The Map and the Territory: Exploring the Foundations of Science, Thought and Reality. Foreword by Sir Roger Penrose, Afterword by Dagfinn Follesdal

This volume presents essays by pioneering thinkers including Tyler Burge, Gregory Chaitin, Daniel Dennett, Barry Mazur, Nicholas Humphrey, John Searle and Ian Stewart. Together they illuminate the Map/Territory Distinction that underlies at the foundation of the scientific method, thought and the very reality itself. It is imperative to distinguish Map from the Territory while analyzing any subject but we often mistake map for the territory. Meaning for the Reference. Computational tool for what it computes. Representations are handy and tempting that we often end up committing the category error of over-marrying the representation with what is represented, so much so that the distinction between the former and the latter is lost. This error that has its roots in the pedagogy often generates a plethora of paradoxes/confusions which hinder the proper understanding of the subject. What are wave functions? Fields? Forces? Numbers? Sets? Classes? Operators? Functions? Alphabets and Sentences? Are they a part of our map (theory/representation)? Or do they actually belong to the territory (Reality)? Researcher, like a cartographer, clothes (or creates?) the reality by stitching multitudes of maps that simultaneously co-exist. A simple apple, for example, can be analyzed from several viewpoints beginning with evolution and biology, all the way down its microscopic quantum mechanical components. Is there a reality (or a real apple) out there apart from these maps? How do these various maps interact/intermingle with each other to produce a coherent reality that we interact with? Or do they not? Does our brain uses its own internal maps to facilitate “physicist/mathematician” in us to construct the maps about the external territories in turn? If so, what is the nature of these internal maps? Are there meta-maps? Evolution definitely fences our perception and thereby our ability to construct maps, revealing to us only those aspects beneficial for our survival. But the question is, to what extent? Is there a way out of the metaphorical Platonic cave erected around us by the nature? While “Map is not the territory” as Alfred Korzybski remarked, join us in this journey to know more, while we inquire on the nature and the reality of the maps which try to map the reality out there. The book also includes a foreword by Sir Roger Penrose and an afterword by Dagfinn Follesdal. Foreword 6 Preface 10 Acknowledgements 14 Contents 17 About the Editors 20 Philosophy 21 1 Maps and Territories in Scientific Investigation 22 Introduction 22 Modern ‘Scientific Revolution’ 23 The Proliferation of the Sciences 26 From Territories to Mappings 29 Conclusions 30 2 On the Ontology/Epistemology Distinction 34 Ontology and Epistemology 34 Davidson and Rorty on Conceptual Schemes 39 Quine and Conceptual Schemes 43 Ajdukiewicz on Conceptual Apparatuses 47 Conclusions 49 3 *Intuition* in Classical Indian Philosophy: Laying the Foundation for a Cross-Cultural Study 53 Introduction 53 *Intuition* in 20th Century Western Psychology and Philosophy and Indian Philosophy 55 Classical Indian Pramāṇa Theory 58 The Nyāya Theory 59 The Vaiśeṣika Theory 64 A Buddhist Theory 66 The Yoga Theory 69 The Mīmāṃsā Critique 71 Comparative and Constructive Commentary 73 Concluding Remarks 83 Works Cited and Further Readings 87 4 The Map and the Territory 89 5 Iconic Representation: Maps, Pictures, and Perception 97 6 Scientific Realism in the Post-Kuhnian Times 119 Introduction: Kuhn’s Challenges to Scientific Realism 119 Structural Realists’ Responses to Kuhn’s Challenges 123 SHASR—Beyond Historicism and Structuralism 129 Concluding Remarks 139 References 140 7 Quantum Mechanics, the Manifestation of the Territory, and the Evolution of Maps 142 An Ancient Conundrum 142 Manifestation (According to Quantum Mechanics) 144 Manifestation (According to Vedanta) 145 Why the Laws of Physics Are just so 147 Supermind