How the Body Shapes the Way We Think - (Bradford Books) by Rolf Pfeifer & Josh Bongard (Paperback)

About the Book

An exploration of embodied intelligence and its implications points toward a theory of intelligence in general; with case studies of intelligent systems in ubiquitous computing, business and management, human memory, and robotics.

Book Synopsis

An exploration of embodied intelligence and its implications points toward a theory of intelligence in general; with case studies of intelligent systems in ubiquitous computing, business and management, human memory, and robotics.

How could the body influence our thinking when it seems obvious that the brain controls the body? In How the Body Shapes the Way We Think, Rolf Pfeifer and Josh Bongard demonstrate that thought is not independent of the body but is tightly constrained, and at the same time enabled, by it. They argue that the kinds of thoughts we are capable of have their foundation in our embodiment--in our morphology and the material properties of our bodies.

This crucial notion of embodiment underlies fundamental changes in the field of artificial intelligence over the past two decades, and Pfeifer and Bongard use the basic methodology of artificial intelligence--"understanding by building"--to describe their insights. If we understand how to design and build intelligent systems, they reason, we will better understand intelligence in general. In accessible, nontechnical language, and using many examples, they introduce the basic concepts by building on recent developments in robotics, biology, neuroscience, and psychology to outline a possible theory of intelligence. They illustrate applications of such a theory in ubiquitous computing, business and management, and the psychology of human memory. Embodied intelligence, as described by Pfeifer and Bongard, has important implications for our understanding of both natural and artificial intelligence.

Review Quotes

"In this thoroughly engaging and unusually wide-ranging book, Pfeifer and Bongard make the case for the central role of embodiment in understanding natural intelligence and building artificial intelligence. The body and nervous system are inseparable interacting constituents of an organism, and it is a mistake to think of the former passively obeying the commands of the latter: they operate in complex and subtle harmony. With great clarity and authority, the authors - both leading researchers in the area - map out the intellectual landscape, from biological intelligence to robotics to intelligent companies. This is an outstanding and very accessible book: without being overburdened with technical detail, the reader is taken deep into this fascinating and important subject."--Phil Husbands, Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of Sussex

" In this thoroughly engaging and unusually wide-ranging book, Pfeifer and Bongard make the case for the central role of embodiment in understanding natural intelligence and building artificial intelligence. The body and nervous system are inseparable interacting constituents of an organism, and it is a mistake to think of the former passively obeying the commands of the latter: they operate in complex and subtle harmony. With great clarity and authority, the authors & ndash; both leading researchers in the area & ndash; map out the intellectual landscape, from biological intelligence to robotics to intelligent companies. This is an outstanding and very accessible book: without being overburdened with technical detail, the reader is taken deep into this fascinating and important subject." -- Phil Husbands, Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of Sussex

" In this thoroughly engaging and unusually wide-ranging book, Pfeifer and Bongard make the case for the central role of embodiment in understanding natural intelligence and building artificial intelligence. The body and nervous system are inseparable interacting constituents of an organism, and it is a mistake to think of the former passively obeying the commands of the latter: they operate in complex and subtle harmony. With great clarity and authority, the authors – both leading researchers in the area – map out the intellectual landscape, from biological intelligence to robotics to intelligent companies. This is an outstanding and very accessible book: without being overburdened with technical detail, the reader is taken deep into this fascinating and important subject." --Phil Husbands, Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of Sussex

About the Author

Rolf Pfeifer is Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in the Department of Informatics at the University of Zurich. He is the author of Understanding Intelligence (MIT Press, 1999).