From: Keith Henson (hkhenson@rogers.com)
Date: Sat Dec 20 2003 - 10:49:12 MST
From: http://www.anth.ucsb.edu/projects/human/epfaq/domain.html
"Evolutionary psychology is betting that psychological adaptations have to
be just as domain specific as physiological adaptations. Information
processing appears to be an excellent model for the general class of
problems solved by psychological mechanisms. In the field of information
processing, no one has invented a computer program that solves all
problems. Each information processing problem requires specialized software
to solve that problem. Spreadsheets are different from word processors are
different from video games. Similarly, vision is different from hearing is
different from pain is different from smell is different from sexual desire
is different from navigation. In short, transformations of information are
just as specialized as any other physical transformation and require
equally specialized mechanisms to complete the task. Thus, psychological
adaptations are as likely to be as domain specific as any other adaptation."
To give examples from ideas of mine, the psychological mechanism evoked by
being captured is specific to that situation and unrelated to the
mechanisms for obtaining status. (Both are mechanisms for spreading
certain classes of memes.)
This kind of material relates in three ways to this group. Anyone doing AI
work needs know how natural intelligences came about. Second, anyone
working on improving humans needs to know what they are starting
with. Third, it may be of considerable utility in creating a more
cooperative group if people had insight into why they act the way they do.
The rest of the FAQ is
here: http://www.anth.ucsb.edu/projects/human/evpsychfaq.html
Keith Henson
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