A Paradox in Retrograde

by Faherty, John

  It was an unusually clear morning and the offices faced out upon a city that was awash in the colors of dawn. From this aerie vantage out through his tinted plate windows, Robert stared down at it all. On a day such as this, one could see clear across to the far side of town. Aligned there along the grand avenues, he saw this rarified light painting the familiar landmarks in long angular shafts of golden light. Those objects of monumental size and scale captured great swaths of this light, leaving only languid uniform shadows in their wake. Lost, unseen from view within these shadow’s footprints, a sea of humanity toiled anonymously. From this lofty perch, there was little that could be discerned about the lives of those living among these patchworks of cityscape. He however was not inclined to feel the need to, for in this place he would see only the dynamic clock work movements that were the sum of its parts. In this world few single voices could be heard above the din, as myriad souls moved in concert. He like most of his kind from this gained a measure of serenity, a confidence made of conformity.

  Plain and self effacing, Robert Amida was an amiable sort whose reputation often preceded him. As a researcher his work drew him attention he neither asked for nor enjoyed. Ironically his conditioning wouldn’t allow him to see himself as the world saw him. More concerned with the coordinates than values, his mind was uniquely tuned to this burgeoning science of Neuronal Topology. It was here then on 138th floor of the Trans continental building where Robert Amida led the research department for Bio Machine International. BMI had for decades been the world’s leader in artificial intelligence. As a specialist in this field he had been its leading advocate and researcher. It was also here where his experiments aimed to draw back the last curtains from a secret world had taken place. His company now was on the cusp of doing just that. However, though he and his colleagues seemed close to that elusive breakthrough, he had begun to display an uncharacteristic anxiety. Just as these answers drew within his grasp, mounting costs were now threatening to close his projects down. The more he drew closer to his prize, the more distinct his foreseeable failures seemed to loom.

  He stood at the end of a long line of researchers who had long ago thrown society’s fortunes in together with that of technology. In an effort to further civilize the populace the study of the mind had for centuries been in the forefront of scientific research. No stone it would seem was so sacred as to be left unturned. With these efforts the depths of human consciousness had been plumbed and this science had come of age. Since the revolution produced by the rise of Artificial intelligence, great strides had been made in closing the last gaps between what was known and what could not be known about the process of human thought, and in fact consciousness itself. Though brain analogs had been synthesized, spawning a range of technologies, the holy grail of mapping consciousness itself remained elusive. The brain and the mind though wholly dependent upon each other, were as it would be discovered, possessed of such differing natures as to be alien to one another. The truth involving the theoretical region which had once been titled the seat of mind was now known to be far more mysterious than previously thought.

  Not accustomed to hand wringing he surprised himself to learn how anxious he truly was. Again and again he nervously looked down at his watch checking the time. In anticipation of immanent suspension of his program he had reached out to a select group of purse holders who may be sympathetic to his plight. None so far had shown the levels of interest that he had hoped. The opportunities were diminishing by the hour and now his latest potential investor it would seem was late. The sound of his secretary’s voice over the intercom gently startled him from his contemplation. "Dr. Amida your ten o’clock hasarrived. Shall I show him in? "

  Robert answered excitedly into the intercom, "Yes Polly, please do. Thank You. "He brushed off his jacket and adjusted his tie one last time before turning to face the door. He turned just in time to see the door open. There his golden haired secretary Polly entered wearing her usual smile and gestured for the gentleman to enter. Within the cocoon of his office the lights were low, but warm. His guest surveyed the conservatively appointed yet comfortable office. Polly gave Robert a private wink then turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. Standing there before him smiling was a tall and hansom middle aged man of pale complexion. His eyes were dark and his wavy hair showed some signs of having been recently touched up. Though he wore a plain black conservative suit its details belied his more refined origins. A smile turned up the corners of his mouth as a thought ran through Roberts mind, "He smells of money." As he looked into his eyes he sensed that this was no common businessman. His guest reached his hand out to him in greeting and said, "Good day to you sir, Do I have the pleasure of meeting Doctor Robert Amida?"

  "You have." he responded as they heartily shook each others hand. "And you I presume are Doctor Fredrick Jamison? Please have a seat." He gestured towards the opposite end of his corner office. There a well-appointed sitting area, furnished in soft fabric and warmly lit awaited them. "I took the liberty ofordering you a coffee. I hope it meets to your satisfaction."

  "That will do fine, thank you." He said as they both found their seats. Doctor Jamison put his valise down upon the glass top table, sat back and crossed his legs. The solid mahogany door swung open and Polly entered bearing a serving tray with two cups of piping hot coffee, cream and sugar. She laid the teak serving tray out upon the table before them. "Is there anything else I can get for you right now?"

  "No thank you Polly."

  They both watched as she exited the room. As she closed the door behind her, the room went quiet. For an uncomfortable minute both of them sat stirring their coffee in the odd silence waiting for the other to speak. After a moment Robert broke the silence. Playing coy he asked, "So Doctor Jamison, I’d like to thank you for coming on such short notice. I have a proposal if you would like to hear it?"

