Signals
Evolution, Learning, and Information
Published on 8. April 2010
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-0-19-958082-8 (ISBN)
Description
Brian Skyrms presents a fascinating exploration of how fundamental signals are to our world. He uses a variety of tools -- theories of signaling games, information, evolution, and learning -- to investigate how meaning and communication develop. He shows how signaling games themselves evolve, and introduces a new model of learning with invention. The juxtaposition of atomic signals leads to complex signals, as the natural product of gradual process. Signals operate in networks of senders and receivers at all levels of life. Information is transmitted, but it is also processed in various ways. That is how we think -- signals run around a very complicated signaling network. Signaling is a key ingredient in the evolution of teamwork, in the human but also in the animal world, even in micro-organisms. Communication and co-ordination of action are different aspects of the flow of information, and are both effected by signals.
Reviews / Votes
excellent . . . deserves to be read by anyone who is interested in the origins and analysis of communication and information processing . . . an exciting book that blazes a trail towards a new understanding of communication and information processing. Signals opens up many projects and theoretical directions. A slogan might be offered: a theory of meaning is a theory of sender-receiver coordination. From this point of view, many earlier approaches to meaning have been one-sided, focusing on either the expressive side or the interpretive side of an essentially two-sided set-up. Skyrms's naturalization and extension of the Lewis sender-receiver model is one of the most exciting developments in recent philosophy. * Peter Godfrey-Smith, Mind * an extremely stimulating introduction to a fast growing literature... The book is impressively successful in demonstrating the sheer variety of links that signals have to many philosophical themes, as well as the daring scope for future work. One can only hope that this signal is successfully received. * Cedric Paternotte, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
23 line drawings
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 143 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
343 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-958082-8 (9780199580828)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Brian Skyrms is a Distinguished Professor of logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of California Irvine, and Professor of Philosophy at Stanford University.
Content
Introduction ; 1. Signals ; 2. Signals in Nature ; 3. The Flow of Information ; 4. Evolution ; 5. Evolution in Lewis Signaling Games ; 6. Deception ; 7. Learning ; 8. Learning in Lewis Signaling Games ; 9. Generalizing Signaling Games: Synonyms, Bottlenecks and Other Mismatches ; 10. Inventing New Signals ; 11. Networks I: Information Processing ; 12. Complex Signals and Compositionality ; 13. Networks II: Teamwork ; 14. Learning to Network