Versus Mind 148 Evolution 150 Map and Territory 153 References 154 Theoretical Physics 156 8 How We Make Sense of the World: Information, Map-Making, and the Scientific Narrative 157 Introduction 157 Beyond Shannon: Bringing on the Subjective 159 Epistemic Agents as Idealized Map Makers 162 From Language to Belief 164 From Belief to Information 167 Information Hidden in the World 168 Making Sense of the World: The Relevance of Scale 171 Psychophysical Foundations of Configurational Entropy 173 Concluding Remarks 175 Appendix A: Outline of Derivation of Configurational Entropy 176 References 178 9 Theories of Knowledge and Theories of Everything 180 Introduction 180 Inference Devices 182 Observation, Prediction, Recall and Control of the Physical World 182 Notation and Terminology 185 Weak Inference 186 The Two Laplace's Demon Theorems 188 Strong Inference—Inference of Entire Functions 191 Modeling the Physical Universe in Terms of Inference Devices 193 Formalization of Physical Reality Involving Inference Devices 193 Implications—How the Map Forces Itself on the Territory 196 References 198 10 Substantivalism and Relationism as Bad Cartography: Why Spatial Ontology Needs a Better Map 200 The Spatial Ontology of Newton and Leibniz 201 Substantivalism and Relationism in General Relativity 205 The Hole Argument and Sophisticated Substantivalism 206 Sophisticated Relationism 208 Conclusion 212 References 212 11 Force in Physics and in Metaphysics: A Brief History 214 Ancient Forces 216 The New Mechanical View 219 Newton on Gravity 222 Dynamism 223 Maxwell, Einstein and the Vindication of Locality 226 Time, Dimensions and Causes 231 Quantum Theory 234 Quantum Strangeness 237 Appendix: The Standard Model 241 References 244 12 Map and Territory in Physics: The Role of an Analogy in Black Hole Physics 247 Entropy 254 Experiment 255 Conclusion 256 References 257 13 Topological Foundations of Physics 258 Introduction 258 Cohomology and Invariants 260 The Idea of Motion Mechanics 266 The Idea of Fiber Bundle 269 Fiber Bundles and the New Conception of the Classical Idea of Motion 272 Cohomology and Quantization 276 Quantization as Central Extension 277 Conclusion 280 Fiber Bundles in Physics: In Perspective 281 References 283 14 Quantum Physics and Time from Inconsistent Marginals 285 References 291 15 Quantum Non-individuality: Background Concepts and Possibilities 293 Introduction 293 Quantum Mechanics, Statistics, Permutation, Identity 295 Identity, Individuality, Individuation 298 Identity 298 Individuality 302 Individuation 305 Schrödinger's Problem 307 The Metaphysics 307 Non-reflexive Logics 309 Non-individuals with Identity 312 Conclusion 315 References 316 16 Quantum Mechanics as a Semantic Problem 318 Introduction 318 Husserl’s Intuitionism 322 Derrida: There Is Nothing Outside the Text 323 Wittgenstein and the Picture Theory 327 References 333 17 Mapping Quantum Reality: What to Do When the Territory Does Not Make Sense? 335 Introduction 335 Mapping Dynamics: Random Variables 336 When the Map Fails: Contextuality 340 Alternative Mapping: Using Negative Probabilities 343 Final Remarks 349 References 350 Mathematics/Computer Science 353 18 Mathematics, Maps, and Models 354 References 364 19 A View from Space: The Foundations of Mathematics 366 Introduction 366 Foundations of Mathematics: The Global Picture 367 Historical Aside 370 Categories: The Basic Ideas 372 The Language of Arrows 375 Categories of Sets 377 HD-Categories 379 Categories, HD-Categories and the Foundations of Mathematics 382 Conclusion 383 References 383 20 Reconciling the Realist/Anti Realist Dichotomy in the Philosophy of Mathematics 385 Introduction 385 Exploring the Grey Areas: Constructing the Real Numbers 387 Constructing Objects in R 388 A Critique of Realism (Platonism) 389 A Critique of Constructionism 391 Constructionism and Pedagogy 392 Concluding Points 395 References 395 21 To the Edge of the Map 397 Consider Triangles in the Euclidean Plane, Taken Up to Similarity 400 The Mandelbrot Set 402 The Moduli Spaces Classifying Elliptic Curves 405 22 El Aleph, Or a Monster Lurks in the Belly of Computer Science 410 A Monster First Uncovered 410 Joseph K Enters the Fray 412 An Invisible Monster? 