Cognition

"To live is to know"
Yes, to live is to experience, to experience is to learn, and to learn is to know. We are altered by every experience in a way that defines our evolution. We are cognitive about which perturbations we allow- hopefully we allow the right ones, to evolve optimally!


Memory and Magic
I like the "Memory: From Mind to Molecules" article. It made me think of the "Brain's Darwin Machine" article in our Physics reading. It all makes sense. We are continually adjusting ourselves, through every interaction, in a way that conserves autopoiesis (life) and adaptability. (Adaptability is longevity.) Anything new or surprising gets encoded.
Does magic get encoded? Yes. I think in our biological evolution, we've been exposed to people, places, things that are extraordinary and our genes, our cells, and our consciousness allow for 'miracles.' Life is a miracle, isn't it? I think a magician is capable of- suspending our disbelief (we want to be entertained,) really fooling us (our brain edits what we 'think' happens,) or actually doing something that can't be explained rationally.