputer (Abridged ed.). Ronin Publishing. ISBNÂ 978-1579510657.Â