413 El Aleph, or Properties of the Counterexample Function 414 Appendix 415 References 423 23 Two Algorithms for NP-Complete Problems and Their Relevance to Economics 425 Introduction 425 A Brief Review of NP-Completeness in Economics 426 The O'Donnell Algorithm 428 Polynomial Turing Machines 428 The NP Class of Problems and the P=NP Conjecture 428 The O'Donnell Algorithm 428 Poly Machines 429 The Algorithm 429 The Coppe–cosenza Procedure 430 Construction of Matrix A 431 Construction of Matrix B 431 Construction of Matrix C 432 Ranking Techniques 432 Comparison with An Analytic Solution 433 Discussion 434 References 434 24 Building the World Out of Information and Computation: Is God a Programmer, Not a Mathematician? 436 Biology/Cognitive Science 444 25 The Invention of Consciousness 445 References 457 26 The Fantasy of First-Person Science 459 Are You Sure There Is Something Left Out? 460 David Chalmers as a Heterophenomenological Subject 468 Where’s the Program? 469 Appendix: Goldman on Heterophenomenology 472 27 Rethinking Life 478 Introduction 478 Life Itself 479 Open-Ended Evolution of Life 487 References 490 28 Genome Regulation Is All Non-local: Maps and Functions 492 Basics of Genome Design Principles and Functions 492 Genome Maintenance Is Essential for Normal Organismal Biology: Intricate Mechanisms 495 Developmental Stages and Responses to DNA Damage 496 DNA Damage Response in Gametes 497 DNA Damage Response in Pre-implanted Embryos 498 DNA Damage Response in Implanted Embryos 499 DNA Damage Response in Stem Cells 500 DNA Damage Response in Post-Mitotic Terminally Differentiated Cells 502 DNA Damage-Repair and Ageing 504 DNA Damage and Chromatin Structure 506 Concluding Thoughts 507 References 508 29 A Philosophical Perspective on a Metatheory of Biological Evolution 515 Metabiology 515 Talk Overview 515 Why Metabiology? 516 Setting the Stage for Metabiology 516 Metabiology: What Kind of Math? 517 Oracles for Uncomputable Steps 517 On Metamathematics 518 Initial Conceptual Framework 519 Interdisciplinarity 519 Fertile Interdisciplinarity 520 Unfolding Conceptual Frameworks 521 Mimetic Conceptual Framework 521 Two Definitions of Metabiology 522 Fertility at the Conceptual Level 522 Exchanging Reasoning Procedures and Epistemic Goals 523 Fertility at the Epistemic Level 524 About Creativity in Biology 524 About Creativity in Randomness 525 Metabiology in a Nutshell 525 Metabiology and the History of Ideas 526 Second Reason for the Meta in Metabiology 526 Conceptual Frameworks and Neighborhoods 527 Evolution as Increasing Information Content 529 About Exchanging Epistemic Criteria 529 Algorithmic Mutations and Biology 530 Mutation Distance and Biology 530 Oracle Acts as Environment for Organisms and Mutations 531 Other Settings for Metabiology 532 Metabiology and Digital Philosophy—What Kind of Nature-Computer? 532 Concluding Remarks 533 References 533 30 On How Epistemology and Ontology Converge Through Evolution: The Applied Evolutionary Epistemological Approach 535 Outline 535 The Map (Epistemology) and the Territory (Ontology) 536 Hierarchy and Causality Theory 538 Hierarchy Theories 539 Causality Theories 540 No First Philosophy 541 The Origin, History and Nature of Epistemology 543 The Socio-Anthropological School of Knowledge 543 The Evolutionary Epistemological Schools of Knowledge 545 Different Evolutionary Theories Engender Different Epistemologies 546 Different Evolutionary Schools 546 Varied Evolutionary Epistemologies 549 A New Cosmology 551 Thinking Through the Consequences of Symbiosis and Niche Construction for Ontological Hierarchy Theories and Causality Theories 552 Coming to Terms with an Expanding and Evolving Multiverse 557 Revising Traditional Evolutionary Epistemologies Considering the Newly Evolving Cosmology: Implications for Knowledge and Truth 559 (Holo)Bionts Are and Construct Bio-Realities 560 