[FRIAM] Sober's epiphenomenator

[thompnickson2 at gmail.com]

Dear Diaspora,

 

This object was the subject of a protracted discussion amongst the
hangers-on at Friday's vMeeting of FRIAM.  Upon reflection, I have come to
the conclusion that it can be used to explicate almost any problem,
including intentionality, referential opacity, epiphenomenality, selection
of/for, the law of short-sighted striving, goal/function, design to/by,
spandrels, exaptation, abduction, actual/potential, the peculiar passions of
robots that herd, side effects, collateral damage, inert ingredients,
polyphenism, and, I would predict, a bunch of tangled concepts in software
design and AI, as well.  This machine is, indeed, the Key To All Scriptures.
This picture courtesy of Professor Elliott Sober, of Wisconsin's Department
of Philosophy.  

 

Please feel free to add to the list of problems it's relevant to.  You
should all be warned that you are being crowd-sourced for a paper I want us
to write.  

 

Enjoy! 

 

Nick

 

Nick 

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