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Design for a Darwinian Brain: Part 1. Philosophy and Neuroscience

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Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems (Living Machines 2013)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 8064))

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Abstract

Fodor and Pylyshyn in their 1988 paper denounced the claims of the connectionists, claims that continue to percolate through neuroscience. In they proposed that a physical symbol system was necessary for open-ended cognition. What is a physical symbol system, and how can one be implemented in the brain? A way to understand them is by comparison of thought to chemistry. Both have systematicity, productivity and compositionality, elements lacking in most computational neuroscience models. To remedy this woeful situation, I examine cognitive architectures capable of open-ended cognition, and think how to implement them in a neuronal substrate. I motivate a cognitive architecture that evolves physical symbol systems in the brain. In Part 2 of this paper pair develops this architecture and proposes a possible neuronal implementation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, UK

    Chrisantha Fernando

Authors
  1. Chrisantha Fernando
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Sheffield, UK

    Nathan F. Lepora  & Tony J. Prescott  & 

  2. University of Pompeau Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

    Anna Mura

  3. Imperial College, London, UK

    Holger G. Krapp

  4. Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, University of Pompeau Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

    Paul F. M. J. Verschure

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Fernando, C. (2013). Design for a Darwinian Brain: Part 1. Philosophy and Neuroscience. In: Lepora, N.F., Mura, A., Krapp, H.G., Verschure, P.F.M.J., Prescott, T.J. (eds) Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Living Machines 2013. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 8064. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39802-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39802-5_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-39801-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-39802-5

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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