Ecology of Mind
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| - | + | The metaphor '''Ecology of Mind''' has been coined by Gregory Bateson, | |
| - | The | + | for instance in his book "Steps to an ecology of mind". |
In the [[Society of Mind]] approach, we try to understand | In the [[Society of Mind]] approach, we try to understand | ||
the mind as a society, as a social group of interacting | the mind as a society, as a social group of interacting | ||
agents. In the ecology of mind approach, we try to understand | agents. In the ecology of mind approach, we try to understand | ||
the mind as an ecology, as a network of interactions. | the mind as an ecology, as a network of interactions. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Bateson's idea of an "Ecology of Mind" and Minsky's idea of a | ||
| + | "Society of Mind" have something in common. | ||
Both are similar because they try to describe a whole system | Both are similar because they try to describe a whole system | ||
of interacting entities - species for ecology and agents | of interacting entities - species for ecology and agents | ||
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[[Complex Adaptive System|complex adaptive systems]] which consist of many elements - | [[Complex Adaptive System|complex adaptive systems]] which consist of many elements - | ||
systems that are able to adjust and adapt themselves. | systems that are able to adjust and adapt themselves. | ||
| + | |||
| + | {| border="0" cellpadding="5" width="100%" | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | ! bgcolor="#70b0e0" width="25%" align="left" | | ||
| + | ! bgcolor="#eedd90" width="25%" align="left" | Ecology of Mind | ||
| + | ! bgcolor="#bbbbbb" width="25%" align="left" | Society of Mind | ||
| + | ! bgcolor="#77bb99" align="left" | Biology | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | bgcolor="#80c0ff" valign="top" | | ||
| + | * System | ||
| + | * Individual | ||
| + | * Collective | ||
| + | * Total | ||
| + | * Flow | ||
| + | * Interaction | ||
| + | |||
| + | | bgcolor="#ffeea0" valign="top" | | ||
| + | * Ecosystem | ||
| + | * Species | ||
| + | * Populations | ||
| + | * Ecological Community | ||
| + | * Energy flow | ||
| + | * [[Food web]] (Predator/Prey) | ||
| + | |||
| + | | bgcolor="#cccccc" valign="top" | | ||
| + | * Cognitive System | ||
| + | * Agents | ||
| + | * Agent population | ||
| + | * Mind | ||
| + | * Information Flow | ||
| + | * Information Web (Actions/Perceptions) | ||
| + | |||
| + | | bgcolor="#88ccaa" valign="top" | | ||
| + | * Biological System | ||
| + | * Neurons | ||
| + | * Neural Assemblies | ||
| + | * Brain | ||
| + | * Information Flow | ||
| + | * Associations | ||
| + | |} | ||
| + | |||
Ecology is the study of the ecosystem and the environment as | Ecology is the study of the ecosystem and the environment as | ||
| - | it relates to living organisms. It tries to describe how | + | it relates to living organisms. It is the study of interactions |
| + | between organisms and their environment and tries to describe how | ||
living systems are connected. A large variety of species and | living systems are connected. A large variety of species and | ||
| - | a huge network of interactions | + | a huge network of interactions - a [[Food web|food web]] - is characteristic |
for Ecology. Gregory Bateson thinks the nature of the mind | for Ecology. Gregory Bateson thinks the nature of the mind | ||
can be understood as a network of connections and interactions | can be understood as a network of connections and interactions | ||
relating the individual with his society and his species | relating the individual with his society and his species | ||
and with the universe at large. | and with the universe at large. | ||
| + | |||
| + | While the key feature of an '''ecosystem''' is the transmission of energy | ||
| + | through its different components, the key feature of the '''mind''' is the | ||
| + | transmission of information through its different components. In the former | ||
| + | case, energy flows through the system, in the latter information (or electrical | ||
| + | energy). Instead of a food web we food have an information web | ||
| + | where information moves from perceptions to actions. | ||
| + | In this sense perceptions correspond to prey and actions to predators, respectively. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In the ecological pyramid, the trophic pyramid, there are different levels of consumers and producers, from primary producers at the bottom to secondary and tertiary consumers at the top. The brain is structured similarly in different levels of abstraction, from the primary sensory areas at the bottom to the secondary and tertiary areas and the prefrontal cortext at the top. | ||
== Books == | == Books == | ||
* Gregory Bateson, [http://books.google.com/books?id=Wfe2t_qzaHEC Steps to an Ecology of Mind], University Of Chicago Press, 1972 | * Gregory Bateson, [http://books.google.com/books?id=Wfe2t_qzaHEC Steps to an Ecology of Mind], University Of Chicago Press, 1972 | ||
