Re: virus: Rationality

Dave Pape (davepape@dial.pipex.com)
Wed, 26 Feb 1997 23:16:20 GMT

At 19:24 24/02/97 -0500, Alex wrote:
>> Those animals, /those animals' nervous systems/, aren't rational. Their
>> behaviour LOOKS rational, looks reasoned, looks as though it could have been
>> logically decided on. But I don't think it is.
>
>I believe I disagree that behaviour has to arise from a logical,
>rational process for it to be `rational behaviour.' As long as it
>conforms to the /observers'/ pre-generated expectation tolerance
>within certain parameters, it can quite easily /be/ rational.

1 If this is your definition of rational behaviour, then I'd agree
with you. I was attacking the idea that brains process ideas in a logical
way... I had a bit of a problem working out whether to talk about rational
behaviour at all, because I was thinking about David MacFad's "animals that
eat are rational" post (that's a very scrappy quote, sorry if it's hideously
inaccurate), and was kind of suspecting that he might mean rational in a
sort of perceivedy sort of way.

2 Ready!

Dave Pape
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