What Is Memory that It May Have Hindsight and Foresight as well? - Understanding Understanding: Essays on Cybernetics and Cognition - page 114

FIGURE 4. Computation of “depth” by resolving a sensory paradox in binocular
vision. (A) Networks computing the relation “x is left of y”; (B) Networks com-
puting the relation “x is behind y”.

behind b” is now established. Note, however, that this resolution could
never have been obtained without reference to the animal's own left and
right eye. Consequently, the relation B(a,b) too must carry a subscript B S ,
to indicate reference to “self” or to indicate the system's geometrical rela-
tion to objects of the outside world. This becomes particularly transparent
if one lets the binocular system encircle the two fixed objects. In this case
the arguments in the relation B(a,b) begin to rotate

( ) Bb,a

S

()
()

()
()

a
b

b
a

a

B B

S S

( ) Ba,b

S

mirroring the relativity of the relation “Behind”. (Absence of a detectable
difference in the two L computers I ha v e symbolized by writing the

() ()

a
()

b
() arguments of B in a vertical column or .

b a