Conceptual Spaces: The Geometry of Thought

Gardenfors, Peter

ISBN 10: 0262071991 / ISBN 13: 9780262071994

Published by The MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 2000

About this Item

Octavo; VG-/VG; black spine with white text; dust jacket exterior shows minimal handling wear; cloth exterior has some whitish smudges; good, solid binding; text block exterior edges have minimal wear; interior clean; illustrated; pp 307. 1363805. FP New Rockville Stock.

Seller Inventory # 1363805

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Conceptual Spaces: The Geometry of Thought
• Publisher: The MIT Press, Cambridge MA
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262071991
• ISBN 13: 9780262071994
• Binding: Hardcover
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • Social Sciences

About this title

Synopsis

Within cognitive science, two approaches currently dominate the problem of modeling representations. The symbolic approach views cognition as computation involving symbolic manipulation. Connectionism, a special case of associationism, models associations using artificial neuron networks. Peter Gardenfors offers his theory of conceptual representations as a bridge between the symbolic and connectionist approaches.

Symbolic representation is particularly weak at modeling concept learning, which is paramount for understanding many cognitive phenomena. Concept learning is closely tied to the notion of similarity, which is also poorly served by the symbolic approach. Gardenfors's theory of conceptual spaces presents a framework for representing information on the conceptual level. A conceptual space is built up from geometrical structures based on a number of quality dimensions. The main applications of the theory are on the constructive side of cognitive science: as a constructive model the theory can be applied to the development of artificial systems capable of solving cognitive tasks. Gardenfors also shows how conceptual spaces can serve as an explanatory framework for a number of empirical theories, in particular those concerning concept formation, induction, and semantics. His aim is to present a coherent research program that can be used as a basis for more detailed investigations.

Review

"This is a fearless book that casts a wide net around key issues in cognitive science. It offers the kind of coherent, unified view that the field badly needs." - Steven Sloman, Associate Professor, Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences, Brown University"