My comment stemmed from my experience as a professional cognitive
scientist. Please don't pull this kind of stunt.
Mike Tintner wrote:
Richard,
Welcome to the Virtual Home for
the NCSU Cognitive Science Program!
Cognitive Science is an exciting area of interdisciplinary research that
seeks to understand what is arguably the final mystery within the
universe -- the nature and evolution of mind. Cognitive Science programs
exist across the globe, typically represented by a broad range of
faculty who specialize in areas like Psychology and Neuroscience,
Linguistics and Psycholinguistics, Computer Science and Robotics, as
well as Logic and the Philosophy of Mind. This interdisciplinary
perspective is necessary, since contemporary theories of mind
incorporate ideas from several disciplines. Thus the mind is usefully
modeled as a rational agent, a logical system, a computer, a
psycholinguistic device, and a brain whose psychological functions
evolved naturally over time. Accordingly, North Carolina State
University has its own Cognitive Science Program, administered by the
Department of Philosophy & Religion, and supported by a strong faculty
drawn from the fields of Psychology, Neurobiology, Computer Science,
Linguistics, and Philosophy.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Loosemore" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2007 9:09 PM
Subject: Re: [agi] The Advantages of a Conscious Mind
Mike Tintner wrote:
Cognitive science treats humans as thinking like computers -
rationally, if boundedly rationally.
Which part of cognitive science treats humans as thinking
irrationally, as I have described ? (There may be some
misunderstandings here which hve to be ironed out, but I don't think
my claim at all outrageous or less than obvious).
All the social sciences treat humans as thinking rationally. It is
notorious that this doesn't fit the reality - especially for example
in economics. But the basic attitude is: well, it's the best model
we've got.
It is hard to argue with you when you make statements that so
flagrantly contradict the facts: pick up a textbook of cognitive
psychology (my favorite is Eysenck and Keane, but you can try John
Anderson...) and you will find some chapters that specifically discuss
the experimental evidence for the fact that humans do not generally
think in "rational" ways. They study the irrationality, so how could
they possibly assume that humans are rational like computers? These
people would not for one minute go along with your statement that they
"assume" that humans think like computers.
That term "rational" is crucial. I am using it the way everyone in
cognitive science uses it.
Which part of cognitive science treats humans as thinking
irrationally? Egads: all of it!
Richard Loosemore.
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