Epistemologies as Methodologies and Theories, the Socio-Anthropological View 560 (Holo)Bionts and the Niches They Build Are Knowledge 562 Evolved Knowledge Materializes into New Realities, Epistemology Understood as Knowledge Equals Ontology 563 Process Accounts and Recurring Patterns 564 Human Knowledge, Like All Knowledge, Evolves 565 Concluding Remarks 567 Acknowledgements 568 References 568 31 Quantum Perspectives on Evolution 572 Introduction 572 Cracking Walnuts 574 Quantum Machines 577 Non-universal Measurements 579 Context Driven Actualization of Potential 581 Missing Fossils 583 Quantum Biology 584 Quantum Cognition 587 Conceptuality Interpretation 588 Pancognitivism 589 The Reach of Evolution 591 Closing Thoughts 593 References 595 MISC 597 32 In the Deserts of Cartography: Building, Dwelling, Mapping 598 33 Territory, Geographic Information, and the Map 608 Introduction 608 The Map’s Association with Reality 610 Some Issues Regarding Map Generalization 611 Geographic Information 613 The Source of Maps and Territories 613 Territory as Source of Map 614 Map as Source of Territory 614 Map(s) as Source of Map(s) 615 Territories as Source of Territories 615 Geographic Information Systems and Science 616 Geographic Information Science (GIScience) 617 Integrating Space-Time Geographic Information with the Needs of Science and Society 619 Building a Culture of Spatial Literacy in the Digital Age 621 Conclusions 623 References 624 Afterword 627 Early Maps 627 Orienteering Maps 628 Maps and Culture 629 Maps and Thinking 629 Sec5 629 Titles in This Series 634 Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiii Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Maps and Territories in Scientific Investigation (Evandro Agazzi)....Pages 3-14 On the Ontology/Epistemology Distinction (Michele Marsonet)....Pages 15-33 *Intuition* in Classical Indian Philosophy: Laying the Foundation for a Cross-Cultural Study (Anand Jayprakash Vaidya, Purushottama Bilimoria)....Pages 35-70 The Map and the Territory (John R. Searle)....Pages 71-78 Iconic Representation: Maps, Pictures, and Perception (Tyler Burge)....Pages 79-100 Scientific Realism in the Post-Kuhnian Times (Tian Yu Cao)....Pages 101-123 Quantum Mechanics, the Manifestation of the Territory, and the Evolution of Maps (Ulrich Mohrhoff)....Pages 125-138 Front Matter ....Pages 139-139 How We Make Sense of the World: Information, Map-Making, and the Scientific Narrative (Marcelo Gleiser, Damian Sowinski)....Pages 141-163 Theories of Knowledge and Theories of Everything (David H. Wolpert)....Pages 165-184 Substantivalism and Relationism as Bad Cartography: Why Spatial Ontology Needs a Better Map (Edward Slowik)....Pages 185-198 Force in Physics and in Metaphysics: A Brief History (Barry Dainton)....Pages 199-231 Map and Territory in Physics: The Role of an Analogy in Black Hole Physics (W. G. Unruh)....Pages 233-243 Topological Foundations of Physics (Joseph Kouneiher)....Pages 245-271 Quantum Physics and Time from Inconsistent Marginals (Chiara Marletto, Vlatko Vedral)....Pages 273-280 Quantum Non-individuality: Background Concepts and Possibilities (Décio Krause, Jonas R. Becker Arenhart)....Pages 281-305 Quantum Mechanics as a Semantic Problem (Hans Herlof Grelland)....Pages 307-323 Mapping Quantum Reality: What to Do When the Territory Does Not Make Sense? (J. Acacio de Barros, Gary Oas)....Pages 325-342 Front Matter ....Pages 343-343 Mathematics, Maps, and Models (Ian Stewart)....Pages 345-356 A View from Space: The Foundations of Mathematics (Jean-Pierre Marquis)....Pages 357-375 Reconciling the Realist/Anti Realist Dichotomy in the Philosophy of Mathematics (Bharath Sriraman, Per Haavold)....Pages 377-388 To the Edge of the Map (Barry Mazur)....Pages 389-401 El Aleph, Or a Monster Lurks in the Belly of Computer Science (Francisco Antonio Doria)....Pages 403-417 Two Algorithms for NP-Complete Problems and Their Relevance to Economics (C. A. Cosenza, Francisco Antonio Doria)....Pages 419-429 Building the World Out of Information and Computation: Is