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Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology (Paperback)

by Valentino Braitenberg (Author) "This is an exercise in fictional science, or science fiction, if you like that better ..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 168 pages
  • Publisher: MIT Press; New edition edition (1 Jan 1984)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0262521121
  • ISBN-13: 978-0262521123
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13.2 x 0.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 122,615 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
"The small and cheerful book at hand, by a well-known researcher on the brain from Ta1/4bingen, has exploited the virtues of the style with unprecedented consistency, originality and aptness. His thought experiments are not analytic efforts to extract what principles lie behind an imagined observation but are instead synthetic constructions. They are little toys of the mind, devised out of simple if fictional components, entirely functionally described.... [A] crisp, cogent book full of intellectual delights." - Philip Morrison, "Scientific American"
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First Sentence
This is an exercise in fictional science, or science fiction, if you like that better. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A book to challenge your thinking, 7 May 1999
By A Customer
With respect, I think the previous reviewer has missed the point of this excellent book. Yes, Braitenberg "personifies" simple electro-mechanical relationships. But his whole point in doing so is to make us aware of how readily we personify animate objects in our environment, including each other.

With a playfulness not usually found in the writings of neuroscientists, Braitenberg starts with very simple machines or vehicles that respond to their environment. He shows that, despite the simple internal workings of these machines, we would be likely to impute feelings and desires to them. As the book goes on, Braitenberg discusses increasingly complicated machines, although remaining firmly in the realm of things that could potentially be built. The later machines appear to be capable of impressive feats of memory, planning and foresight, and yet they are ultimately made up of "simple electro-mechanical relationships". By the close of the book, one realizes belatedly that Braitenberg has sketched out (in fable-like form) a possible history of the evolution of intelligence.

For all those fascinated by the question of how the complexities of human and animal behaviour arise from the relatively simple world of the neuron, this book is a must.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Definite Read For A-Life and Robotics, 17 May 1999
By A Customer
This great book is for those not looking for an end but seeking a book that acts as a guide through the world of complexity. It is a starting place for new ideas and has been quoted several times by several people doing important research because it is such a great text.

Once again, no disrespect to the bottom reviewer but they completely missed the point of this fine work. This is not a summation book on the field but a starting point for new and creative ideas.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and innovative approach to cognitive science, 15 Mar 2004
Braitenberg's small book provides an unique approach to the attempt to understand human cognitive processes. The appraoch is reductionist (in the best sense of the word) whilst at the same time employing his rule of 'downhill analysis and uphill synthesis'. This rule allows Braitenberg to explain features of human cognition by gradual, easily understood, steps from simpler stages.

An excellent read for anyone interested in cognition or evolution.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Good starting point for budding pop-culture AI philosopers.
Braitenburg's book, Vehicles, is both a success and failure. As a philosophy paper, it is full of ideas for AI systems, simple that they may be, to emulate some interesting... Read more
Published on 26 Dec 1998

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