"turning off your alarm when you wake up (Pavlovian learned behavior), checking for coins in the vending machine change drop (Skinnerian reinforced behavior), gauging the distance between steps so that you don't fall on the stairs (visual perception of the external world),"

Those motor actions definitly require very active and conscious perceptual processes. And the perception processes required for a motor action can never be executed exactly at the same time of another motor action.

I can explain it all to you but I stopped explaining it on paper.

"Conscious" in the sense of "awake," yes. "Conscious" in the sense of "deliberate and intentional," no. Just try talking yourself through all of the steps involved in walking up a flight of stairs -- or don't, because it will lead to an accident. Self-talk is the Narrative Mind (Kahneman's "slow thought"), and that system can't multitask effectively. But it also isn't required for most everyday activities. So I can absolutely walk up the stairs to my office while humming a tune, nodding to people I pass, and thinking about my lesson plan for the day. I think I said in the blog post that you can't do two different things with exactly the same mental system at the same time. My point was just that we have lots of different mental subsystems, all of which do different things without interfering with one another.

Yes, conscious in the sense of deliberate and intentional when "turning off your alarm when you wake up, checking for coins in the vending machine change drop , gauging the distance between steps so that you don't fall on the stairs," and many more motoric actions. You actively create action trajectory shapes which you have to constantly mediate (perception action coupling; cortical streams).

Chapter When putting a glass down we first create a perceptual image...

Chapter GRASPING: Within the grasping of a coffee cup we always firs...

Chapter The explanation of the emergence of the cortical streams - W...

Within walking for example you constantly have to perceive all involved tau-values approaching zero. Which does not mean that you can't hum a song or nod to to people in the meanwhile.

Chapter WALKING - Crossing a stream requires the simultaneous autono...

Book The complete clarification of all functional perception proc...

Book The complete clarification of all functional perception proc...

You will just not be capable of executing any motoric action (eating, grasping, writing, walking, biking, rowing, speaking, etc. etc.) where an egocentric will is formulated without consciousness (in the sense of "deliberate and intentional). Maybe it looks unconscious but the scientific proof shows that you actively perceive the way to the alarm, vending machine, climbing staircases etc. etc..

Conscious Perception of "Nothing" in Action Space

Dear Paul,

Thank you for the enriching discussion. I’d like to further refine the argument regarding Action Trajectory Shape (ATS) and the pivotal role of consciously perceiving "nothingness" in enabling motor actions. The essence of my point lies in the active recognition and evaluation of emptiness—the unobstructed action space that allows us to move and act deliberately.

ATS and the Conscious Perception of "Nothing"

The Action Trajectory Shape (ATS) represents the perceptual model of a latent, unobstructed pathway that connects the starting point of an action to its intended goal. Crucially, this pathway is defined by what is absent—by "nothingness"—which is consciously assessed to ensure the feasibility of any action.

1. Grasping and ATS: When grasping a coffee cup, our perceptual system consciously evaluates the "nothingness" along the pathway to the object:

• Emptiness as a prerequisite: Before initiating movement, the absence of obstructions in action space is assessed. It is this emptiness—the availability of space—that enables action.
• Dynamic perception-action coupling: The brain integrates sensory inputs to construct and adapt the ATS, ensuring it remains viable throughout the action​.

2. Walking and ATS: The same principle applies to larger-scale movements like walking:

• Evaluating empty space: When walking toward a target (e.g., a long jump take-off board, climbing stairs), the entire ATS is consciously pre-visualized in terms of its emptiness.
• If any point along the trajectory lacks the required absence of obstructions, the action is consciously halted​.

Why "Nothingness" Has Been Overlooked

Paradoxically, the very act of perceiving nothingness—this emptiness in the action space—has often gone unrecognized by science and observers alike. By focusing on visible phenomena, the scientific community has largely overlooked that we consciously and deliberately evaluate "nothing" to guide actions.