  "Please call me Fred. All my friends call me Fred." "Alright Fred, Please forgive me if what you are about to hear seems unorthodox. I assure you however that the offer that I am presenting to you is a serious one."

  Jamison once again hesitated and after an additional uncomfortable moment, then spoke. "To that I have no doubt. However if you wouldn’t mind forgoing at least for now with the presentation for I have one of my own that may suit both of our needs."

  Robert was intrigued by this sudden turn of events and so conceded. "By all means proceed." "Very well, as you are well aware, I am the director of the medical psychiatric research center at New Manhattan hospital. As such I ordinarily would have had no need to cross paths with you professionally. This has nothing of course to do with any lack of respect in your field. I need not stress I fear the differences between our two fields could not now be greater than at any other point. Until recently I had no reason todoubt this long held prejudice. That was until I read your recent research. I hope I am representing this correctly. In your paper you describe a novel method of accurately measuring the quantum displacement of a standard memory unit. "

  "Measuring is probably an incorrect term for predicting entanglement. But I do understand what you’re getting at. Let me try to restate it for you. Now for each neuronal connection there is a corresponding electrical charge that fires off and on as called on by the brain to do so. This pattern for lack of a better example is the fire of consciousness. As you know there has never been an adequate method to measure such things. The research required us then to look at it with a new set of eyes. It was then that we looked to the science of quantum fields for answers. The brain works like all things in nature do in that for each quantum of energy produced there, there is a superposition where in, it exists partly in all of its theoretical states simultaneously. We are using new tools have been successful for the first time in qualifying the existence of a quantum field of the mind external to the brain. It is believed that this weakly interactive field is generated firstly in the biological brains of animals. There somewhere in the ether its entangled counterparts hang invisi
bly. However as far as we can tell, it is the sentient consciousness of the human mind that alone out of all the world’s creatures exists in such a fashion."

  "You speak of new tools, is it too early in the process to divulge such secrets?" "Well the answer is yes and no. There are pending patent issues. So for now I can speak on these things only as they relate to the published material. As a courtesy to you I will indulge your questions as well as I am able. As far as the tools and their methodologies, I am not at liberty to discuss. As you may note that the name of the process gives much away about the nature of the technology. This however has already been published. The name is a long one but as you will see, it does well at describing itself. The Crystalline Magnetic Resonance for Neuronal Topology is the process through which those faint echoes of the minds corresponding external quantum states are for lack of a better word, mapped. In theory this should not be possible. As you know only a single quantum state can be measured. We have for centuries known however that for any event a multitude does exist unseen. A magnetic field analyzer by use of a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence is made to qualifying in form of all the potential entangled states to a given event. These patterns are then rendered into a localized stasis field. Once the signal form is isolated there within a crystalline lattice, it is then stabilized within by use of harmonic resonance amplification. Then by fine tuning the signal to its specific resonance we have been able to preserve indefinitely many such examples. We have over the course of many months’ replicated many of these patterns. In time without really knowing it we were simulating a conscious human neuronal signal form patterned after a specific subject. While these signal forms remain in stasis their quantum state has yet to be determined. For this it must be observed."

  Robert was pleased that his guest was still paying attention. He was surprised when he asked the question, "How so?" "Well it’s elementary actually. Because these fields are in entangled states, it is only when these signals are accessed by the subject are these states manifest. This wrinkle however is a cause for concern due to the nature of scientific peer review. Beyond graphical representation of the specific forms it is proving difficult to measure them in a meaningful non abstract way. Without this I fear this technology may remain merely a curiosity."

  "Excuse me, not to interrupt but I must say something. I am not a physicist, so I am having some bit of trouble with the more ethereal aspects. But does this state not in factconform to the laws of physics? Should it not be expected that only the most abstracted evidence could be measurable? Perhaps those who review this research do not quite understand its implications? I mean no disrespect when I say this. But beyond this technology’s cache have there been any practical applications put forth subsequent to this research? "

  "Now you’ve hit the nail right on the head. You see the position

  I’m in. I’m a scientist not a businessman. It doesn’t work like a computer. Beyond the pure theoretical physics involved and the obvious philosophical ramifications there is little in the way of what you would call a marketable use in it. This project has cost a kings ransom. However the project no longer enjoys the same enthusiasm of its backers that it once had. Virtually every day my books are examined. We experiencing frequent shortfalls and auditors are asking me to be accountable for expenditures. I fear my funding streams may soon run dry."

  "That is of course why I’ve come to see you."

  "How do you mean?"

  "Robert, after carefully studying your research I have come to a conclusion that may be beneficial to us both. Have you envisioned the potential therapeutic uses for such a technology?"

  "Well no not exactly but I’m listening." "Just imagine for a moment the thousands of patients who each year must struggle with little hope against the ravages of those mental illnesses that are not easily treatable with modern medicine. Yes medicine has advanced leaps and bounds from the dark ages of its infancy. There are those few however who never respond to any treatment. I can imagine by the use of such technology that great advances could be achieved in our lifetimes. Such a breakthrough in medicine that resulted directly from use of this technology would of course have the potential to end once and for all any fiscal problems related to this project. I suppose I should also be clear in that I or my organization have nodesire to control your research or your company. I wish only throughthis partnership to advance this technology’s utilization."

