Great read. Such an awesome concept to consider, I wish that I had had a greater appreciation for the relationship between neuro and computer science when I was in school, but perhaps I'll still find a way to pivot toward the industry down the line.
I am very glad that you brought up your support of enactivism, Cartesian duality and representationalism still have strong holds in the public understanding of the cognition and I find that in my current role, updating conceptions of conciousness never really benefits any of my geriatric folks that are just trying to find ways to heal. But as a neuroscientist that also studies philosophy, I am fascinated by the discussions surrounding free will and enactivism.
Thanks! I guess some of the outdated cartesian stuff might still be useful. For instance if a schizophrenic patient starts blaming themself for the condition, I could imagine it may feel relieving to think Ow its just my brain thats causing me to hallucinate. But for geriatrics I think embodiment is also relevent: a healthy body creates a healthy mind. One of my Professors loves the idea the the quadriceps-corticospinaltract-prefrontal circuit increases executive functions. So never stop riding the bike or going up and down some stairs .
I personally have demonstrated some weakness in my own executive functioning and while mindfulness has been hands down my best practice, I love hiking in the woods...perhaps I should look into a trail bike for switching up my daily brain workout haha