Abstract
Philosophers and scientists frequently distinguish between the behavior and the structure of an organism. In automata theory the distinction can be made quite exactly, and provides for a concept of level of structure; at the low end is the material structure and at the high the abstract rule structure. Having developed the idea of various levels in relatively sharp form we go on to distinguish between rules that somehow guide and those that just describe a system, and also between models and theories. Finally I defend a realistic thesis: embodied automata rules are really in, or constitute, the mind.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nelson, R.J. (1989). Behavior and Structure. In: The Logic of Mind. Synthese Library, vol 155. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2595-3_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2595-3_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-277-2822-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-2595-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive