[Verse 1] Your cortex builds a model of the world outside Predicting what comes next before the data arrives Rao and Ballard showed us how the system flows Error signals climb while predictions descend below Each layer tells the next what it expects to see Hierarchical coding sets the neurons free [Chorus] Minimize the free energy, that's the brain's design Bayesian inference running down the line Markov blankets draw the borders of your mind Active inference makes predictions align The generative model climbs from low to high Friston's principle tells us why we try [Verse 2] Karl Friston mapped the mathematics of thought Free energy must fall or chaos will be wrought Variational calculus describes the neural dance Every spike and signal follows Bayes' advance The brain's a betting system making constant wagers Updating prior beliefs like biological sages [Chorus] Minimize the free energy, that's the brain's design Bayesian inference running down the line Markov blankets draw the borders of your mind Active inference makes predictions align The generative model climbs from low to high Friston's principle tells us why we try [Bridge] Action isn't separate from the things we perceive We move to make our models match what we believe Top-down meets bottom-up in cortical layers Consciousness emerges from predictive players The boundary that separates you from the rest Is where your Markov blanket puts you to the test [Verse 3] Hierarchical cascades from visual cortex peak Primary areas whisper what the higher levels seek Generative models paint reality's face While error neurons keep predictions in their place The Bayesian brain hypothesis stakes its claim That probability theory runs the neural game [Verse 4] Dopamine signals when predictions go astray Surprise becomes the teacher showing us the way Precision-weighted errors tune the learning rate As neural networks calibrate and modulate their state From autism to psychosis, when the models break The free energy principle shows what's at stake [Chorus] Minimize the free energy, that's the brain's design Bayesian inference running down the line Markov blankets draw the borders of your mind Active inference makes predictions align The generative model climbs from low to high Friston's principle tells us why we try [Outro] From molecules to consciousness the pattern's clear Prediction engines built through evolution's years The rabbit hole of mind goes deeper than we know Where mathematics meets the self's eternal glow
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