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From: silber@sbphy.ucsb.edu
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: symbol grounding
Message-ID: <1339@hub.ucsb.edu>
Date: 15 Mar 89 09:54:24 GMT
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Organization: UC, Santa Barbara. Physics Computer Services
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(re: prev. posting which seems to my poster to have failed)

Stephen Harnad's abstract regarding the HOW of symbol grounding
seems (to me) to support my vaguer notions re: the WHEN of 
the biological evolution of 'symbols'.  The 'iconic' sensory
projections would seem analogous to my example of the eye-spot of
the euglena, the 'categorical' learned or innate patterns would 
seem to be analogous to the evolution of instinctual behaviour
in pre-cognitive species.  Detailing the HOW of symbol-grounding
must, most probably, confront every dualism and paradox conceivable.
Yet that HOW is what is really at the core of "understanding" what
is "human", not that humankind is a tool-using species, but rather 
that human-kind (including various apes and cetacians) is capable
of "abstracting" the idea which leads to a tool!  "Understanding"
that HOW is THE most important open question exactly because it
bears upon the question: Why SHOULD matter think?