ABOULANGER@G.BBN.COM (Albert Boulanger) (11/06/87)
Pat Hayes puts forth the view that the symbolic computational model of the mind can bridge the gap between science and a humanistic outlook. I see a FURTHER exciting bridge being built that is actually more pervasive that just models of the mind. Why should the physicist model of the mind be any different than what one does when building models that use symbolic representations? The answer to this question being "NO!" is becoming clear. There is a profound change happening in the natural sciences; we are accepting non-linear phenomena for what it is. Amazing behavior occurs with non-linear dynamical systems. Behavior that is changing the way one views the world as simple rules with followable outcomes. We know know that we can have simple rules with amazingly complex behavior. Deterministic randomness sounds contradictory at first, but is a concept that non-linear phenomena is forcing us to accept. The manifold emergent phenomena in non-linear systems, including self-organization, is a humbling experience. It is the setting where we can see emergent symbolic representations. This should not be too surprising, since we build computers to host computational models of the mind using symbolic representations with a very restrictive class of non-linear switching circuits. Albert Boulanger BBN Labs -------