The earliest definition is by McCulloch (1945) who examined cognitive structures in the brain, the collective organization of which he terms heterarchy. He demonstrates that the human brain is not organized hierarchically but adjusts to the…For example, an individual may highly value human life in general and be against abortion rights, but be for the death penalty (or vice versa). The context of the inquiry, along with changing (and conflicting) values, mitigates this logical…
Warren McCulloch
scientist · 3 mentions across 2 readings
In this course
McCulloch was a pioneering neuroscientist who theorized that the brain operates through heterarchy—a non-hierarchical, adaptive organizational structure that reranks values based on context—rather than fixed hierarchies. The course readings invoke him to establish the conceptual foundations of cybernetics and artificial neural networks, particularly the idea that artificial systems can be built by abstracting and interconnecting simple biological logic units like neurons. His 1943 manifesto (co-authored work referenced here) anchors the genealogy linking biological cognition to machine logic that the course traces through AI and cybernetics.
Mentioned in 2 readings
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