Naturalizing relevance realization: why agency and cognition are fundamentally not computational.

Summary

Organisms solve problems in a way that fundamentally differs from algorithmic computation. Before an organism can apply logical rules, it must first determine what is relevant—turning ill-defined problems into well-defined ones. This ability to realize relevance is present in all living beings, from bacteria to humans, and arises from their autopoietic, anticipatory, and adaptive organization. The process of relevance realization cannot be fully captured by formal algorithms, implying that organismic agency, cognition, and consciousness are not computational in nature. Instead, relevance is realized through an adaptive, emergent triadic dialectic—a metabolic and ecological-evolutionary co-constructive dynamic—that allows an agent to continuously maintain a grip on its reality. Being alive means making sense of one's world through embodied ecological rationality, a key characteristic distinguishing life from non-living matter.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The way organismic agents come to know the world, and the way algorithms solve problems, are fundamentally different. The most sensible course of action for an organism does not simply follow from logical rules of inference. Before it can even use such rules, the organism must tackle the problem of relevance. It must turn ill-defined problems into well-defined ones, turn semantics into syntax. This ability to realize relevance is present in all organisms, from bacteria to humans. It lies at the root of organismic agency, cognition, and consciousness, arising from the particular autopoietic, anticipatory, and adaptive organization of living beings. In this article, we show that the process of relevance realization is beyond formalization. It cannot be captured completely by algorithmic approaches. This implies that organismic agency (and hence cognition as well as consciousness) are at heart not computational in nature. Instead, we show how the process of relevance is realized by an adaptive and emergent triadic dialectic (a trialectic), which manifests as a metabolic and ecological-evolutionary co-constructive dynamic. This results in a meliorative process that enables an agent to continuously keep a grip on its arena, its reality. To be alive means to make sense of one's world. This kind of embodied ecological rationality is a fundamental aspect of life, and a key characteristic that sets it apart from non-living matter.