> Of course, most of the limitations of NN can be avoid by generalizing > the concept to such a level. However, at the same time, such a general > notion does not support the claims of advantages of NN, either. How > can someone argue that this concept can compete with the classical > symbolic model of cognition? Can semantic network be counted as a kind > of neural network? Once again, when the extension of a concept gets > larger and larger, its intension gets smaller and smaller.
The way I think about it, a neural net is a dynamical system composed of connected components that roughly model neurons. The system's dynamics have got to take place via equations that update the quantitative parameters of the simulated neurons and synapses, and the system's interface with the outside world has got to take place via input and output neurons receiving "raw perceptual stimuli" and outputting "raw actuator controls." Of course, there are some NN architectures that don't fulfill this definition, but IMO they are cheating and are just "NN-ish"... If an NN architecture like this creates an internal "semantic network" via self-organization, that's fine. Also, if you understood the dynamics of the NN well enough to explicitly encode knowledge in the NN in a way that worked effectively within its neuronlike dynamics, that would still be within the NN paradigm. Typical semantic network architectures are not based on closely neuronlike components, so they don't qualify as NN's in my view. I believe that probabilistic logic operations can be boiled down to NN operations in some way, and I've posted some partial ideas in this regard before (Google "Hebbian Logic"), but this line of reasoning has not been effectively completed by me or anyone else yet, and IMO until one has either a) theoretically understood how uncertain logic is grounded in NN's, or b) figured out how the brain represents and manipulates complex knowledge then as I said I think NN-based AGI is a non-starter. -- Ben -- Ben ------- To unsubscribe, change your address, or temporarily deactivate your subscription, please go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
