Agency

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience
• Systems Theory

Background:

• Traditional views struggle to reconcile deterministic processes with volitional agency.
• Agency is defined as goal-directed action selected by an agent.
• A deterministic worldview limits the scope for genuine agency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reconcile deterministic and volitional aspects of agency.
• To propose a hierarchical model of control systems for action.
• To explain the emergence of free will and determinism.

Main Methods:

• Representing action as nested control systems, from deterministic to volitional.
• Utilizing negative feedback to minimize goal deviations.
• Incorporating positive feedback for attention and self-organization of action plans.
• Modeling the Self as the brain's model of the agent, simulating action plans consciously.

Main Results:

• Hierarchical systems explain goal determination, from reflexes to operant responses.
• Habitual actions become automatic (closed teleonomic systems).
• Emotional states and contextual changes can re-engage volitional control.
• Conscious simulation of action plans provides hedonic value.
• The Self, a colloquy of modules, simulates action plans for decision-making.

Conclusions:

• Free will and determinism exist on a spectrum modulated by system inputs.
• Agency is understood as a spectrum of control systems, not a binary.
• This framework aligns with Grossberg's Adaptive Resonance Theory.