This failure to see the phenomenon of nothingness has obscured its foundational role in motor actions and cognition. We do not merely react to what we see; we actively and consciously construct a mental model of empty action space to enable every movement.

Limitations of Eye-Tracking-Gear (ETG)

The inability to recognize the conscious perception of "nothingness" also explains why technologies like eye-tracking-gear (ETG) fall short:

• ETG captures visible fixations, not the absence of objects. ATS, by definition, is constructed around the emptiness that defines action space, which ETG cannot detect.
• Internal perceptual modeling remains invisible to ETG. While ETG tracks gaze behavior, it fails to measure the dynamic coupling of sensory inputs that model the ATS.

ATS and Dual Minds

Your insights on the Intuitive and Narrative Minds remain relevant here:

• The Intuitive Mind excels at perceiving and evaluating "nothingness" in real time, dynamically shaping the ATS for movement.
• The Narrative Mind, while secondary in action execution, might analyze or articulate the ATS post-action, yet it relies on the Intuitive Mind’s real-time assessments.

Conclusion

The conscious perception of "nothingness" in action space is the cornerstone of all motor actions. Recognizing this latent but deliberate evaluation shifts our understanding of motor control, perception, and cognition. It also exposes the limitations of current tools like ETG, which are not equipped to detect the active modeling of empty space that defines ATS.

This breakthrough challenges traditional perspectives, emphasizing that our ability to see "nothing" is what enables us to act so successfully in the world. I look forward to your thoughts on this nuanced view of motoric consciousness.

References

Thank you for the additional comments. I did download some of the papers that you recommended last month, but have been sadly behind in my reading! I think that I agree with your comments about perceiving emptiness or nothingness (there is a Japanese term, ma, referring to negative space that may be relevant). I have been reading some lately about the idea of object permanence as an indicator of animal intelligence, and that too seems to rely on a perception of something _not_ being there.

My main initial point was on the dual-minds topic. If we agree that the perception of emptiness is primarily an Intuitive Mind perception, then I think we're back on the same page. Many things in the Intuitive Mind _can_ of course be brought into the Narrative Mind through conscious attention, like paying attention to the location of your tongue in your mouth or the sensation of your feet against the floor through your shoes. Yet these things _usually_ are not in conscious awareness (i.e., not able to be put into language), simply because the Intuitive Mind is dealing with them efficiently without any Narrative-Mind help. I think that the "perception of emptiness" is an interesting insight, and may be another one of those things the Intuitive Mind takes care of for us all the time, without our conscious attention.

Paul

Thank you for your message. I’ll be direct—we do not agree on this topic. While I see the value in discussing the perception of emptiness and its connection to the Intuitive and Narrative Mind, it seems clear that you haven’t fully understood the core of what I’m trying to convey.

The perception of emptiness, as I’m presenting it, is not just about the Intuitive Mind handling things efficiently. It’s part of a much deeper framework tied to how perceptions are actively constructed and interconnected. Without understanding this foundational concept, it’s difficult to have a meaningful discussion on the matter.

Let’s wait until the day you find the time to read anything I’ve shared, as that would provide a stronger basis for this conversation. I’m happy to clarify further when you’ve had the chance to engage with the material.

P.S.: In just 10 minutes of live communication, I could demonstrate how we—yourself included—consciously construct action trajectory shapes. Unfortunately, researchers prefer to spend hours of time persisting in describing complex systems through linear texts, which are inherently limited for conveying such ideas.

Negative Results Eye-tracking gear is solely capable to record the sequence i...

Dear Paul Cook,

I hope you're doing well. I wanted to follow up and see if you’ve had a chance to look at any of the materials I sent. To make it easier for you, I’ve included one article on sequential learning—a commentary on Hayhoe and Land (2001) titled:

"Eye-Tracking Gear Records Sequence Items but Not the Template Between Them: A Commentary on Hayhoe and Land (2001)"

The abstract is very short (only half a page) and precisely captures the scientific breakthrough and my line of thought on the matter.

Looking forward to hearing your insights.