[Fis] New Perspectives. Reply to Bruno's Reply to Stan

Loet Leydesdorff loet at leydesdorff.net
Fri Jun 14 06:56:37 CEST 2019


Dear colleagues,

We should keep in mind, in my opinion, that "natural philosophy" was 
embedded in a religious culture. From this perspective, the world is 
"given" to us in a Revelation by God.

In the antique world, the sacred was hidden and only accessible via the 
priests.

Natural philosophy is based on the conclusion that we can directly 
access nature as "data", that is, givens. Alternatively, one can 
consider the world as "facta"'; that is, we have only access to nature 
via models.

Best,
Loet


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loet Leydesdorff

Professor emeritus, University of Amsterdam
Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR)

loet en leydesdorff.net <mailto:loet en leydesdorff.net>; 
http://www.leydesdorff.net/
Associate Faculty, SPRU, <http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/>University of 
Sussex;

Guest Professor Zhejiang Univ. <http://www.zju.edu.cn/english/>, 
Hangzhou; Visiting Professor, ISTIC, 
<http://www.istic.ac.cn/Eng/brief_en.html>Beijing;

Visiting Fellow, Birkbeck <http://www.bbk.ac.uk/>, University of London;

http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ych9gNYAAAAJ&hl=en
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7835-3098;

------ Original Message ------
From: "Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic" <gordana.dodig-crnkovic en mdh.se>
To: "Bruno Marchal" <marchal en ulb.ac.be>; "fis" <fis en listas.unizar.es>
Sent: 6/14/2019 6:45:17 AM
Subject: [Fis] New Perspectives. Reply to Bruno's Reply to Stan

