Author: Bob Durrett
Date: 10:58:49 02/02/04
Go up one level in this thread
On February 02, 2004 at 13:46:35, Eric Baum wrote: >New Book: > >What is Thought? >Eric B. Baum > >MIT Press 478p > >*What is Thought?* proposes a model that explains how mind is equivalent >to execution of an computer program, addressing aspects such as >understanding, meaning, creativity, language, reasoning, learning, and >consciousness, that is consistent with extensive data >from a variety of fields, and that makes empirical predictions. >Meaning is the computational exploitation of the compact >underlying structure of the world, and mind is execution of an evolved >program that is all about meaning. Occam's Razor, as formalized >in the recent computer science literature, is explained and >extrapolated to argue that meaning results from evolving a compact >enough program behaving effectively in the world; such a program >can only be compact by virtue of code reuse, factoring into >interacting modules that capture real concepts and are reused >metaphorically. For a variety of reasons, including arguments based >on complexity theory, developmental biology, evolutionary programming, >ethology, and simple inspection, this compact Occam program >is most naturally seen to be in the DNA, rather than the brain. >Learning and reasoning are then fast and almost automatic >because they are constrained by the DNA programming >to deal only with meaningful quantities. Evolution itself is argued >to exploit meaning in related ways and thus to speed itself up in ways >analogous to how it speeds our learning and reasoning. > >An important part of this exposition is to describe how understanding >is equivalent to exploiting underlying structure of problems. >The games of CHESS and GO, for example, have huge state spaces -- >there are many possible arrangements of the pieces -- yet are defined >by relatively compact sets of rules, giving them structure. To gain >insight into such questions, *What is Thought?* discusses the approaches >of computer science programs (such as Deep Blue and more recent chess >programs based on search and evaluate), artificial intelligence programs >(such as PARADISE for chess and the expert system approach to Go), >as well as the thought processes of humans and the computations of >evolved programs on a variety of problems. New techniques for >evolutionary computing are described and shown to result in surprising, >human like performance on problems such as Rubik's cube and >some planning problems that foil AI approaches yet have >human-exploitable structure. > >The origin and nature of language is discussed within the context >of this picture. Why it took so long for evolution to produce language >is discussed. Words are seen as labels for meaningful >computational modules. Using the abilility to pass along programs >through speech, humans have made cumulative progress in constructing, >as part of their minds, useful computational modules built on top of >the ones supplied by evolution. The difference between human and chimp >intelligence is largely in this additional programming, and thus can >be regarded as due to better nurturing. > >The many aspects of consciousness >are also naturally and consistently understood in this >context. For example, although the brain is a distributed >system and the mind is a complex program composed of many >modules, the unitary self emerges naturally >as a reification (manifestation) of the interest of the genes. >Qualia (the sense of experience of sensations such as pain >or redness) have exactly the appropriate nature and meaning that >evolution coded in the DNA so that the compact program behaves >effectively. > >No previous familiarity with computer science (or other fields) >is assumed-- *What is Thought?* presents a pedagogical >survey of the relevant background for its arguments. > >----------------------------------------------- >Best price right now is at Barnesandnoble.com (BN.com) $32, with free shipping. > >To buy this book: >Barnes and Noble.com: >http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=2WI405VPJU&isbn=0262025485&itm=17 > >Amazon: >http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0262025485/qid=1074532277/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-6265544-0286451?v=glance&s=books > >MIT Press: >http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?sid=AF8A6531-E5E9-4710-A781-CA47C6B64621&ttype=2&tid=9978 > > >--------------------------------------- >>From the back cover: > >"This book is the deepest, and at the same time the most commonsensical, >approach to the problem of mind and thought that I have read. The approach >is from the point of view of computer science, yet Baum has no illusions >about the progress which has been made within that field. He presents the >many technical advances which have been made -- the book will be enormously >useful for this aspect alone -- but refuses to play down their glaring >inadequacies. He also presents a road map for getting further and makes the >case that many of the apparently 'deep' philosophical problems such as free >will may simply evaporate when one gets closer to real understanding." >--Philip W. Anderson, Joseph Henry Professor of Physics, Princeton >University, 1977 Nobel Laureate in Physics > >"Eric Baum's book is a remarkable achievement. He presents a novel thesis >-- that the mind is a program whose components are semantically meaningful >modules -- and explores it with a rich array of evidence drawn from a >variety of fields. Baum's argument depends on much of the intellectual core >of computer science, and as a result the book can also serve as a short >course in computer science for non-specialists. To top it off, *What is >Thought?* is beautifully written and will be at least as clear and >accessible to the intelligent lay public as *Scientific American*." >--David Waltz, Director, Center for Computational Learning Systems, >Columbia University > >"What's great about this book is the detailed way in which Baum shows the >explanatory power of a few ideas, such as compression of information, the >mind and DNA as computer programs, and various concepts in computer science >and learning theory such as simplicity, recursion, and position evaluation. >*What is Thought?* is a terrific book, and I hope it gets the wide >readership it deserves." >--Gilbert Harman, Department of Philosophy, Princeton University > >"There is no problem more important, or more daunting, than discovering the >structure and processes behind human thought. *What is Thought?* is an >important step towards finding the answer. A concise summary of the >progress and pitfalls to date gives the reader the context necessary to >appreciate Baum's important insights into the nature of cognition." >--Nathan Myhrvold, Managing Director, Intellectual Ventures, and former >Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft Sounds like a dissertation! Hope author knows what he is talking about, or at least has some good ideas. Someone would have to be a truly dedicated reader to want to read something that big. There are many theoreticians out there. Has the author ever created a chess-playing program? Bob D.
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