▁Sr ., ▁in ▁Chicago . ▁ ▁Par s ons ▁came ▁into ▁contact ▁with ▁several ▁prominent ▁intellect uals ▁of ▁the ▁time ▁and ▁was ▁particularly ▁im pressed ▁by ▁the ▁ideas ▁of ▁social ▁insect ▁bi ologist ▁Alfred ▁Em erson . ▁Par s ons ▁was ▁especially ▁comp elled ▁by ▁Em erson ' s ▁idea ▁that , ▁in ▁the ▁soci oc ult ural ▁world , ▁the ▁functional ▁equivalent ▁of ▁the ▁gene ▁was ▁that ▁of ▁the ▁" symbol ". ▁Par s ons ▁also ▁participated ▁in ▁two ▁of ▁the ▁meet ings ▁of ▁the ▁famous ▁M acy ▁Con ferences ▁on ▁systems ▁theory ▁and ▁on ▁issues ▁that ▁are ▁now ▁class ified ▁as ▁cogn itive ▁science , ▁which ▁took ▁place ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁from ▁ 1 9 4 6 ▁to ▁ 1 9 5 3 ▁and ▁included ▁scient ists ▁like ▁John ▁von ▁Ne umann . ▁Par s ons ▁read ▁widely ▁on ▁systems ▁theory ▁at ▁the ▁time , ▁especially ▁works ▁of ▁Nor bert ▁Wiener ▁and ▁William ▁Ross ▁Ash by , ▁who ▁were ▁also ▁among ▁the ▁core ▁participants ▁in ▁the ▁con ferences . ▁Ar ound ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁Par s ons ▁also ▁benef ited ▁from ▁convers ations ▁with ▁political ▁scient ist ▁Karl ▁Deutsch ▁on ▁systems ▁theory . ▁In ▁one ▁conference , ▁the ▁Four th ▁Conference ▁of ▁the ▁problems ▁of ▁conscious ness ▁in ▁March ▁ 1 9 5 3 ▁at ▁Pr inc eton ▁and ▁spons ored ▁by ▁the ▁M acy ▁Foundation , ▁Par s ons ▁would ▁give ▁a ▁presentation ▁on ▁" Cons cious ▁and ▁Symbol ic ▁Process es " ▁and ▁emb ark ▁on ▁an ▁int