>Dear Bruno,
>
>I have a few questions to your answers and would be happy if you can 
>help me to understand.
>
>Here they come, following formulations from your mail.
>
>
>
>“This seems to assume some primary natural reality, isn’t it?”
>
>
>
>Q: What is meant by “primary natural reality”?
>
>
>
>1. If it refers to the EXISTENCE OF THE EXTERNAL/INTERNAL NATURAL 
>WORLD, I think this is the most reasonable hypothesis to start with:
>
>The world/nature EXISTS. It is the fundamental assumption of all 
>sciences which are our best present knowledge about the world.
>
>Otherwise, if the world does not EXIST, we can conclude any discussion 
>about it.
>
>
>
>2. The other question is HOW that EXISTENCE of the world outside/inside 
>cognitive agents presents itself or unfolds in an agent in the 
>interaction with the world.
>
>That is the question of UMWELT, and the construction of knowledge 
>through information processing. (Natural information processing = 
>natural computation.)
>
>The “primary natural reality” reflects itself in a myriad of local 
>“realities” in cognizing agents. As we know from empirical 
>observations, even though existence of the world induces various 
>information processes in various agents, communities of agents are 
>typically sharing common “languages” about that “primary natural 
>reality”.
>
>That is true for bacterial as well as for human communities. Languages 
>reflect our ability to collectively navigate “primary natural reality” 
>and share common references. So much so that we are able to commonly 
>build a new semantic layer, that is human culture, upon that “primary 
>natural reality”.
>
>
>
>“As I have shown, this requires a non computationalist theory of mind, 
>which seems to me to be highly speculative.”
>
>Q:Why would that follow from the EXISTENCE of the world?What kind of 
>phenomenon is that “computation” which minds perform? Is it the Turing 
>model of discrete sequential symbol manipulation – calculation of 
>mathematical function? It may at best describe linguistic part of the 
>mind. But mind as a natural process is both data-based (even continuous 
>data) and symbol based. Not Turing computable in it entirety, but 
>“naturally computable” i.e. the result of natural information 
>processing performed by living embodied minds.
>
>
>
>“I am not sure we can avoid the mind-body problem in a philosophy of 
>information context.”
>
>Q: Why? Natural information processes in living organisms seem to me as 
>the best way to bridge the mind-body chasm. Mind is a result of a 
>complex network of networks of information processes going on in a 
>cognizing agent. That process is implemented in their bodies as a 
>material substrate that is self-organized structure growth from that 
>“primary natural reality”. There is no contradiction between the 
>morphology (shape, structure, material) of an organism and its 
>functions (processes performed by that morphology. At least those 
>organisms who have nervous systems capable of representing their bodies 
>and their relationships to their environments can be seen as possessing 
>intrinsic “self-models” or simply having “self” or “mind”. That “mind” 
>is the result of the relationships of its subsystems that constitute 
>that “self”, that process which for an organism makes a distinction 
>between the “self” vs. the world and the relationships between the two.
>
>Mind is a process, matter is its substrate on which the process is 
>going on. Those are inseparable in a living organism. In-formation has 
>it roots in the concept of formation (of a material substrate). Matter 
>and form are two aspects of the same reality. It is not a problem, it 
>is a way how we conceptualize the world, in order to manage its 
>complexity.
>
>
>
>“There are no evidences for physicalism or for a physical primary 
>reality, nor are there evidences for a non computationalist theory of 
>mind.”
>
>
>
>Q: What is meant with “physicalism” here?
>
>Wikipedia offers two different definitions, 
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicalism according to which
>
>Physicalism is the metaphysical 
><https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysical> thesis assuming that
>
>a) "everything is physical", that there is "nothing over and above" the 
>physical,[1] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicalism#cite_note-1> or
>
>b) that everything supervenes 
><https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supervenience> on the physical.[2] 
><https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicalism#cite_note-DStoljar-2>
>
>
>
>Those are two very different proposals. The first one is obviously 
>false, as it negates all the emergent levels of organization of the 
>world above physics.
>
>The second one depends on what is meant by “supervenience”. If it means 
>thathigher levels of organization of matter-energy emerge from the 
>lower ones bringing completely new properties, it is in perfect 
>agreement with what sciences today say about the world and how they 
>model the world.*
>
>Molecules are made of atoms but bring completely new possibilities of 
>structures, processes and interactions. Biology is more than chemistry 
>for the same reason.
>
>
>
>Q: What would be “a physical primary reality”?
>
>Am I wrong if I imagine that I cannot go out of this room through its 
>walls? Does not that mean that there is “a physical primary reality” 
>that stops me from doing so, no matter how much I wish and try?
>
>
>
>“Of course some people confuse the evidences for physical laws with 
>evidences that such laws are primary, but that is just because they 
>“believe” in some natural world to begin with.”
>
>Q: What is primary?Indeed, physical laws are not primary, in the sense 
>of eternal and unchangeable, as they evolve with the universe*. Primary 
>is the EXISTENCE of the world that we all share and experience. It 
>presents itself in both fluid, intrinsic ways (subjective feelings and 
>emotions) and crisp, well defined inter-subjective forms (as in 
>sciences, logics, mathematics).
>
>
>
>“We can’t have both Mechanism in cognitive science, and materialism, or 
>just physicalism, in the “natural science”. That has been shown 
>logically inconsistent.”
>
