In this engaging discussion, Dr. Maxwell Ramstead, Director of Research at VERSES and a thought leader on the intersection of math, physics, and philosophy, explores the intriguing free energy principle. He explains how this paradigm shifts our understanding of survival, emphasizing the need for systems to minimize 'surprise' to maintain order. Topics span cognition, the role of philosophy in science, and the ethical implications for AI development. Ramstead also delves into complex concepts like Markov blankets and generative models, uncovering their relevance to understanding existence.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Ramstead's Academic Journey
Maxwell Ramstead's interest in finding exact answers to profound questions led him to study philosophy, math, and physics.
Discovering the free energy principle connected all his interests, leading to a PhD with Karl Friston.
insights INSIGHT
Free Energy Principle: An Inversion
The free energy principle inverts the survival question: given existence, what must systems do?
Systems minimize "surprise" by matching internal states with anticipated states based on a world model.
insights INSIGHT
Markov Blankets and Stability
Markov blankets define boundaries between a system's internal and external states, enabling stability amidst flux.
They are not sharp, precise lines, but rather fuzzy regions that allow for interaction and change.
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Predictive Brains, Situated Agents, and the Future of Cognitive Science
Andy Clark
In 'Whatever Next?', Andy Clark examines the concept of the brain as a hierarchical prediction machine, discussing how this model unifies perception and action. The book explores the implications of this approach for understanding cognitive processes and its potential to shape a unified science of mind and action.
Principia mathematica
Alfred North Whitehead
Bertrand Russell
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mlst
Discord: https://discord.gg/ESrGqhf5CB
Join us for a fascinating discussion of the free energy principle with Dr. Maxwell Ramsted, a leading thinker exploring the intersection of math, physics, and philosophy and Director of Research at VERSES. The FEP was proposed by renowned neuroscientist Karl Friston, this principle offers a unifying theory explaining how systems maintain order and their identity.
The free energy principle inverts traditional survival logic. Rather than asking what behaviors promote survival, it queries - given things exist, what must they do? The answer: minimizing free energy, or "surprise." Systems persist by constantly ensuring their internal states match anticipated states based on a model of the world. Failure to minimize surprise leads to chaos as systems dissolve into disorder.
Thus, the free energy principle elucidates why lifeforms relentlessly model and predict their surroundings. It is an existential imperative counterbalancing entropy. Essentially, this principle describes the mind's pursuit of harmony between expectations and reality. Its relevance spans from cells to societies, underlying order wherever longevity is found.
Our discussion explores the technical details and philosophical implications of this paradigm-shifting theory. How does it further our understanding of cognition and intelligence? What insights does it offer about the fundamental patterns and properties of existence? Can it precipitate breakthroughs in disciplines like neuroscience and artificial intelligence?
Dr. Ramstead completed his Ph.D. at McGill University in Montreal, Canada in 2019, with frequent research visits to UCL in London, under the supervision of the world’s most cited neuroscientist, Professor Karl Friston (UCL).
YT version: https://youtu.be/8qb28P7ksyE
https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=ILpGOMkAAAAJ&hl=frhttps://spatialwebfoundation.org/team/maxwell-ramstead/https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwell-ramstead-43a1991b7/https://twitter.com/mjdramstead
VERSES AI: https://www.verses.ai/
Intro: Tim Scarfe (Ph.D)
Interviewer: Keith Duggar (Ph.D MIT)
TOC:
0:00:00 - Tim Intro
0:08:10 - Intro and philosophy
0:14:26 - Intro to Maxwell
0:18:00 - FEP
0:29:08 - Markov Blankets
0:51:15 - Verses AI / Applications of FEP
1:05:55 - Potential issues with deploying FEP
1:10:50 - Shared knowledge graphs
1:14:29 - XRisk / Ethics
1:24:57 - Strength of Verses
1:28:30 - Misconceptions about FEP, Physics vs philosophy/criticism
1:44:41 - Emergence / consciousness
References:
Principia Mathematica
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30567249049
Andy Clark's paper "Whatever Next? Predictive Brains, Situated Agents, and the Future of Cognitive Science" (Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2013)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23663408/
"Math Does Not Represent" by Erik Curiel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA_T20HAzyY
A free energy principle for generic quantum systems (Chris Fields et al)
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2112.15242.pdf
Designing explainable artificial intelligence with active inference
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.04025
Am I Self-Conscious? (Friston)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00579/full
The Meta-Problem of Consciousness
https://philarchive.org/archive/CHATMO-32v1
The Map-Territory Fallacy Fallacy
https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.06924
A Technical Critique of Some Parts of the Free Energy Principle - Martin Biehl et al
https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.06408
WEAK MARKOV BLANKETS IN HIGH-DIMENSIONAL, SPARSELY-COUPLED RANDOM DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS - DALTON A R SAKTHIVADIVEL
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2207.07620.pdf
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