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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able action animal appears argued argument behaviour beliefs brain cause certain claim cognitive communication complex computational concept concerned consciousness consider context course described discussion distinction effect evidence evolution evolutionary evolutionary game theory evolve example exist experience explanations express fact fitness force frame function gene given historical entities human idea important individual inference intelligent intentional interpretation involved knowledge language laws learning least linguistic logic machine matter meaning mechanisms natural kinds natural selection objects organisms origin particular perception perform perhaps philosophical physical population possible present principle problem processes produce psychological question reality reason reference represent representation require result scientific selection sense sentences simply single sort species structure suggests suppose theory things thought translation true types understanding University visual whole