>It depends on the choice of “mechanism”, “cognitive science” 
>(classical-computationalist disembodied or contemporary EEEE models of 
>cognition), along with the kind of “physicalism” assumed, and even the 
>choice of “natural sciences” to support your thesis. In the paper below 
>(*) I argue, for a given choice of all those terms and with heavy 
>reliance on the contemporary scientific knowledge, that computational 
>mind is not only (naturally) compatible but essentially dependent on 
>its physical substrate on succession of levels of organization.
>
>Q: If we have such model in which “mechanisms” of information 
>processing (natural computation in the framework of computing nature) 
>from the lowest levels of exchanges between elementary particles to the 
>highest levels of exchanges among people of symbolic structures and 
>artifacts, wouldn’t that constitute a counter-example to the claim that 
>mind and body have nothing to do with each other ? (**)
>
>
>
>All the best,
>
>Gordana
>
>
>
>
>
>* 
>http://www.gordana.se/work/PUBLICATIONS-files/2019-Laws%20of%20Science%20as%20Laws%20of%20Nature.pdf
>
>
>
>** No model or framework can explain everything about the world 
>(including humans) at the same time, but info-computational approach 
>can be used to model some interesting aspects of the mind emergent 
>from, in interaction with its matter/energy substrate.
>
>
>
>From: Fis <fis-bounces en listas.unizar.es> on behalf of Bruno Marchal 
><marchal en ulb.ac.be>
>Date: Thursday, 13 June 2019 at 15:11
>To: fis <fis en listas.unizar.es>
>Subject: Re: [Fis] New Perspectives. Reply to Stan
>
>
>
>Joseph,
>
>
>
>
>
>>On 12 Jun 2019, at 16:40, Joseph Brenner <joe.brenner en bluewin.ch> 
>>wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>Stan,
>>
>>
>>
>>Thank you for your question. I reply with a modified excerpt from an 
>>article in Philosophies. The full article is Open Access. I am 
>>indebted to Rafael Capurro for part of this formulation. Comments 
>>welcome.
>>
>>
>>
>>Best wishes,
>>
>>
>>
>>Joseph
>>
>>
>>
>>Natural Philosophy: Excerpt from Brenner, J. 2018. The Naturalization 
>>of Natural Philosophy. Philosophies 2018 3, 41.
>>
>>Natural Philosophy deals with the question of nature as a whole stated 
>>by beings (ourselves) that find themselves in nature without having 
>>the possibility of a holistic view, being ourselves in nature and not 
>>beyond it. The fact that we are able to ask this question means that 
>>we have some kind of pre-knowledge about nature as a whole while at 
>>the same time this pre-knowledge is problematic, otherwise we would 
>>not ask the question and would not be able to become natural 
>>philosophers.
>>
>>The question then changes to the difference between nature and reality 
>>as a whole, including fictions, non-verifiable beliefs and intangible 
>>objects of thought. Since the idea that classical Natural Philosophy 
>>evolved into  science  seems  correct,  we  are  left,  for  the  
>>domain  of  Natural  Philosophy, with only a speculative 
>>interpretation of nature viewed in its entirety. This interpretation 
>>is, ipso facto, at a lower ontological level than the science which 
>>has largely replaced it. Much of the 20th Century linguistic turn, 
>>expressed in both analytical and phenomenological and residual 
>>transcendental traditions, is well visible in contemporary philosophy.
>>
>>The reaction to this unsatisfactory state of affairs has been the 
>>reinstatement of realisms and materialisms of various kinds, 
>>associated today with the names of Derrida, Badiou, Zizek, and others. 
>>The ‘ontological turn’ in philosophy is a term of art that designates 
>>dissatisfaction with descriptions of reality based on analytical, 
>>semantic criteria of truth. Starting with Heidegger’s critique of 
>>hermeneutics and the basing of philosophy on human life, the 
>>ontological turn is a challenge to neo-Kantian epistemologies, and 
>>looks to what the structure of the world might be like to enable 
>>scientific, that is, non-absolute knowledge. Unfortunately, 
>>ontological theories have been hobbled by the retention of static 
>>terms whose characteristics are determined by bivalent logic. In 2002, 
>>Priest suggested that such an ontological turn in philosophy was 
>>taking place, away from language in the direction of an 
>>contradictorial view of reality. Priest proposed paraconsistent logic 
>>as appropriate to this turn, but his system suffers from the 
>>epistemological limitations of paraconsistency. Lupasco, on the other 
>>hand, anticipated the ontological turn by some 60 years. (In the 
>>complete article, I show that his logical system can be used to 
>>differentiate between Natural Philosophy and Philosophy tout court.)
>>
>>The most important point for me is that Natural Philosophy tells us 
>>something real about the world that is consistent with our best 
>>science, physical, biological and cognitive. Speculative philosophy 
>>can always re-illuminate ‘eternal’ questions such as what it means to 
>>be a thinking being in a non-thinking environment. This non-Natural 
>>Philosophy, to repeat, exists for ‘natural’ reasons: it is a natural 
>>necessity for human beings to create it, by a natural process, but it 
>>is not part of nature qua content.
>>
>
>
>This seems to assume some primary natural reality, isn’t it?
>
>
>
>As I have shown, this requires a non computationalist theory of mind, 
>which seems to me to be highly speculative.
>
>
>
>I am not sure we can avoid the mind-body problem in a philosophy of 
>information context.
>
>
>
>There are no evidences for physicalism or for a physical primary 
>reality, nor are there evidences for a non computationalist theory of 
>mind. Of course some people confuse the evidences for physical laws 
>with evidences that such laws are primary, but that is just because 
>they “believes” in some natural world to begin with. I think it is 
>better to be agnostic and see where the facts (experimental) and 
>working theories lead us.
>
>
>
>We can’t have both Mechanism in cognitive science, and materialism, or 
>just physicalism, in the “natural science”. That has been shown 
>logically inconsistent (ask for reference if interested).
>
>
>
>Bruno
