A few thoughts on autism, tranhumanism and basic minds.

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I cannot claim to this being straight-forward, it's more a collection of thoughts, you have been warned.

Autism itself strikes me as fascinating; with a rather large amount of evidence for it, other mental conditions (schizophrenia, for example) have more or less been noted to have a parasitic life-form that can alter the brain (can't remember it's name, often found on cats, same species can completely control an ant, for example) and this fascinates me.

It also fascinates me with people's reactions to disabilites; I have cerebral palsy, and I'd quite often get stared at (more then once I've been mistaken for being drunk) Autism itself has many repsonces.

NT's...you make life so difficult for yourselves, I can honestly say I was very surprised to learn there was another method of communication other then inflection, the words themselves and facial patterns. It all seemed to point to some 'greater pattern' that would allow those who saw it to understand it. For me, it'd be like trying to understand colour and be blind throughout life. Simply impossible.

I've seen a number of threads here that are posted by NT's, and some of them assume us to be high and mighty, or somesuch rubbish. I myself feel nothing, no emotion. The only way I understand that I might be scared is that my hands start sweating. I do not feel fear or hatred, I simply look at things from a simply logical perspective because thats the only perspective I've ever known.

To make matters worse, I'm a transhumanist. I believe that the human condition can be improved through technology.
This may sound quite strange to some, but it's even stranger to me; should NT's be improved?
For those interested further in transhumanism and autism, have a look at
http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/dvorsky20081127/#When:15:14:00Z

In my life, I've encountered two forms of Aspies. I've encountered my kind, that of thoughtful about everything then I met the...other...kind. These ones seem to rely on instinct. I know of one quite closely, whom I took it upon myself to monitor and protect. He saw things at face value, would scream, etc. in a display one might of thought people of the 1970's and earlier might of thought of animals. Simple automatons. I remembered eariler in my life when I was like that, but something...exploded inside of me, and suddenly the fact that people had other minds, other goals, other beliefs and other methods was something I couldn't quite comprehend. This 'wake-up' period only happened to me around when I was 14 or so. I've known other people to not have theirs until their late 40s.

That said, that...primal part of me is still active, I let it run free sometimes whilst I busy myself with other things. I stopped that as it led to very embarrassing episodes. It's not pleasant letting an animal run your body. I prefer to think of it as 'going basic' and often try to avoid it, I've heard of other people in a similar position as my own, when you encounter the urge to disrupt a delicate operation, or cause chaos...


Again, however, there lies another problem, I have yet to meet an Aspie that 'woke up' and wasn't altruistic (barring the intervention of the basic mind) and I am often led to believe NTs are just so, but it seems it's only very rarely someone comes along that is.

One of my acts of altruism is something that is seemingly against human nature, but one that is hotly debated in transhumanism, you may of noted I wrote saying I had Cerebral Palsy. This is unfortunately a condition I cannot morally pass on. (note; even those Cerebral palsy is mainly an environmental factor and not a genetic disposition, the chances of having a child with it are quite high if you have it yourself, as has been touted by a number of doctors.) Thus, I have decided to abstain. This also has the wonderful effect of allowing me to continue my work on intellectual pursuits (which in my opinion are much more enjoyable then bearing children) as well as doing my part to save the planet.

Final paragraph (if you've read all this way, thank you)

The primal mind is something that was of immense value for our ancestors. Some aspies and a large number of NT's operate on/with it. I beleive that should the primal urge to mate, take...once that has gone, we can move on. It is also my belief that we have not stopped the process of evolution (despite removing ourselves from the major factors for it) and that Asperger's, is a mutation that may indeed have the goal of re-routing those parts we no longer need, may possibly (note; possibly) be one path to that. It is very hard for me to even think some NT's are not just operating on instinct.

Thank you for yout time. I can safely say I might get a bit of praise, but it seems i've opened the door to flamers. Flame away.

On the same website, I tend to prefer the writings of this author:

http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/bio/corwin/

(With a note that she is no longer affiliated with them, and has un-affiliated herself with the transhumanist movement because of some of its expectations of her -- reasons that I've never affiliated myself with it in the first place. But she still writes some of the best things I've ever seen about autism and disability in general, combined with technological ideas.)

My perceptive opinion, you understand and have observed one half of the autistic phenomena

I came from being very split brain functioning. All the normally sub conscious processed material, I had to process consciously. Just try to think about that for a moment. No really, try.

Everything. I had to create my own conscious connections. Out of understanding, perspective, perception, being present, truth, love . Yes, the first two are logical, the middle is present, the last two are emotional.

Can you imagine functioning in the subconscious realm and building, actually building the thought processes necessary to properly function in the highest way possible, for the goal of truth, love and highest possible good.

So now I can work from a minimum of three brain based origins of operation. The original sub left, the original sub right, and my inter hemispheric connection point.

Then I have other access points, for differing situations. I can probably write a paper about almost all the the main processing areas of the brain. It would take time and dedication. I am still working through the process also though.

I may sound like nothing to you, but believe me when I say. The whole brain is of utmost of importance.

Please do not consider certain brain users below or less than you, for it is a total possibility, that you need that small part inside at the core of the primal mind, to function in a higher capacity.

It would take years, as well, it has taken me 17 solid dedicated focused and main inspired years to come this far in the most basic of multi linear brain flow and function.

Goodluck and Take care hun

Alissa

I understand, the process you described sounds rather like that 'wake up' period I had.

I do not consider those who have not undergone the change as to be under me, I realize that is seemingly what I wrote, but that was a fault on my part, I see them in no such light (though I understand how it could be understood as such)

No, I admit I find the terms 'feral' and 'basic' to be more descriptive to the condition.

I was not aware of building, as such. I was aware that sometimes my body would spasm, any thoughts I had at the time were shut out, and when the process was finished, my perceptions of the world were quite different. This process was, strangly, greater in intensity if I were listening to music. This process also occurs when I read or think of something that is quite ground-breaking. I can only assume (this is outside my area of expertise) that I seem to of undergone a quite through rewiring. It proved to be a throughly enjoyable experience, unless I was working (and thus, needed the mind-set that had been cast out by the spasm)

Should anyone have any information on this, I would be most grateful.

All the aspies I've met have gone through this process, I welcome any other stories of it, I also welcome viewpoints if you haven't gone through it.

This seems to lead up to a near-perfect NT emulation.