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Nonhuman rationality: a predictive coding perspective.

Tzu-Wei Hung1

  • 1Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica, Taipei City, Taiwan. htw@sinica.edu.tw.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study redefines rationality, proposing that all organisms, including animals and microorganisms, exhibit logical and probabilistic reasoning through active inference. This challenges traditional views and expands our understanding of nonhuman intelligence.

Keywords:
Active inferenceAdaptationMicroorganismPredictive codingRationalityRudimentary logic and probability

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Neuroscience
  • Artificial Intelligence

Background:

  • The concept of rationality is traditionally anthropocentric.
  • Recent studies in animal and artificial intelligence prompt a re-evaluation of nonhuman cognitive capabilities.
  • Existing frameworks may not fully capture the inferential processes in diverse biological systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a revised framework for understanding rationality in nonhuman systems.
  • To investigate whether organisms exhibit rationality in the sense of conforming to logic and probability rules.
  • To explore the implications of active inference for cognitive processes across species.

Main Methods:

  • Reviewing theoretical frameworks on active inference (Calvo & Friston, Orlandi).
  • Applying philosophical analysis of logic and probability (Maddy).
  • Examining empirical data on animal and microbial cognition.

Main Results:

  • All organisms, under specific conditions, demonstrate rationality via inferential processes adhering to logic and probability.
  • Active inference, a top-down process to minimize free energy, underpins these rational capabilities.
  • Rudimentary logic and arithmetic in species like pigeons and mice are explained by this framework.

Conclusions:

  • The mammalian brain is not the sole substrate for rationality; diverse implementations exist.
  • This model extends to microorganisms, suggesting a universal basis for rational thought in biology.
  • Rethinking rationality is crucial for understanding intelligence across biological and artificial systems.