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>From: Fis [mailto:fis-bounces en listas.unizar.es] On Behalf Of Stanley N 
>>Salthe
>>Sent: mardi, 11 juin 2019 21:09
>>To: fis
>>Subject: Re: [Fis] New Perspectives
>>
>>
>>
>>Joseph -- Would you like to write how you define Natural Philosophy?
>>
>>
>>
>>STAN
>>
>>
>>
>>On Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 12:03 PM Joseph Brenner 
>><joe.brenner en bluewin.ch> wrote:
>>
>>>Dear Pedro and All,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Many thanks are due to you, Pedro, for this new and valuable 
>>>formulation of the – daunting - task at hand. The task is logical and 
>>>philosophical, as well as scientific. Philosophy here, exemplified by 
>>>the Philosophy of Information, does not mean standard discussions of 
>>>‘where did we come from’ and ‘does a transcendent deity exist’, which 
>>>are as sterile in their way as the excesses of the IT and AI 
>>>ideologists. Natural Philosophy can be a ‘vehicle’ for interaction 
>>>between people of good will, the collaboration that you point to that 
>>>may help to advance IS4SI. Some of you who may not have been at the 
>>>Conference in San Francisco (Berkeley) may wish to look at abstracts 
>>>of papers from the Philosophy of Information sub-conferences at the 
>>>2015, 2017 and 2019 Summit conferences on Information.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>To revitalize the list is indeed a key first step. But it starts, in 
>>>my opinion, with some self-examination, examination of whether one’s 
>>>own theories are just ‘pet’ theories. Applying this criterion to my 
>>>own Logic in Reality, about which I have written on several 
>>>occasions, I claim that it is not just a pet theory. It is a new 
>>>perspective on how information, logic and thought operate as real 
>>>processes, following laws within the laws of physics, without loss of 
>>>a human, ethical dimension. However, LIR makes many demands on one. 
>>>It requires an understanding and acceptance of what is /not/ Natural 
>>>Philosophy, which may include some of the ideas that have appeared in 
>>>this list.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Again, accepting my own criterion of interactive non-separability, I 
>>>do not call for any exclusions or limitations on the list. I only 
>>>wish that everyone makes the necessary effort to position his or her 
>>>own views in relation to the overriding need for furthering the 
>>>Common Good. The sum of all such honest self-referential (or 
>>>second-order recursive) opinions of people about their own work would 
>>>itself be a useful creative effort, I think.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Thank you and best wishes,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Joseph
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Fis [mailto:fis-bounces en listas.unizar.es] On Behalf Of Pedro C. 
>>>Marijuan
>>>Sent: mardi, 11 juin 2019 13:05
>>>To: 'fis'
>>>Subject: [Fis] New Perspectives
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Dear FIS Colleagues,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>A few days ago took place the IS4SI Meeting, in SFco, with one of the
>>>
>>>parallel sessions devoted to FIS and other sessions also with 
>>>presence
>>>
>>>of veteran parties of this list. Relevant speakers in the plenary
>>>
>>>sessions covered the main topic of the conference, expressed as: 
>>>Where
>>>
>>>is the I in Artificial Intelligence and the Meaning in Information? 
>>>From
>>>
>>>Tristan Harris to Melanie Mitchell, to Paul Verschure, etc.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>In my view the perspectives in these IT fields are changing
>>>
>>>significantly. The tremendous hype in AI, Deep Learning, IOT, etc. 
>>>keeps
>>>
>>>unabated, but critical voices are being heard, not just from a few
>>>
>>>Academia corners as usual, but now by leading technologists and
>>>
>>>researchers of big companies in these very fields. "Dissent" on the
>>>
>>>contents, methodologies, and consequences of social applications is 
>>>growing.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>The industrial development of this IT sector --notwithstanding the
>>>
>>>inflated proclamations and all the hype of the gurus-- does not mean 
>>>the
>>>
>>>arrival of some great singularity, or the symbiosis with machines, or
>>>
>>>widespread menace of robots & cyborgs... these are slogans coming 
>>>from
>>>
>>>the industrialists to maintain social/ideological preeminence for 
>>>their
>>>
>>>whole sector. Rather I think they are starting to feel the 
>>>consequences
>>>
>>>of their social overstretching in different ways.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>The fundamental point, in my opinion, is that our solitary, isolated
>>>
>>>efforts from a few Academia places (Sciences & Humanities) in the 
>>>quest
>>>
>>>for new perspectives in Information Science, and not just AI
>>>
>>>development, should not isolated any more. We can now establish an
>>>
>>>interesting dialog and partnership with those new "dissenters" of the
>>>
>>>technology in its concepts, methods, and social applications. It is 
>>>upon
>>>
>>>us to improve the discussion procedures, the collaborations, the
>>>
>>>organization, etc. so that this opportunity might materialize
>>>
>>>progressively. Do not ask me how... In any case I pointed out three
>>>
>>>future directions for IS4SI advancement: community building, 
>>>attracting
>>>
>>>scientific/technological avantgarde, and organizational improvement.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Revitalizing this discussion list--shouldn't it be one of the first 
>>>steps?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Best greetings to all,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>--Pedro
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>Pedro C. Marijuán
>>>
>>>Grupo de Bioinformación / Bioinformation Group
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>pcmarijuan.iacs en aragon.es
>>>
>>>http://sites.google.com/site/pedrocmarijuan/ 
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>>>-------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>---
>>>
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