MountainTrails
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2019
- Messages
- 189
Hello. I have read this site for years (and years), with interest and appreciation for the overall quality of posts and information.
Some of you would consider me an old man. I don't feel like an old man, though the existence of grandchildren is a hint I should consider.
I have been told I am autistic. This came as a surprise to me at some point in my 50s, and I really knew nothing of the topic to that point, but details of my life became more sensible when considered in light of that information. Not an uncommon experience among older autists, it seems.
I have an interest in cognitive architectures. And by that, I refer not to the new-ish limited meaning that refers to machine learning, but rather to functional models of mind (functional referring to "by function" rather than to the working/nonworking sense of functional). A broad background ranging from philosophy to network design and software engineering, and perhaps some thinking/reading about neuroscience and autism, has provided me a set of abstractions and tools -- or at least a focus -- that seems unusual. And it certainly is obvious that the minds built atop autistic brains (which exhibit neurological differences in capacity, signaling, etc., within the biological substrate) are different. I think that's both interesting and important.
I joined finally because I hope to find conversation on the autistic experience with substances here. I have both experienced and heard of atypical experience, and there are a number of different vectors through that space that would be fascinating to discuss. I think those atypical experiences may provide some pretty damned strong hints as to productive areas of study in neuroscience and cognitive science, and about different types of autistic minds.
This was a big post for me, both to write and for me to take the step to become visible, and I'm probably going to go back to lurking for a bit while I catch my breath.
Some of you would consider me an old man. I don't feel like an old man, though the existence of grandchildren is a hint I should consider.
I have been told I am autistic. This came as a surprise to me at some point in my 50s, and I really knew nothing of the topic to that point, but details of my life became more sensible when considered in light of that information. Not an uncommon experience among older autists, it seems.
I have an interest in cognitive architectures. And by that, I refer not to the new-ish limited meaning that refers to machine learning, but rather to functional models of mind (functional referring to "by function" rather than to the working/nonworking sense of functional). A broad background ranging from philosophy to network design and software engineering, and perhaps some thinking/reading about neuroscience and autism, has provided me a set of abstractions and tools -- or at least a focus -- that seems unusual. And it certainly is obvious that the minds built atop autistic brains (which exhibit neurological differences in capacity, signaling, etc., within the biological substrate) are different. I think that's both interesting and important.
I joined finally because I hope to find conversation on the autistic experience with substances here. I have both experienced and heard of atypical experience, and there are a number of different vectors through that space that would be fascinating to discuss. I think those atypical experiences may provide some pretty damned strong hints as to productive areas of study in neuroscience and cognitive science, and about different types of autistic minds.
This was a big post for me, both to write and for me to take the step to become visible, and I'm probably going to go back to lurking for a bit while I catch my breath.