God a Programmer, Not a Mathematician? (Gregory J. Chaitin)....Pages 431-438 Front Matter ....Pages 439-439 The Invention of Consciousness (Nicholas Humphrey)....Pages 441-454 The Fantasy of First-Person Science (Daniel C. Dennett)....Pages 455-473 Rethinking Life (Eörs Szathmáry)....Pages 475-488 Genome Regulation Is All Non-local: Maps and Functions (Basuthkar J. Rao)....Pages 489-511 A Philosophical Perspective on a Metatheory of Biological Evolution (Virginia M. F. G. Chaitin, Gregory J. Chaitin)....Pages 513-532 On How Epistemology and Ontology Converge Through Evolution: The Applied Evolutionary Epistemological Approach (Nathalie Gontier)....Pages 533-569 Quantum Perspectives on Evolution (Diederik Aerts, Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi)....Pages 571-595 Front Matter ....Pages 597-597 In the Deserts of Cartography: Building, Dwelling, Mapping (Robert T. Tally Jr.)....Pages 599-608 Territory, Geographic Information, and the Map (Donald G. Janelle, Michael F. Goodchild)....Pages 609-627 Back Matter ....Pages 629-641 The Map/Territory distinction is a foundational part of the scientific method and, in fact, underlies all of thought, and even reality itself. This fascinating and fundamental topic is addressed here by some of the world's leading thinkers and intellectual giants, whose accessible essays cover six and more fields of endeavor. It is imperative to distinguish the Map from the Territory when analyzing any subject, yet we often mistake the map for the territory; the meaning for the reference; a computational tool for what it computes. Representations are so handy and tempting that we often end up committing the category error of over-associating the representation with the thing it represents, so much so that the distinction between them is lost. This error, whose roots frequently lie in pedagogy, generates a plethora of paradoxes/confusions which hinder a proper understanding of the subject. What are wave functions? Fields? Forces? Numbers? Sets? Classes? Operators? Functions? Alphabets and Sentences? Are they a part of our map (theory/representation)? Or do they actually belong to the territory (reality)? A researcher, like a cartographer, clothes (or creates?) the reality by stitching together numerous co-existing maps. Is there a reality out there apart from these maps? How do these various maps interact or combine with each other to produce a coherent reality that we interact with? Or do they not? Does our brain use its own internal maps to facilitate the "physicist/mathematician" in us to construct, in turn, the maps about the external realm? If so, what is the nature of these internal maps? Are there meta-maps? Evolution definitely fences in our perception and thereby our ability to construct maps, revealing to us only those aspects beneficial for our survival. But to what extent? Is there a way out of this metaphorical Plato's cave erected around us by the nature? Alfred Korzybski once remarked "The Map is not the Territory": Join us in this journey to explore the many questions, concepts and interpretations that this claim engenders. This volume presents essays by pioneering thinkers including Tyler Burge, Gregory Chaitin, Daniel Dennett and Barry Mazur. The authors examine, from various perspectives, the complex relations between reality per se and our human descriptions of the world, as deduced in the process of scientific discovery. Are we living in Plato?s cave? If not, how far have we emerged from it? And what are the various layers of description we can apply to objects and phenomena? A simple apple, for example, can be analyzed from several viewpoints beginning with evolution and biology, all the way down its microscopic quantum mechanical components. Together, the cast of scientists and philosophers shed light on how our various theories and constructs co-exist in a patchwork to produce a seemingly coherent reality. Aficionados of philosophy as well as budding researchers will find here much food for thought as well as new and stimulating perspectives