Most experts assume that perception estimates true properties of an objective world. They justify this assumption with an argument from evolution: Natural selection rewards true perceptions. I propose instead that if true perceptions crop u…31. Ramachandran, V.S. (1990). Interactions between motion, depth, color and form: The utilitarian theory of perception, in Vision: Coding and efficiency, ed. C. Blakemore (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge).
32. Roberts, M.E. and Gold…
Brian Skyrms
philosopher · 2 mentions across 1 reading
In this course
Brian Skyrms is a philosopher of science and probability theorist known for work on evolution, signaling, and rational inference, particularly the idea that natural selection optimizes for fitness rather than truth—a counterintuitive claim that destabilizes assumptions about perception and knowledge. In the course readings, he appears to anchor arguments about how evolutionary pressures shape cognition in ways that diverge from objective accuracy, challenging the intuitive notion that perception evolved to mirror reality. This framework becomes crucial for thinking through how machine learning systems and artificial agents might optimize for goals misaligned with human concepts of truth or reality, resonating with broader concerns about AI alignment and the relationship between fitness functions and veridical representation.
Mentioned in 1 reading
Appears alongside
People mentioned in the same passages — sorted by co-occurrence weight.
A.C. Perdeck 1Bernard Campbell 1C.H. Schiller 1Colin Blakemore 1E. Sernland 1Jakob von Uexküll 1Larry Samuelson 1M.E. Roberts 1N.M.A. Holmgren 1Nikolaas Tinbergen 1O. Olsson 1Richard Dawkins 1Robert L. Goldstone 1Robert L. Trivers 1Shimon Ullman 1Vilayanur S. Ramachandran 1Brian Marion 1Carol Skrenes 1Chetan Prakash 1Duncan Luce 1Geoff Iverson 1John Serences 1Jon Merzel 1Joyce Wu 1Justin Mark 1Kim Romney 1Larry Maloney 1Louis Narens 1Mike Braunstein 1Mike D'Zmura 1