''Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer: Theory and Experiments'' is a 1968 book by
John C. Lilly
John Cunningham Lilly (January 6, 1915 – September 30, 2001)John C. Lilly at
. In the book, "the doctor imagines the brain as a piece of computer technology." More specifically, he uses "the analogy of brain being the hardware, the mind being the software and consciousness being beyond both."
Summary
The term human biocomputer, coined by Lilly, refers to the "hardware" of the
human anatomy
The human body is the structure of a human being. It is composed of many different types of cells that together create tissues and subsequently organ systems. They ensure homeostasis and the viability of the human body.
It comprises a he ...
. This would include the
brain
A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...
,
internal organs
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...
endocrine
The endocrine system is a messenger system comprising feedback loops of the hormones released by internal glands of an organism directly into the circulatory system, regulating distant target organs. In vertebrates, the hypothalamus is the neu ...
,
immune
In biology, immunity is the capability of multicellular organisms to resist harmful microorganisms. Immunity involves both specific and nonspecific components. The nonspecific components act as barriers or eliminators of a wide range of pathogens ...
,
integumentary
The integumentary system is the set of organs forming the outermost layer of an animal's body. It comprises the skin and its appendages, which act as a physical barrier between the external environment and the internal environment that it serves ...
,
lymphatic
Lymph (from Latin, , meaning "water") is the fluid that flows through the lymphatic system, a system composed of lymph vessels (channels) and intervening lymph nodes whose function, like the venous system, is to return fluid from the tissues to ...
reproductive
The reproductive system of an organism, also known as the genital system, is the biological system made up of all the anatomical organs involved in sexual reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are als ...
skeletal
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
The following definitions are used in the book:
*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, which is defined as the visible, palpable living set of structures to be included in the human biocomputer.
*Stored program, which 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, which 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.
Organization
The functional organization of the human biocomputer described in the book is:
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 openness 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
A heuristic (; ), or heuristic technique, is any approach to problem solving or self-discovery that employs a practical method that is not guaranteed to be optimal, perfect, or rational, but is nevertheless sufficient for reaching an immediate, ...
Laws of Form
''Laws of Form'' (hereinafter ''LoF'') is a book by G. Spencer-Brown, published in 1969, that straddles the boundary between mathematics and philosophy. ''LoF'' describes three distinct logical systems:
* The "primary arithmetic" (described in Ch ...
''
*
Reality tunnel Reality tunnel is a theory that, with a subconscious set of mental filters formed from beliefs and experiences, every individual interprets the same world differently, hence "Truth is in the eye of the beholder". It is similar to the idea of repres ...