![]() ![]() But at base, their operation is the same. Obviously, the myriad feedback mechanisms that govern the brain are far more complex than any thermostat. It is a mental state that is invisible and ineffable, yet a natural phenomenon that is perfectly comprehensible.Īnd so it is in the mind, Wiener and his colleagues contended. ![]() ![]() And yet there is nothing you can point to and say, "Here it is-this is the psychological state called purpose." Rather, purpose in the thermostat is a property of the system as a whole and how its components are organized. It definitely embodies a purpose: to keep the room at a constant temperature. But more than that, it does indeed claim to bridge that ancient gulf between body and mind-between ordinary, passive matter and active, purposeful spirit. It arguably marks the beginning of what are now known as artificial intelligence and cognitive science: the study of mind and brain as information processors. ![]() “Through feedback, said Wiener, Bigelow, and Rosenblueth, a mechanism could embody purpose.Įven today, more than half a century later, that assertion still has the power to fascinate and disturb. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |