Type: article
Abstract: Studies, experiments and the recent whole-brain connectome emulation of the Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) brain provide compelling evidence that functional behavior can emerge autonomously from neural structure without explicit training or programming. This paper works as a logical extension of the Proto-neutral Experientialism (PNE) framework and the Cumulative Qualia Hypothesis, interpreting the connectome emulation findings as a seminal step towards structure-to-behavior and potentially structure-to-consciousness proof. The automatic emergence of behavior strongly advocates for the relational ontology proposed by the PNE, demonstrating that much of the organism’s external behavioral repertoire is encoded in the neural architecture itself, independent of the neural substrate. This scenario is extended to illustrate how evolutionary constraints have not only shaped these architectures towards efficient integration patterns, but also according to Cumulative Qualia Hypothesis, in turn shaped their informational geometries which corresponds to the qualia of consciousness. The paper then presents a thought experiment “Topological Triplets” comparing a biological fly (Bio-Fly), its connectome emulation (Digi-Fly), and functional AI simulation of the fly (AI-Fly). A structured comparison and analysis of the triplets in both external behavioral and internal experiential domains is presented aiming to demonstrate that while behavioral outputs might be identical, a divergence in neural architecture causes a fundamental diversity in subjective experience. Finally, it extends the findings of the thought experiment to generalize them to future AI and emulated systems focusing on the potential problems faced by both.
Author: Shenoy, Ragini
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7158437987