It occurs to me that much of what is exciting about active inference is that it packages cybernetic and enactive insights into a single theory for people who have studied neither of those.
Agree — though I'm still working out the degree to which ActInf lets you step outside a dualistic view. If you're a reinforcement learning person you might well 'get' ActInf but still think of the world as a collection of objects and agents (how markov blankets are defined remains very ambiguous)
I have! I like Boyd's work and implicitly use the OODA loop often. My introduction is from a lecture his student gave. Do you have any favorite writing about the OODA loop?
I love these personal histories of the late 80s and 90s, when I was an undergrad and research assistant at CSLI, and later under Doug Lenat. Although I was really into it at the time, whole symbolic thing fizzled and I ran off to get my MBA -- how funny life can be!
This is terrific!!
It occurs to me that much of what is exciting about active inference is that it packages cybernetic and enactive insights into a single theory for people who have studied neither of those.
Agree — though I'm still working out the degree to which ActInf lets you step outside a dualistic view. If you're a reinforcement learning person you might well 'get' ActInf but still think of the world as a collection of objects and agents (how markov blankets are defined remains very ambiguous)
Well, this looks like a Wikipedia rabbit hole for me to desipher a few terms at a time, hehe.
Great interview!
Max, have you looked at the OODA loop? It's an enactive cybernetic model (for winning dogfights) which I think would be right up your street!
I have! I like Boyd's work and implicitly use the OODA loop often. My introduction is from a lecture his student gave. Do you have any favorite writing about the OODA loop?
To answer that I went to references on my weblog, https://stream.syscoi.com/?s=%22ooda+loop%22
I've learned a bit from Patrick Hoverstadt's take on the OODA loop and its connection to future environment - system 4 - systems 5 and 3 dynamics in the Viable Systems Model - but I don't think he's written much on it other than deep inclusion in www.patternsofstrategy.com (this https://www.systemspractice.org/resources/measuring-and-building-organisational-agility is good but members only - only £35 a year though!)
Main source for me has been Chet Richards and his 'Slightly East of New' blog:
https://stream.syscoi.com/2020/11/04/how-boyd-finally-got-to-the-ooda-loop-slightly-east-of-new/
https://stream.syscoi.com/2020/03/22/boyds-ooda-loop-really-final-edition-slightly-east-of-new/
https://stream.syscoi.com/2019/12/07/boyds-ooda-loop-its-not-what-you-think-chet-richards-2012/
https://stream.syscoi.com/2019/06/16/professor-daniel-bonevac-on-the-ooda-loop/
https://stream.syscoi.com/2018/03/25/what-was-boyd-thinking-slightly-east-of-newan-intellectual-history-of-the-ooda-loop-etc/
Ben Ford really good and very accessible
https://stream.syscoi.com/2019/12/31/interesting-twitter-discussion-on-ooda-loop-and-complexity-from-commandodev/
Useful as part of the Command and Control conference / discussion (Alberts etc have very useful 'edge-in' models of organisation) - and for the cybernetics connection: https://stream.syscoi.com/2023/08/15/the-dynamic-ooda-loop-amalgamating-boyds-ooda-loop-and-the-cybernetic-approach-to-command-and-control-assessment-tools-and-metrics-brehmer-2005/
And Harish Jose is brilliant - drills to the heart of things, clear, sparse
https://stream.syscoi.com/2019/11/10/the-cybernetic-aspects-of-ooda-loop/
And there's always something interesting, Soviet, and older:
https://stream.syscoi.com/2020/06/30/theory-of-functional-systems-anokhin-wikipedia/
This from Alasdair MacIntyre is pretty interesting and relevant too (1972)
https://stream.syscoi.com/2021/05/26/alasdair-macintyre-the-sources-of-unpredictability-in-human-affairs-1972-youtube/
Finally, I did a funny turn relevant to this (and David's work) for SCiO - slides and video here
https://antlerboy.medium.com/meta-contextuality-bongard-games-systems-thinking-consultancy-transformation-226b6b4341dc
I love these personal histories of the late 80s and 90s, when I was an undergrad and research assistant at CSLI, and later under Doug Lenat. Although I was really into it at the time, whole symbolic thing fizzled and I ran off to get my MBA -- how funny life can be!
Awesome stuff! Subbed!