Abstract: The evolution of cognition can be understood in terms of a few major transitions—changes in the computational architecture of nervous systems that changed which cognitive capacities could be evolved by downstream lineages. I discuss recent work demonstrating how the idea of a major cognitive transition can be modeled in terms of where a system's effective computational architecture falls on the well-studied hierarchy of formal automata (HFA). Drawing upon recent work connecting artificial neural networks to the HFA, I suggest that this provides a way to make the structure-architecture link in natural systems as well. I conclude with some general challenges for the project and some outstanding ambiguities.

Bio: Colin Klein is a Professor of Philosophy at the Australian National University. His current work spans philosophy of neuroscience, the evolution of consciousness and cognition, and the philosophical foundations of computation. 

Website: www.colinklein.org

Light breakfast will be served.