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Imposed intelligibility and strong claims concerning cognitive systems.
1Psychology Department, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5341 rlachman@uh.edu.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|February 5, 2008
Summary
The computational hypothesis, considering its limits, aligns with intelligibility doctrines. Dynamical systems theory is not a valid explanation for cognitive agents, but a useful framework for understanding natural systems.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Science
- Cognitive Science
- Theoretical Biology
Background:
- Scientific theories impose human frameworks onto natural phenomena.
- The computational hypothesis is examined within the context of these imposed intelligibility doctrines.
- The nature of scientific explanation and its relationship to natural systems are key considerations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the tenability of the claim that cognitive agents are dynamical systems.
- To analyze the role of dynamical formalisms in scientific explanation.
- To clarify the relationship between imposed theoretical frameworks and natural systems.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of the computational hypothesis.
- Critique of the application of dynamical systems theory to cognitive agents.
- Examination of the explanatory power of formalisms in science.
Main Results:
- The claim that cognitive agents are dynamical systems is deemed untenable.
- Dynamical formalisms, when applied to natural systems, offer an approximate fit.
- These formalisms function as explanatory frameworks, enhancing predictability and intelligibility.
Conclusions:
- The computational hypothesis, when acknowledging its limitations, is consistent with intelligibility doctrines.
- Dynamical systems theory is not an inherent property of cognitive agents but a tool for understanding.
- The imposition of formalisms provides a valuable, albeit approximate, means of explaining and predicting natural systems.
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