Denizhan Pak - Indiana University, USA
Biography
Title: Metastable Goals and Their Possible Mechanisms
Abstract: The mechanistic basis of goal-directed behavior is a seeming contradiction, since causal mechanisms must chronologically precede achieved goals. The post-cybernetic concept of stability offers a diachronic mechanism that synthesizes past this contradiction. However, even stability is insufficient because it misses the fundamentally transient nature of agential behavior. The concept of metastability promises to overcome this gap. In this talk, I will describe several approaches that have been taken to formalize metastability, paying particular attention to their conceptual commitments, mathematical differences, and empirical predictions.
