Beyond Biocost

By Brandon Suzukics377a Fall 2006

Part 1: Biocost Economics

The relationship between money and biocost

Brandon Suzukics377a12/02/06

Biocost Economics Goal and Means: The Self and Rationality

Goal

Means

Gain +

Goal: Embodied survival

RationalSelf

Value (Value = Gain/Cost) for a given Goal and Means.

- Cost

When the Rational Self makes a decision, it is a “rational” decision if and only if the Value is greater than 1.

Biocost and Money exist within the Cost.

Action

Brandon Suzukics377a12/02/06

Biocost Economics Goal and Means Example: Buying Bread

Goal:Buy bread

Means:From supermarket

ten blocks awayPrice $2.00

Gain + Goal:Buy bread

Means:From mini-martone block away

Price $3.00

Goal: Embodied survival

RationalSelf

The Rational Self makes a decision choosing which action provides

more value.Is $1.00 worth the Biocost of

going nine blocks?

- Cost(Biocost)

- Cost(Biocost)

Gain +

Action 1 Action 2

Brandon Suzukics377a11/29/06

Biocost EconomicsGoal and Means Collaborative Example: Roommate A convinces B to Eat Toast

Eat toast

Pay B $1 toget bread.

Toast bread for self and B.

Gain +

- Cost(biocost)

See a movie

Go to theater and buy ticket

Gain +

- Cost(biocost)

Goal:Embodied survival

RoommateA

RoommateB

Goal:Embodied survival

Collaboration is rational when A can afford (A still has value after subtracting what he pays B from his gain) to pay B so that B has more value for Goal A than Goal B.

Economic gap between goals

Action A Action B

Money is a proxy for Gain

Part 2: Survival and Biocost

Implications of self-sacrifice and biocost

Rational Self

Brandon Suzukics377a11/28/06

Self-sacrifice Example: Suicide Bomber

Goal: Spiritual survival

Actuator:Body

Sensor:Body sensory

organs

Comparator:Brain

Ethical Self

Actuator: FaithRange: Conviction

Sensor:Sense of

responsibility

Range: Maturity

Comparator:Conscience

Environment:Perceived threats to spiritual survival

Disturbances:Police, soldiers, bomb malfunction, early discovery

embodied by

affects the

Goal: Destroy threats to spiritual

survival

embodied by

responds byinstructing the

responds byengaging

carries out a bombing affecting the

is sensed by(if system still exists)

passes signalsto the

resp

onsi

bilit

y is

sen

sed

by

passes informationto the

Embodied Self

Brandon Suzukics377a11/28/06 Self-sacrifice: Ritual Suicide

Goal: Survival of “Honor”

Actuator:Body

Sensor:Body sensory

organs

Comparator:Brain

Ethical Self

Actuator:Sense of Duty

Range: Conviction

Sensor:Sense of

responsibility Range: maturity

Comparator:Conscience

Environment:Body and witnesses

Disturbances:Others trying to stop you.

embodied by

affects the

Goal: Save the child

embodied by

responds byinstructing the

responds byengaging

which ritualistically destroys itself affecting the

is s

ense

d by

(if s

yste

m s

till e

xist

s)

passes signalsto the

resp

onsi

bilit

y is

sen

sed

by

passes informationto the

Embodied Self

Brandon Suzukics377a11/29/06

Goal: Genetic survival

Actuator:Body

Sensor:Body sensory

organs

Comparator:Brain

Ethical Self

Actuator:Belief

Range: Conviction

Sensor:Conscience

Range: Maturity

Comparator:Conscience

Environment:Child

Disturbances:Slow reflexes, being too far, not noticing the threat, being too weak to stop the threat

embodied by

affects the

Goal: Save the child

embodied by

responds byinstructing the

responds byengaging

is s

ense

d by

(if s

yste

m s

till e

xist

s)passes signals

to the

resp

onsi

bilit

y is

sen

sed

by

passes informationto the

Self-sacrifice: Adult Saving a Child

to stop the threat to the child bysacrificing itself affecting the

Rational Self

Brandon Suzukics377a11/29/06

Self-sacrifice: A Soldier Saving a Fellow Soldier

Goal: Societal survival

Actuator:Body

Sensor:Body sensory

organs

Comparator:Brain

Ethical Self

Actuator:Patriotism

Range: Conviction

Sensor:Sense of responsibility

Range: Maturity

Comparator:Conscience

Environment:Fellow soldier

Disturbances:Slow reflexes, being too far, not noticing the grenade, being too small physically to sufficiently weaken the blast

embodied by

Goal: Save fellow soldier

embodied by

responds byinstructing the

responds byengaging

to stop the grenade from

killing another soldier by throw

ing himself onto it or

covering the other soldier with

his own body affecting the

is s

ense

d by

(if s

yste

m s

till e

xist

s)

passes signalsto the

resp

onsi

bilit

y is

sen

sed

by

passes informationto the

affects the

Brandon Suzukics377a11/29/06

Survival and BiocostThe Model of Human Ethical and Rational Self

Ethical Self

RationalSelf

Goal: Ethical survival

Biocost is a measure of Means quality of an action

taken by the Rational Self

Actuator: Belief

Range: Conviction

Comparator: Conscience

Sensor:Sense of responsibility

Range: Maturity

resp

onsi

bilit

y

Rational Self

Brandon Suzukics377a11/29/06

Self-sacrifice: A Soldier Saving a Fellow Soldier

Goal: Societal survival

Actuator:Body

Sensor:Body sensory

organs

Comparator:Brain

Ethical Self

Actuator:Patriotism

Range: Conviction

Sensor:Sense of responsibility

Range: Maturity

Comparator:Conscience

Environment:Fellow soldier

Disturbances:Slow reflexes, being too far, not noticing the grenade, being too small physically to sufficiently weaken the blast

embodied by

Goal: Save fellow soldier

embodied by

responds byinstructing the

responds byengaging

to stop the grenade from

killing another soldier by throw

ing himself onto it or

covering the other soldier with

his own body affecting the

is s

ense

d by

(if s

yste

m s

till e

xist

s)

passes signalsto the

resp

onsi

bilit

y is

sen

sed

by

passes informationto the

affects the

Goal: Contentment

Emotional Self

Sensor:Sympathy

(sensing of emotionIn environment)

Actuator:Empathy

(projection of emotion on environment)

Comparator:Soul

embodied by

responds byengaging

passes informationto the

emot

ion

is s

ense

d by

Brandon Suzukics377a11/28/06 The Model of Human Self

Ethical, Emotional and Rational

Ethical Self

RationalSelf

Goal: Ethical survival

Actuator: Belief

Range: Conviction

Comparator: Conscience

Emotional Self

Goal: Contentment

Sensor: Sympathy

Range: Compassion

Comparator: Soul

Actuator: Empathy

Range: Passion

Sensor:Sense of responsibility

Range: Maturity

resp

onsi

bilit

y

emot

ion

Biocost revisited

• Physical energy• Time• Attention• Stress (emotional cost)

– An expression of the influence of the Emotional Self by the Rational Self

• Responsibility (ethical cost)– An expression of the influence of the Ethical

Self by the Rational Self

So what is beyond Biocost?• Limits of Biocost involve

– Survival of “Self”, being “alive”, “autopoiesis”• Too high a Biocost results in the death of “Self”

– Rational• Physical

– Emotional– Ethical

• These ideas are reflected in language– People being “emotionally dead”– Having an “emotional breakdown”– The “inhumanity” of a person who “has no ethics”