  "You of course have imagined such ideas. And it is a bold notion, though as I speak I have not imagined such. And astime grows short forgive me for sounding desperate. It goes then without saying that I am not opposed to hearing any suggestions. And though I am not opposed in principle to such an idea I do however have my reservations. Have you for example examined the potential risk to those patients? To my knowledge there has never I imagine, ever been anything quite like this used by any branch of medicine."

  "This is true there are obstacles yet to overcome. These however are for me to be concerned with. The Hospital of course would absorb any and all liability; this much I can guarantee. If it is at all possible after such assurances are agreed upon and you are amenable I should like to get to work as soon as possible. I hope this does not seem too presumptuous. To make this more interesting and real, I have already chosen a subject. You may remember from the headlines several years back, a young man who went on a rampage. Before he was captured several people including his wife were killed. He has been in a persistent state of catatonia ever since. Despite all methods adequate treatment has remained elusive."

  "This patient what is his name?"

  "You may remember him. His name is Hector Ananda."

  "Vaguely I do remember." Jamison stood from his seat and walked across the room to his data monitor. "May I?" "Of course you may use what ever you need."

  Speaking deliberately he queried the computer. "Search the name, Hector Ananda." Robert watched, as in an Instant the screen came alive with thousands of catalogued documents images and other various files. "It would seem there is much here to review.If it is at all possible I should like to do some research of my own on Mr. Ananda. But I must say I am intrigued by this. Give me a day and I shall give you my decision."

  Jamison stood and extended his hand to him. They grasped each others hand and exchanged pleasantries, then agreed to talk later. Robert spoke into the intercom and summoned Polly. "Polly would you please show Mr. Jamison the way out." He turned to retrieve his valise and as he returned handed it to Robert. "Within this valise I have prepared a dossier on Mr. Ananda. In it you should find the answers you’re looking for." An instant later Polly came into the room. "Thank you again for taking the time to hear me out." and with a gesture she showed him to the door.

  Robert thought that Jamison’s plan was dubious at best. Though with few alternatives he had to consider that after all was said and done he may be forced to partner with someone not of his own choosing. This plan after all he thought just may work. Such is the nature of genius that he would claim he had known it would work all along. Determined now to give the proposal proper consideration, he set him self to learn what he could about Jamison and his patient. He sat down behind his mahogany desk and began examining the leather valise that had been given to him. He undid the snap and removed the manila folder. He laid its contents out onto the desk. There before him were a collection of documents and images all seemingly connected to the same case. He then began to carefully examine each of the items. One item in particular caught his attention. He held it up against the light and discovered there a watermark for the New Manhattan Psychiatric Hospital. He ran his thumb and forefinger along the raised letter head confirming its authenticity. The letter was addressed to Mr. Jamison, listing him as the director of research at the hospital. The letter was penned by the state psychologist in Mr. Ananda’s sentencing hearing. He had been hired as a legal consultant on the case and had sent this as a copy to Jamison. He read the letters and from what he could see untrained eye was that it wa
s plain to see that Ananda was truly disturbed if not completely insane. He read how one day he had come home from work possessed by the notion that his family was replaced by replicates. The notes compiled by the state psychologist red as follows, "In my professional opinion Mr. Ananda suffers from a condition known as Capgras Delusion, or Capgras syndrome. It is a state in which the afflicted suffers under a strange set of delusions. Included among these delusions is the strongly held belief that close relatives such as wives, husbands and children have been surreptitiously replaced by uncanny impersonators. Other common delusions are a sense in the warping of spacetime or the travel to other dimensions similar yet subtly different from their own. The patient sometimes may even think themselves to be his own double. These delusions are often secondary to other dysfunction of the brain such as schizophrenia or injury. In the case of Mr. Ananda until that point he had not been previously diagnosed with any type of mental illness. It was however reported that on the day in question had been involved in a bizarre accident at work. He filed with his employers an incident report in which he states that, “something had fallen from the sky and had struck him on the head.” Witness at his job site had reported no evidence of any such event having happened. Interestingly however the patient was taken to the emergency room at the local hospital where he was found to be suffering from symptoms of concussion. He was admitted for treatment and was discharged the following day in stable condition. When he returned home he called the emergency hotline to report that his family had been attacked by an imposter of himself. Upon arrival at the scene the evidence clearly indicated Mr. Ananda and the police promptly arrested him. Upon his arrival at the NMPH he was placed in a high security wing. During his stay he claimed repeatedly his innocence. Upon hearing news of his families subsequent deaths he had fallen into a catatonic state to which no treatment has proven successful. To this point his delusion is consistent in that he denies having anything to do with the crime. During rare moments of lucidity he often expresses deep anger and resentment. At this time it is in the opinion of this physician then that the patient is not of sound mind and is unfit to defend himself in a court of law. Therefore he can not be held accountable for his actions at this time. It is also in my opinion that the patient should be remanded to the New Manhattan Psychiatric hospital. There for the foreseeable future Mr. Ananda due to the violent nature of his crime and the ongoing delusion state should remain on his current therapeutic regimen until such a time as an effective treatment can be made available."