This brief presents an overview of Gregory Bateson's Constructivist method of Cognition. Bateson proposes a theory of cognition that is based on the abstract notion of difference that the mind distinguishes and perceives and represents information that constitutes and separates how different states are ordered, grouped, and classified. Bateson, however, does not clearly indicate how a cognitive system can develop a knowledge of reality from the perception of these differences. This book seeks to offer a scientific approach to Constructivism. Using Bateson's hypothesis, chapters discuss how our mind distinguishes and elaborates differences, allowing us to form perceptions of objects, and how these objects can be described and compared. Chapters also discuss how from differences, it is possible to construct concepts or ideas of how these can be defined and how to derive from these differences the meanings of the signs used for the structuring of languages. The brief offersa coherent structure of propositions that form an interpretative theory of the modus operandi of the human mind, which will be useful not only in shedding light on our cognitive processes, but also in laying the formal groundwork for artificial intelligence.

Constructing Reality is a must-have resource for researchers and students of the cognitive sciences, as well as education sciences, and researchers and scholars of artificial intelligence, learning theory, and intelligent automata programming.

Autorentext

Piero Mella is Full Professor of Business Economics and Control Theory in the

Faculty of Economics, University of Pavia. In the past, he has been the Dean of the

Faculty as well as the Director of its Department of Business Research. He has

authored dozens of publications (among which a treatise entitled Amministrazione

d'Impresa [Management of the Firm], UTET Press), and for years he has researched

systems theory from multiple perspectives. His recent essays about systems theory

include: The Holonic Revolution. Holons, Holarchies and Holonic Networks. The

Ghost in the Production Machine (Pavia University Press. Pavia, 2009), Systems

Thinking: Intelligence in Action (Springer, 2012), The Magic Ring: Systems

Thinking Approach to Control Systems (Springer, 2014) and The Combinatory

Systems Theory. Understanding, modeling and simulating collective phenomena

(Springer, 2017).

Inhalt

1. Bateson's Model of the Mind and the Fundamental Conjecture on Cognition

1.1 Introduction. Dimensions of Knowledge

1.2 Bateson's Model. The Mind as a Calculator and Transformer of Differences in Cognitive Systems

1.3 The Framework of Bateson's Constructivist Logic

1.4 Hypothesis on the Structure of the Mind to Operationalize Bateson's Theory

2. Beginning the Operationalization Process. First Step: Descriptions. From Dimensions to Objects

2.1 Bateson's Model in Action. Differences

2.2 Bateson's Model Expanded. The Mind as a Calculator of Similarity and Analogy. The Construction of Dimensions

2.3 The First Step Toward Knowledge: the perception of objects in the constructivist perspective

2.4 The Technical Descriptions of Objects

2.5 Bateson's Hypothesis in Action

2.6 Comparing Objects. Simple and Composite Objects; Separate and Unified Objects

2.7 Sets, Classifications and Systems (some considerations)

3. Second Step: Definition. From Objects to Concepts

3.1 The Second Step Toward Knowledge: the Process of Definition. From Objects to Concepts

3.2 A Fundamental Step: Determination of the Dimensions

3.3 The Three Paths of Knowledge in a Two-Dimensional Cognitive Universe

3.4 The Human Mind Constructs Meaningful Technical Definitions

3.5 Mental Representations of Objects of Observation

4. Communication. Signs and Languages

4.1 The Communication Process. The Signification Process. Signs, Denomination, Signifier, Seme and Sememe

4.2 From Signs to Languages

4.3 Factual truth and falseness

4.4 The Generalizing Analogical Abstraction. Scientific Laws and Theories (some observations)

4.5 Conclusions and Further Developments