Minds, Machines and EvolutionChristopher Hookway This is a volume of original essays written by philosophers and scientists and dealing with philosophical questions arising from work in evolutionary biology and artificial intelligence. In recent years both of these areas have been the focus for attempts to provide a scientific, model of a wide range of human capacities - most prominently perhaps in sociobiology and cognitive psychology. The book therefore examines a number of issues related to the search for a 'naturalistic' or scientific account of human experience and behaviour. Some of the essays deal with the application of such models to particular behaviour, stressing the problems raised by consciousness, and the information to be derived from the differing capacities of animals and people; others consider more general questions about the logic of the explanations provided by these kinds of approach. The volume continues the informal series stemming from meetings sponsored by the Thyssen Foundation. |
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allele animal argued argument Artificial Intelligence behaviour beliefs biological brain causal ceteris paribus chimps claim cognitive wheels communication complex computational concept consciousness covering-law Darwin Dennett discussion disposition distinction empirical enological epistemology evidence evolution evolutionary evolutionary game theory evolve example explanations fact fallibilism frame problem frequency function gene genetic genic selection genotypes grammar group selection historical entities historical narratives Homo sapiens human hypotheses idea individual inference intentional interpretation kin selection knowledge laws of nature linguistic logic machine meaning Minsky module Montague grammar natural kinds natural language natural selection notion objects organisms paper particular Peirce perception phenomenology philosophical physical population possible principle processes psychological question Quine reality reason reciprocal altruism representation robot scientific semantic sense sentences simply Sloman sort species strategy structure suggests syntactic t-allele theoretical theory things tion translation Ullman unit of selection visual