Challenges
Reduce the number of clauses per sentence.
(a)
Beginning with the empirically verifiable a priori notions that 1) molecules exhibit differential stereotaxic affinity and 2) they interact to build up structures, promote dynamic processes, or disassemble structures, we create a model of consciousness that avoids the dualism inherent in sociological, psychological, psychobiological, and biopsychological accounts, all of which tend to define consciousness in terms of top-down or bottom-up dichotomies, because we build an all-bottom theory out of molecules (Nyborg 1994), showing how they develop from DNA to body and brain, and thence to the system’s behavior within an environment, which itself is also defined entirely in terms of molecules in motion, forming complex processes such as temperature, pressure, nutrition, and culture, and finally to inter-system behavior, such as love, a special case of interaction between largely similar molecular systems involving hormones, DNA, and reproductive processes.
Answer =>
Answers
(a)
We begin with two empirically verifiable a priori notions.
- Molecules exhibit differential stereotaxic affinity.
- Molecules interact to build up structures, promote dynamic processes, or disassemble structures.
Using these two ideas, we create a model of consciousness. Our model avoids the dualism of many sociological, psychological, psychobiological, and biopsychological accounts. All of these accounts tend to define consciousness in terms of top-down or bottom-up dichotomies.
By contrast, we build an all-bottom theory out of molecules (Nyborg 1994). Molecules develop from DNA to body and brain, and thence to the system’s behavior within an environment. Even the environment is defined entirely in terms of molecules in motion, forming complex processes such as
-
Temperature
-
Pressure
Nutrition
Culture
Finally, molecules develop into inter-system behavior, such as love. Love, then, is a special case of interaction between largely similar molecular systems involving hormones, DNA, and reproductive processes.
(b)
Computational biology, which forms part of the Health and Environmental Research thrust, builds on existing strengths that the Laboratory currently has, such as informatics, which is a special focus of our work, analysis, and modeling of biological data and systems, and is synergistic with two core competencies at Los Alamos—Theory, Modeling, and High Performance Computing, and Bioscience, which are mutually complementary.
Answer =>
(b)
Computational biology forms part of the Health and Environmental Research thrust.
Computational biology builds on existing strengths of the Laboratory, such as
- Informatics (a special focus of our work)
- Analysis
- Modeling of biological data and systems.
Computational biology is synergistic with two core competencies at Los Alamos—
- Theory, Modeling, and High Performance Computing
- Bioscience
These competencies are, of course, mutually complementary.
Reflecting on Thoughtlessness
--Robert Osgood
Other ways to make your text easier to understand:
5b. Blow up nominalizations and noun trains.
5c. Watch out for ambiguous phrases a user might have to debate.
5d. Surface the agent and action, so users don't have to guess.
5e. Make a positive statement.
5g. Let users print or save the entire document at once.
Resources on thoughtlessness
Taking a Position on Thoughtlessness
Heuristic Online Text (H. O. T.) Evaluation of Cognitive Burdens
