What Is It That Drives Dynamics: We Don’t Believe in Ghosts, Do We? (extended abstract)

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Abstract

In this contribution the focus is on a philosophical and historical reflection on dynamics, in relation to the basic assumptions underlying state-determined systems. A basic assumption of a state-determined system is that some of the state properties of the previous state in a sense anticipate on the changed state properties in the current state. This idea plays an important role in the analysis of dynamics in history; such anticipatory state properties are often called potentialities. Within Cognitive Science one of the problems identified is the problem of realism, i.e., how do internal mental states relate to the real world. This issue also applies to potentialities as assumed state properties. If there is no relation to the physical world they seem to have a ghost-like character, which is not desirable, especially when it would make their occurrence unpredictable. Potentialities as postulated state properties may have relationships to other state properties of the state in which they occur; they can be said to be realised by these other state properties. One often used way in which it can be specified how potentialities indicating the change of a state relate to other state properties in the same state is by first-order differential equations.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationConference on Complex Systems, CCS'16
Number of pages1
Publication statusPublished - 2016

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