The mouth is the gateway to our biological system. This view comes from Systems Theory. The theory developed in the 20th century by Ludwig von Bertalanffy, Ralph Gerard, and Anatol Rapoport, among others. The development of technologies like computation and Artificial Intelligence built on it.
Biological systems are role-models for artificial systems
Humans are biological systems. The inspiration for the development of computers came from how we think and work. Therefore, technical systems like computers have certain things in common with us. System theory is based on some key concepts found in everything from mathematical functions to biological ecosystems. They may be useful to know:
- INPUT is what the system consumes
- GOAL is the state a system strives for
- SYSTEM FUNCTION f(x) is to convert the input to output
- RESOURCES is (in addition to input) what enables the system to do a job
- OUTPUT is what the system produces
The mouth is the gateway to our biological system
If humans are biological systems, the mouth is the gateway. This is because the mouth is central to the input. That’s why the brain has a super-track of everything we put in it. The brain deals with the system goals. It receives information from the gut via the vagus nerve. This nerve passes the mouth, as four other main nerves. Otherwise, we can’t determine if our input can be eaten, drunk, or inhale. The brain has much better ability to discern it than we imagine. This is due to five cranial nerves that provide the brain with real-time information about what is happening in the mouth.
Consciousness is not fully aware of the mouth
The work of the nerves is fast and much of this activity takes place under the horizon of consciousness. An explanation is that the human consciousness is a recent evolutionary product. The mouth is much older, about half a billion years. Therefore, we do not really understand what happens when we put something new in the gateway to our system, such as a new chewing thing. Those who have tried JAW PEER experience that brain makes a kind of examination the first time. Given how complicated the brain and mouth feel are, perhaps we should be glad that consciousness lets the system take care of itself.