"People trained in classical AI will find this book an articulate and
thought-provoking challenge to much that they have taken for
granted. People new to cognitive science will find it a stimulating
introduction to one of the field's most productive
controversies. Pfeifer and Scheier deserve our thanks for a thorough,
assessible, and courteous contribution in the best tradition of
scholarly debate."
-- H. Van Dyke, Computing Reviews
By the mid-1980s researchers from artificial intelligence, computer
science, brain and cognitive science, and psychology realized that the
idea of computers as intelligent machines was inappropriate. The brain
does not run "programs"; it does something entirely different. But
what? Evolutionary theory says that the brain has evolved not to do
mathematical proofs but to control our behavior, to ensure our
survival. Researchers now agree that intelligence always manifests
itself in behavior--thus it is behavior that we must understand. An
exciting new field has grown around the study of behavior-based
intelligence, also known as embodied cognitive science, "new AI," and
"behavior-based AI."
This book provides a systematic introduction to this new way of
thinking. After discussing concepts and approaches such as subsumption
architecture, Braitenberg vehicles, evolutionary robotics, artificial
life, self-organization, and learning, the authors derive a set of
principles and a coherent framework for the study of naturally and
artificially intelligent systems, or autonomous agents. This framework
is based on a synthetic methodology whose goal is understanding by
designing and building.
The book includes all the background material required to understand
the principles underlying intelligence, as well as enough detailed
information on intelligent robotics and simulated agents so readers
can begin experiments and projects on their own. The reader is guided
through a series of case studies that illustrate the design principles
of embodied cognitive science.
More endorsements:
"Understanding Intelligence is a comprehensive and highly
readable introduction to embodied cognitive science. It will be
particularly helpful for people interested in getting involved in the
construction of intelligent agents."
-- Arthur B. Markman, Science
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