K.
On 4/26/05 8:05 PM, "Francis Heylighen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Please distribute...
You are hereby invited to our twelfth "Evolution, Complexity and Cognition (ECCO)" <http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ECCO/> seminar of 2005:
The primacy of context:
Framing the rational information handling process of active externalism
by
Mixel Kiemen <http://www.mixel.be/>
(ECCO, VUB)
Place: room 3C204 (building C, 3rd floor), VUB campus Oefenplein
Time: Friday, April 29, at 17:30 h.
Abstract:
In the philosophy of mind a compromise has been found between externalism and individualism: active externalism, better known as the extended mind. We propose an agent model with such an extended mind. The simulation is about an agent learning to make tools, as an investigation of the evolution of innovation or creativity . From a biological naturalism and anthropology background we came up with the capability of "external context creation" (used to engineer the behaviour). Although our design starts with the assumption that an agent always is in a context, we show that the context is evolving and needs to be redefined from time to time. In this way it is possible to define the primacy of context, giving us more insight into constructivism and the process of creativity. The design helps us to explain the concrete psychological phenomenon of "change blindness", while raising interesting questions about the interaction between creativity, presence and awareness. While creativity seems to require some kind of awareness, what happens in the model is clearly different from the awareness we subjectively experience. As such the main question of our current research is: can this model give us an insight into awareness?
More info:
extended mind: http://consc.net/papers/extended.html
biological naturalism: http://www.arrod.co.uk/essays/biological-naturalism.php
strong AI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_AI
change blindness: http://nivea.psycho.univ-paris5.fr/
ECCO seminar programme <http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ECCO/> coming weeks
6 May: Julien Libbrecht: Application of cybernetic principles to the organization of health care
13 May: Johan Bollen: Self-organization of Document Networks
20 May: Laetitia De Jaegher: Towards sustainable development: the precautionary principle as a call for a new theory of law to support multi-dimensional governance
27 May: Lito Kyritsi: Systems Modelling of Cancer
3 Jun: Gerard Jagers op Akkerhuis: Closure and the modular evolution of matter
ECCO seminars normally take place each Friday at 17h30 in room 3C204 of the VUB Campus Etterbeek. Everyone interested is welcome. The seminars are very interactive, with small groups (about 8-10 people). The intention is to discuss in depth the research being proposed, and to look for interdisciplinary connections with other ECCO-related themes. Seminars last about two hours, after which the remaining participants go to take a drink or a snack in the Opinio Café on the campus, to continue the discussion in a more relaxed setting.
--
Francis Heylighen
Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group
Free University of Brussels
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html
