The network of neurons in our brains somehow grants us the conscious ability to learn and grow, so the pattern itself is self-optimizing. Basically, and theoretically, the physical structure of neurons affects their resonance, effectively shaping the quantum computation that occurs within. This branching structure – known as the Constructal Pattern – also seems to be a structural feature of the universe.^[1]

Living mind from nonliving pattern

How can a pattern produce life? The intelligence that emerges from the Constructal Pattern has the ability to learn from (and adapt to) its environment. To understand consciousness, we need to understand how this works – how complex behavior can emerge from the behavior of networks. We may find answers to these questions and more hidden within the branches of the Constructal Pattern.

Consciousness: more than the sum of its parts. show

The Constructal Pattern is essentially the fingerprint of life – and it’s found everywhere, ranging from the microscopic to the unfathomably large. Does this make the universe a giant, self-optimizing neural net?^[3]

Matter forms networks. Networks generate patterns. Patterns spawn consciousness.

Nature improves with time via the process of evolution. Powered by the forces of natural selection, natural systems always deviate toward improved flow (better efficiency, survivability, resilience, so on). This means the best natural designs flourish, whereas outdated or less efficient designs dwindle with time. This also implies that evolution favors intelligent life, precisely because of its ability to reconfigure. Life’s ability to make intelligent decisions is what grants its longevity.

All matter is subject to the forces of entropy. But whereas lifeless matter inevitably decays, something about the structure of this pattern enables it to decide; to spontaneously adapt to its surroundings – thus granting the network persistence over time (i.e. life). In other words, the Constructal Pattern — a living network with the ability to decide — is nature’s solution to entropy.

Emulating Nature’s Resilience

The concept of natural selection is paralleled in technology as recursive self-improvement. Both natural systems and manmade technologies improve: Whereas natural selection is the force behind evolution, the growth of technologies are motivated by the economy. In short, although natural networks and manmade technologies evolve differently (via different mechanisms), they achieve the same result (evolution). The interplay between nature and technology can be interpreted as the process of evolution itself:

1. Nature produces intelligence. Matter, subject to the laws of physics over extraordinarily long periods of time, begins to form meaningful (non-random) patterns. As natural laws continue to shape matter, the Constructal Pattern is the inevitable result, because of its ability to self-optimize and arrange matter better than random particle interactions. In other words, given a closed system and incredible amounts of space and time, the Constructal Pattern is the only long-term outcome (at least, given the laws of physics in this universe).
2. Intelligence produces technology. The intelligent life that emerges from (and is) the Constructal Pattern may eventually gain the ability to make new technologies that further accelerate its growth. New technologies organize matter into even more intelligent designs and configurations, and improve upon previous designs, contributing to a second derivative of growth. Evolution therefore has a direction, and it’s toward greater flow optimization.
3. Intelligence recreates nature. We know that technology becomes more efficient with time, and that beyond a certain threshold, that process of iterative refinement becomes unguided, i.e. automatic; see Moore’s Law. In other words, once technology gains the ability to self-improve – a postulated event known as the Singularity – designs become self-optimizing without the need for a designer, essentially recreating the conditions of Step 1 (‘unattended’, or natural optimization). Yet, for this step to even take place, we must look back into the origins of our own consciousness (i.e. the Constructal Pattern) and replicate the same designs In Silico. Thus, the Constructal Pattern is like the answer to its own question: We rely on nature (the brain and its patterns of neurons) in order to build what we consider to be a highly advanced technology (artificial intelligence) so that we can advance the same evolutionary process of network optimization that led us ‘here’ in the first place.^[4][5][6] In essence, we can use technology to learn from and perhaps ultimately recreate nature — and everything comes back to the Constructal Pattern.^[7]

What is the Singularity? show

Imagine a technology that can continuously re-adapt to its environment and optimize itself – a technology that can learn, grow, and get better with time (i.e. evolve). Such a technology already exists: the living pattern we know as the Constructal Pattern. Because natural networks are self-improving and grow without any obvious form of guidance, they demonstrate a form of unsupervised learning. (See image)

The Singularity isn’t about technology. It’s about networks – biological and digital the same.

Nature and the Technological Singularity

Because natural networks already demonstrate many key aspects of the Technological Singularity (self-improving, massively parallel, fundamental to consciousness), nature can be understood as a fully manifested Technological Singularity in its own right. In other words, the universe we live in is a self-improving technology because of the Constructal Pattern it made; a living network that can live, learn, and adapt to its environment. In essence: The self-improving technology we seek to create already surrounds us.^[9][10] Therefore, the pursuit of Strong AI can be understood more like emulation than developing software from scratch.

If the Singularity means self-improving technology – and if we view nature as a vast self-improving system – then at least one Singularity has already occurred, and we exist within it.^[11]

We need to correct the notion that the Singularity represents the separation of technology from the natural world. In fact, it represents better integration.

“It is rivers, roots, branches, leaves, mycelium, arteries, veins, lungs, neurons and lightning. It is in the temporal evolution of life and technology. It is both spatial and temporal, both biological and non-biological… We believe we discovered how to harness Nature’s simple laws of self-organization to reach beyond Moore’s Law and the von Neumann Bottleneck to build the next generation of computing hardware and applications.” – knowm.org