Unlimited Associative Learning and the origins of consciousness: a primer and some predictions.
Jonathan Birch, Simona Ginsburg, Eva Jablonka
Biology & Philosophy December 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1007/s10539-020-09772-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Consciousness Evolutionary transitions Transition marker Unlimited associative learning |
| Key points | Argues that a distinctive type of learning, Unlimited Associative Learning (UAL), can serve as a transition marker for the evolutionary transition from non-conscious to conscious life, and presents the framework's key claims and empirical predictions to stimulate discussion. |
Abstract
Over the past two decades, Ginsburg and Jablonka have developed a novel approach to studying the evolutionary origins of consciousness: the Unlimited Associative Learning (UAL) framework. The central idea is that there is a distinctive type of learning that can serve as a transition marker for the evolutionary transition from non-conscious to conscious life. The goal of this paper is to stimulate discussion of the framework by providing a primer on its key claims (Part I) and a clear statement of its main empirical predictions (Part II).
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