Mechanistic and ecological explanations in agent-based models of cognition
Mechanistic and ecological explanations in agent-based models of cognition
We argue that two styles of explanation — mechanistic and ecological — are needed in accounting for the behaviour of synthetic agents. An emphasis on mechanistic explanation in some current ALife models is identified, and parallels are drawn with issues in the philosophy of mind literature. We conclude that ecological or agent-level explanation does not come with representational baggage, and that mechanistic explanations cannot stand alone.
528-533
Noble, J.
440f07ba-dbb8-4d66-b969-36cde4e3b764
de Pinedo, M.
e2540408-2fcb-4ac4-9835-6c1948325759
2004
Noble, J.
440f07ba-dbb8-4d66-b969-36cde4e3b764
de Pinedo, M.
e2540408-2fcb-4ac4-9835-6c1948325759
Noble, J. and de Pinedo, M.
(2004)
Mechanistic and ecological explanations in agent-based models of cognition.
Pollack, J., Bedau, M. A., Husbands, P., Ikegami, T. and Watson, R. A.
(eds.)
In Artificial Life IX: Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Artificial Life.
MIT Press.
.
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Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
We argue that two styles of explanation — mechanistic and ecological — are needed in accounting for the behaviour of synthetic agents. An emphasis on mechanistic explanation in some current ALife models is identified, and parallels are drawn with issues in the philosophy of mind literature. We conclude that ecological or agent-level explanation does not come with representational baggage, and that mechanistic explanations cannot stand alone.
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aLifeExplanations.pdf
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Published date: 2004
Organisations:
Agents, Interactions & Complexity
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 265244
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/265244
PURE UUID: a6acaa40-59ee-46b0-b2c6-f9f7ee56ffc8
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Date deposited: 29 Feb 2008 18:55
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 08:05
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Contributors
Author:
J. Noble
Author:
M. de Pinedo
Editor:
J. Pollack
Editor:
M. A. Bedau
Editor:
P. Husbands
Editor:
T. Ikegami
Editor:
R. A. Watson
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