In investigating that question, we come to grips with the nature of information, computation, perception, action, memory, learning, reasoning, language and communication, both as they are modeled in abstract mathematical terms and as they are embodied in material processes.

COGS 001 will introduce students to basic mathematical concepts and techniques from areas such as information theory, formal language theory, learning theory and game theory, and will show how these concepts and techniques can be applied to selected problems in cognitive modeling.

We plan ten modules, on the topics of

(1) information theory
(2) models of computation
(3) neuroscience
(4) evolution
(5) perception and action
(6) memory and knowledge representatio
(7) learning
(8) reasoning and inference
(9) game theory
(10) language and communication.

At the end, we will survey some of the more interesting current engineering applications, and put the course material into a philosophical and historical frame.