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From: sts@ssc-vax.UUCP (Stanley T Shebs)
Newsgroups: net.ai
Subject: Re: Rational Psychology
Message-ID: <538@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 23-Sep-83 05:04:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.538
Posted: Fri Sep 23 05:04:46 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Sep-83 12:39:16 EDT
References: <1913@utah-cs.UUCP>, <77@princeton.UUCP>
Organization: Boeing Aerospace, Seattle
Lines: 20

(should be posting from utah, but I saw it here first and just
couldn't resist...)

I think we've got a terminology problem here.  The word "rational"
is so heavily loaded that it can hardly move! (as net.philosophy
readers well know).  The term "rational psychology" does seem
to exclude non-rational behavior (whatever that is) from consideration,
which is not true at all.  Rather, the idea is to explore the entire
universe of possibilities for intelligent behavior, rather than
restricting oneself to observing the average college sophomore or
the AI programs small enough to fit on present-day machines.

Let me propose the term "universal psychology" as a substitute,
analogous to the mathematical study of universal algebras.
Fewer connotations, and it better suggests the real thrust
of this field - the study of *possible* intelligent behavior.

					stan the r.h. (of lightness)
					ssc-vax!sts 
					(but mail to harpo!utah-cs!shebs)