TABLE OF CONTENTS: Preface to the English-Language Edition ix
INTRODUCTION: The Self-Mechanized Mind 3
The Cybernetic Credo 3
Cybernetics and Cognitivism 11
The Question of Humanism 15
History of Science vs. History of Ideas 22
CHAPTER 1: The Fascination with Models 27
The Virtue of Models 28
Manipulating Representations 31
The Turing Machine 33
Knowing as Simulating 40
CHAPTER 2: A Poorly Loved Parent 43
A New Scienza Nuova? 44
Mechanizing the Human 49
BrainlMindlMachine 52
McCulloch's Neurons 58
Connectionism vs. Cognitivism 64
Von Neumann's Machine 65
CHAPTER 3: The Limits of Interdisciplinarity 70
The Macy Conferences 71
The Cyberneticians in Debate 76
Unifying the Work of the Mind 80
The Physicalist Temptation 84
CHAPTER 4: Philosophy and Cognition 90
Naturalizing Epistemology 91
The Obstacle of Intentionality 94
Brentano Betrayed 99
The Missed Encounter with Phenomenology 102
A Subjectless Philosophy of Mind 107
McCulloch us. Wiener 110
CHAPTER 5: From Information to Complexity 113
Information and Physicalism 113
Between Form, Chance, and Meaning 119
Cooperation and Cognition 123
Cybernetic Totalities 126
System and Autonomy 133
Complexity: The Model Becomes Blurred I37
CHAPTER 6: Aspects of a Failure 144
Learning about Complexity 145
The "Ashby Case," or the Return to Metaphysics 148
Subjectless Processes 155
The Missed Rendezvous with the Human Sciences 158
Notes 163
Bibliography 191
Index 201
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