Comments on: E. Broaddus on the detection of agency and intentionality http://evolutionanddesign.blogsome.com/2006/08/18/e-broaddus-on-the-detection-of-agency-and-intentionality/ The weblog of BioEE 467, Summer 2006, Cornell University Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: teleologist http://evolutionanddesign.blogsome.com/2006/08/18/e-broaddus-on-the-detection-of-agency-and-intentionality/#comment-1702 Sun, 03 Sep 2006 14:22:48 +0100 http://evolutionanddesign.blogsome.com/2006/08/18/e-broaddus-on-the-detection-of-agency-and-intentionality/#comment-1702 Prof. Allen MacNeill has been arguing on his blog, that Intelligent Design Theorists (IDT) have fallen into the fallacy of inferring design to objects that in actuality, have no teleology at all. He hypothesizes the vertebrate mind is composed of modules. One of these modules is a highly effective intentionality detector. In support of this argument, he uses an example from his student’s paper in the Cornell ID class. Allen writes, As Broaddus points out, one of the side-effects of such an “agency detector” would be the detection of intentionality in entities that clearly had no such intentions. If, for example, one of the most important functions of such a detector in humans is to quickly “read” and assess the intentions betrayed in human facial expressions, then it would almost certainly detect human facial expressions in objects in the environment that clearly do not have such expressions, such as rocks, foliage, water stains, etc Allen continues his argument with this example. <a href="http://teleological.org/WPblog/2006/09/03/evolutionary-psychology-explains-intelligent-design/#more-238" rel="nofollow">(more…)</a> Prof. Allen MacNeill has been arguing on his blog, that Intelligent Design Theorists (IDT) have fallen into the fallacy of inferring design to objects that in actuality, have no teleology at all. He hypothesizes the vertebrate mind is composed of modules. One of these modules is a highly effective intentionality detector.

In support of this argument, he uses an example from his student’s paper in the Cornell ID class. Allen writes,

As Broaddus points out, one of the side-effects of such an “agency detector” would be the detection of intentionality in entities that clearly had no such intentions. If, for example, one of the most important functions of such a detector in humans is to quickly “read” and assess the intentions betrayed in human facial expressions, then it would almost certainly detect human facial expressions in objects in the environment that clearly do not have such expressions, such as rocks, foliage, water stains, etc

Allen continues his argument with this example. (more…)

]]> by: Gabriel Harp http://evolutionanddesign.blogsome.com/2006/08/18/e-broaddus-on-the-detection-of-agency-and-intentionality/#comment-1699 Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:20:00 +0100 http://evolutionanddesign.blogsome.com/2006/08/18/e-broaddus-on-the-detection-of-agency-and-intentionality/#comment-1699 You might also check out some of Psychologist Margret Evans' work at the University of Michigan including this: Evans, E. M. (2001). Cognitive and contextual factors in the emergence of diverse belief systems: Creation versus evolution. Cognitive Psychology, 42, 217-266 pdfs are available at her site: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~evansem/ You might also check out some of Psychologist Margret Evans’ work at the University of Michigan including this:

Evans, E. M. (2001). Cognitive and contextual factors in the emergence of diverse belief systems: Creation versus evolution. Cognitive Psychology, 42, 217-266

pdfs are available at her site:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~evansem/

]]> by: RBH http://evolutionanddesign.blogsome.com/2006/08/18/e-broaddus-on-the-detection-of-agency-and-intentionality/#comment-1690 Sat, 19 Aug 2006 11:53:54 +0100 http://evolutionanddesign.blogsome.com/2006/08/18/e-broaddus-on-the-detection-of-agency-and-intentionality/#comment-1690 Dan wrote<blockquote>That some of us are more predisposed than others to such perceptional biases does make a lot of sense.</blockquote>Supposing for the moment that there is some sort of 'agency detector", while I don't doubt that there are individual differences in the 'setting' of the perceptual threshold for tripping the detector, I suspect that individual differences would derive more from a cognitive overlay that incorporates more information than just the detector output. That's getting ahead of oneself, though. <a href="http://artsci.wustl.edu/~pboyer/PBoyerHomeSite/index.html" rel="nofollow">Pascal Boyer's work, whose 2001 book Broaddus referenced, has done some neuro work on the question of agency-detection and religion which looks like a decent start. </a> Dan wrote
That some of us are more predisposed than others to such perceptional biases does make a lot of sense.
Supposing for the moment that there is some sort of ‘agency detector”, while I don’t doubt that there are individual differences in the ’setting’ of the perceptual threshold for tripping the detector, I suspect that individual differences would derive more from a cognitive overlay that incorporates more information than just the detector output.

That’s getting ahead of oneself, though. Pascal Boyer’s work, whose 2001 book Broaddus referenced, has done some neuro work on the question of agency-detection and religion which looks like a decent start.

]]> by: Dan http://evolutionanddesign.blogsome.com/2006/08/18/e-broaddus-on-the-detection-of-agency-and-intentionality/#comment-1689 Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:41:36 +0100 http://evolutionanddesign.blogsome.com/2006/08/18/e-broaddus-on-the-detection-of-agency-and-intentionality/#comment-1689 Allen, You won't get much argument from me that Ms. Broaddus' paper was outstanding - I too have long been astounded that IDers can make analogies to Mt. Rushmore and hypothetical "Black obelisks on Mars" with a straight face. That some of us are more predisposed than others to such perceptional biases does make a lot of sense. Allen,
You won’t get much argument from me that Ms. Broaddus’ paper was outstanding - I too have long been astounded that IDers can make analogies to Mt. Rushmore and hypothetical “Black obelisks on Mars” with a straight face. That some of us are more predisposed than others to such perceptional biases does make a lot of sense.

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