Books – Cognition and Cognitics

Our Main Books about Cognition and Cognitics

Content:

2nd Edition
1st Edition
Updates of 2nd Edition
Updates of 1st Edition
Autres publications

2nd Edition, 2020

Jean-Daniel Dessimoz, « Cognition and Cognitics – Definitions and Metrics for Cognitive Sciences, in Humans, and for Thinking Machines, 2nd edition, augmented, with considerations of life, through the prism “real – imaginary – values – collective”, and some bubbles of wisdom for our time », Roboptics Editions llc, Cheseaux-Noreaz, Switzerland, 345 pp, March 2020. Electronic version: ISBN 978-2-9700629-4-3, Printed version: ISBN 978-2-9700629-3-6 , https://www.roboptics.ch/editions-english/

Electronic version: ISBN 978-2-9700629-4-3

Printed version: ISBN 978-2-9700629-3-6

Updates of 2nd Edition

1st Edition, 2011

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

A book in English is now available, which offers a good synthesis of key concepts for cognitics:

“Cognitics – Definitions and metrics for cognitive sciences and thinking machines”, Jean-Daniel Dessimoz, Roboptics Editions, Cheseaux-Noréaz, Switzerland, ISBN 978-2-9700629-1-2, pp169, January 2011

To download the cover, click here.

To download the content, click Cognitics011.01.09.pdf (3.9 Mb).

To access Roboptics Editions, click here

Also available on Lulu: Go and see product page

For possible, most welcome, remarks to author
mailto:Jean-Daniel@Dessimoz.org

A book in French version is already available, which offers a similar good synthesis of key concepts for cognitics, and focusses a little more on core concepts:

Click here to go

Updates to the 2nd Edition

Occasional updates are made to the original version, filed in accordance with legal requirements. These are sometimes layout details or typos without significant consequence.

Nevertheless, in some cases it is worthwhile to make the modified text available to readers who do not have access to the latest version. The new text is presented in square brackets in the following lines. The changes are presented here in chronological order of their completion, starting with the most recent.

The page number is normally given for the printed version. In the case of the electronic edition, the suffix “E” is added to the page number, e.g., p. 12E. Thus, depending on the version, the page number may be shifted by a few pages.

6 December 2020:

P153E, P154 :
In coherence with French version, one row is added in the table of Fig. 24 : Cognition, in the context of action (cf. physical world) and emotion (cf. values)…
Device, material ( in column “action”, physical reality), procedure/process/program (in column “cognition”, imaginary), good or service (in column “values)

11 August 2020:

P318E, P319 :
[R55b] Dessimoz, Jean-Daniel, «Colors of MCS Cognition Theory and Classical Perspectives in Philosophy », Complements, Roboptics Editions llc, Cheseaux-Noreaz, Switzerland, 8 Aug. 2020, 10 pp.

8 August 2020:

P190E, P191 : An external complement revisits many classic perspectives in philosophy through this same prism [R55b].
P318E, P319 :
[R55b] Dessimoz, Jean-Daniel, « Couleurs de la théorie de la cognition MCS et perspectives classiques en philosophie », Compléments, Éditions Roboptics Sàrl, Cheseaux-Noréaz, 4 août 2020, 10 pp.
P333E : (v. 020.08.08)

10 July 2020:

P261, P260E:
Synthesis – Art, Citizen Organization, Mythology, Ecology – Independence Day
Let’s see through the study of a case, the film “Independence Day”, by Roland Emmerich, including his sequel, [(«Resurgence»)] [R68-R69], how the concepts proposed in this book can be applied concretely in life. The specific challenge in these films is the fight against pollution.

P263, P262E:
What is the message of Independence Day, after all? In the first of the two films, it was first of all a question of noting the extreme threat that pollution already represented for humanity. Then the remedy proposed against it consisted in changing mentalities (in an allegorical way: injecting a computer virus into the platform of the extraterrestrial aggressors). According to the second film, Resurgence, [there are more ways to avoid annihilation by pollution; here is a non-exhaustive list of the methods and actions proposed: improved public communication (ex-president Whitmore relays the messages formerly only delivered by scientist Okun); scientific and technical advances, despite the associated risks of new pollution (the white sphere brings improvements, but it is being tracked by aggressor aliens and resource “harvesters”); adequate administrative and governmental measures, such as development plans and tax incentives (the American federal administration executive Floyd Rosenberg, although not a military man, effectively fights these extraterrestrials); concern about pollution (three of the main characters are telepathically linked to the aggressor extraterrestrials); living simply, and taking inspiration from nature (Dikembe Umbutu is in telepathic relationship with the extraterrestrials, and proves to be very effective with his traditional swords against the evil aliens; Dr. Catherine Marceaux explores and studies exolinguistics and telepathy with extraterrestrials); pollution is easier to fight, when it hasn’t been done yet, when it is still ahead of us in time (Umbutu excels at destroying these extraterrestrials “from behind”); “digital” approach, computer science, AI – we would say here cognitics – are also promising (the symbol carrying the film, like the shape of the sphere whose mission is to save the survivors, is practically a “0” and a “1”, turned by a quarter turn); there is not only the risk of pollution, but also of depletion of natural resources (the extraterrestrials are not only aggressors who destroy but also gatherers who try in particular to pump the hearts of the planets); hope is now in the youth (it is the new generation, with Patricia, who finally contributes in a decisive way to the success of this war). Concretely, it is also a question of] countering the supposed fatality of progress that Greek mythology already denounced (cf. Medea, for example, according to Euripides, “the price of knowledge is heavy”); thus the possible drawbacks that could be feared as a ransom for progress can be neutralized if we are careful. In the allegorical jargon of the film, the apparent obviousness of the saying “What goes up must come down” is taken at fault, because the fall can be neutralized by an anti-gravity shield! (see figure 57).

