Carsetti, A. (Ed.)
Functional Models of Cognition. Self-Organizing Dynamics and Semantic Structures in Cognitive Systems

What is the function of concepts pertaining to meaning and mereology in the cognitive sciences? How is it possible to outline adequate simulation models for the continuous emergence of new categorization forms characterizing cognitive processes? To what extent is it possible to define new measures of meaningful complexity? How is it possible to describe from a synergetic point of view the symbolic dynamics inherent in the cognitive processes?

Of crucial importance in the attempt to outline an adequate theory of human cognition, these remain amongst the most difficult of questions in the cognitive sciences. The book Functional Models of Cognition brings together fifteen original essays from distinguished scholars in a variety of disciplines to discuss these questions and to see what kind of conceptual tools and methodologies would be necessary to give these questions a satisfactory answer.

The volume documents a revolution now occurring in the cognitive sciences, a revolution that permits to approach the problem of cognition from the standpoint of both study and simulation.

The first part of the book presents an up-to-date account of a number of current trends in the field of the functional modeling of cognitive activities. In particular, the synergetic models of cognition are widely discussed. The second part focuses on some advances obtained, from a conceptual point of view, in Complexity Theory, in the study of Self-organizing Networks, in the Theory of Self-reference and in the Theory of Self-organization. In this part some specific connections between meaningful complexity and intentional reference are discussed in a very original way. As a result, the key to understand the nature of cognition appears as closely linked to the effective definition of new measures of semantic information also capable of taking into consideration the forms of intentional organization. The focus in the third part is on some methods of formal analysis presently utilized in order to outline consistent simulation models of cognitive activities at the perceptual, linguistic and computational level: Sheaf Mereology, Algebraic Semantics and Computability Theory. The volume also highlights traditional philosophical concerns about the problematics of Realism, the debate between Cognitivism and Connectionism and the role of holistic assumptions.

This is a fine book, a fascinating set of discussions concerning an extremely interesting area. It contributes to the current and lively debate about the nature of cognition and about the role played by symbolic dynamics and semantic structures in the development of cognitive activities.

Anyone who is interested in functional models of cognition will be much informed by the wealth of material presented in the volume. Let us remark, however, that the ideal reader of this book is perhaps a somewhat philosophically minded cognitive scientist with a strong interest in the modeling of the forms of intentional organization that underlie cognitive processes.

A.M. Disanto