In Kinds of Minds and From Bacteria to Bach and Back, Daniel Dennett differentiates 4 levels of intelligent agents, which closely map to Valentin Turchin’s cybernetic analysis of evolutionary metasystem transitions in The Phenomenon of Science and Robert Pirsig’s ethico-evolutionary Metaphysics of Quality framework in Lila: An Inquiry into Morals.
| Dennett’s Creature | Behavioral Repertoire | Namesake | Turchin’s Metasystem Transition | Pirsig’s Static Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwinian | genetically-encoded instinctual behavior | Charles Darwin | control of position: unconditioned reflex (via transducer-discriminator-effector) | Biology |
| Skinnerian | operant conditioning/reinforcement learning | B.F. Skinner | control of reflex: association (conditioned reflex, cybernetic concept) | |
| Popperian | imaginative simulation/conjecture and refutation | Karl Popper | control of association: thinking | |
| Gregorian | culturally-transmitted thinking tools / paradigms / mental models | Richard Gregory | control of thinking: culture (via language) | Society |
| control of culture: science [implicit in Turchin] | Intellect |
From this:
- Reflex is the instinctual control of position in response to stimulus enabling the differential survival and reproduction of organisms.
- Association is the conditioned control of reflex in response to reward enabling the differential survival and reproduction of learners.
- Thought is the reflective control of association in response to imaginative simulation enabling the differential survival and reproduction of cognizers.
- Culture is the social control of thinking in response to memetic contagion enabling the differential survival and reproduction of tribe members.
- Intellect is the intentional control of culture in response to universalizing criticism enabling the differential survival and reproduction of truth-seekers.