P265, p. 264E (end of page) :

As has been said several times in substance elsewhere in this book, a well-understood word is not a word which has explicitly transmitted all the meaning it was supposed to convey, but rather a simple hook which succeeds in retrieving the [intended] meaning, possibly pre-existing, from within the receiving agent [(thus in a banal and largely unconscious way, like Mr. Jourdain and his prose, everyone implicitly does Socrates-like maieutics).] This [being] recalled, in the case of allegory, the challenge is even more serious since the process is indirect [for the receiving agent. One must already] grasp a first concrete meaning, then, at the end of this concrete step, it is still the targeted [concept], which is moreover abstract, that must be recognized by analogy and finally captured.

6 June 2020

On page 11 of the electronic edition (E), p. 11E (for the printed version, the page number may be shifted by a few pages):

Temptation is constant for human beings to establish a direct bridge between cognitive world and reality. But this is practically impossible. Some philosophers, like [Plato], Kant, or Hegel, especially represent efforts made to formalize this problem and propose solutions. [Plato] is forced to notice that the reach of our perceptions typically limits them to shadows and reflections on cave walls. Kant postulates the existence of categories already established for the human mind in prerequisite to any perception. For Hegel, the importance of representations is such as these constitute the main part of our world, going as far as rejecting reality, that he completely excludes from the philosophical domain.

4 May 2020

P. 191E:
8.4 Principles of life and some reflections about philosophy, [religion,] ecology and mythology

27 April 2020

P4E (end of page):
Notice that, [in the first phase,] we must[ rely on intuition to] approach some of the notions mentioned subsequently. Then, we [shall visit these notions again later, in the sequel, as] the formal definitions are introduced.

P10 (end of page):
The correspondence link between model and reality defines the notion of sense, or meaning, which is essential for semantics; [in basic and mundane cases, it is acquired by intuition.]

P14E :
Fig. 3. Good and false. Models [of reality] are always [false] (extremely incomplete). For example, France is often represented by its stylized form, a hexagon (on the left). But models can be good for a specific purpose (center). As the little red jack attracts metal bowls in petanque game (right), the definition of a goal is a prerequisite for elaborating good models

P15E:
For practical interest, we should insist once more on the necessity to be always very clear with respect to circumstances: target domain, adopted model, and selected goal. Jesuits have long been famous to modestly limit their attention to hic et nunc (here and now). More recent management methods in software engineering (extreme programming) similarly require that specifications be met as strictly as possible, that is, without any bonus in terms of extra search for universal solutions, which are, by principle, considered as impossible [to be reached].

P19E:
[It should be noted] in passing that these individual differences constitute very serious obstacles in the formal logic, because under the same formal appearances (syntax), words do not necessarily have the same meaning, and the reasoning [cannot then be based] on their equivalence from one clause to another.

P52E:
Unlike stored information, which is static and virtually immediately available, cognition involves by nature a[ process (operations)] and therefore necessarily requires a certain amount of time.

P69E (end of page):
We can also see reductibility as the property of a system that [can be implemented by] subsystems of integral complexity smaller than the complexity of the system itself, [considered globally].

P102E (Example for the concept “wrong”):
If the considered [assertion is] e.g. « A belongs to group C », it is wrong that « A [does not belong to C] ».

P104E (Discussion of the concept “sapience”):
Initial assessments suggest that the capacity of humans typically tends to be overestimated when the rating [of sapience] is done intuitively.

P106E:
Chance is a possible source for innovation, but it may take a lot time for success. Here, [additional] cognition can bring benefits.

P107E (end of discussion for § B. Ingenuity):
This definition for ingenuity can in principle also apply to genius, the latter appearing more intense, [and intuition, which relates to more basic and mundane cases.
Ingenuity may succeed in a surprising way, by harnessing chance, by relying on serendipity: let first chance provide candidate solutions and then, additional cognition, human or machine-based experts, may bring benefits by focusing attention on the minimum size areas to be explored, keeping track of improvements, and possibly further optimizing the contingent solutions thus obtained.]

P108E (end of discussion for § C. Chance):
[As said above, chance is a possible source for innovation, but it may take a lot time for success. In MCS terms, the inherent expertise of chance is uncertain, this expertise being the product of knowledge, tending to infinity, by fluency tending to zero. It needs ingenuity to be harnessed.]

P119E:
“Spirit” and “culture” consist of a system of common and shared references, values [(i.e., here, ethics)], and objectives, with reference to an area of common interest, which can evolve dynamically, and yet which essentially does not really exist, physically, by itself (i.e. outside the members).

P292E:
In order to acquire skills, an [agent] must learn, that is to say, observe, expose oneself to a certain experience, explore the world and discover certain regularities in it.

Updates to the 1st Edition

Edition 2 is a major update and is described elsewhere.

Nevertheless, minor updates may also be useful for readers of the 1st edition.

6 December 2020:

Please consider, in a note of P61, (like in the original, French version, P54) a mention of a B-Prize to be organised.

Other Publications

In addition to the books presented above, multiple complementary documents can be found via the following site : https://www.roboptics.ch/publications-jdd-plus/.

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