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Re: looking for new ideas



At 22:17 2/12/98 +0100, Mark wrote:
As well as teaching physics, I am part of a group of teachers responsible
for the "Theory of Knowledge" course in the International Baccalaureate. ...
- various small-group seminars offered by colleagues. Last year we had Chaos
Theory, Memetics, Evolution of Altruistic Behaviour, Detailed examination of
Copernican vs Ptolemaic Systems ... What radical new ideas
about the nature of science have passed me by?

Mark Sylvester

There are two concepts that I found tremendously encouraging.
The Neural Net and the Genetic Algorithm.

I believe they both have something to say about knowledge - but not
necessarily about Science.

They are examples of 'self-organizing' mechanisms - in some sense.

The neural net can define features of input patterns (given during
a training period) which give it the capability of 'recognizing'
never-before-seen patterns - where pattern-recognition has been
seen as a notoriously 'human' capability.

A genetic algorithm which chops strings of real-numbered genes
and sees how their inheritors perform according to some preset
criterion of fitness, generation after generation is a metaphor
more powerful than creationism.

I would like to see students exposed to a demonstration of each
of these.

Sincerely

brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>
Altus OK