ABSTRACT
In understanding emergent properties of biological systems, we find that symbolic processes emerge from inter-relations of biochemical and neural events. Thus a key to how a simple homeostatic control system works is the idea th.at the desired level, set point or whatever, is really an internal representation of an aspect of the outside world. Purposefulness implies a desired state of the environment, which could exist in the future, but does not exist in the present. In order to avoid absurdities such as having future events causing present events, purposefulness must be accomplished using some symbolic representation of the environment, e.g. a representation of a desired state or goal.
