Book contents
- The Intelligence of Intuition
- The Intelligence of Intuition
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1 We Know More Than We Can Tell
- Part I The War on Intuition
- Part II Intuition and Its Intelligence
- Chapter 5 Heuristics: The Tools of Intuition
- Chapter 6 Embodied Heuristics
- Chapter 7 Moral Intuition
- Chapter 8 Simple Heuristics to Run a Research Group
- References
- Index
Chapter 6 - Embodied Heuristics
from Part II - Intuition and Its Intelligence
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 September 2023
- The Intelligence of Intuition
- The Intelligence of Intuition
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1 We Know More Than We Can Tell
- Part I The War on Intuition
- Part II Intuition and Its Intelligence
- Chapter 5 Heuristics: The Tools of Intuition
- Chapter 6 Embodied Heuristics
- Chapter 7 Moral Intuition
- Chapter 8 Simple Heuristics to Run a Research Group
- References
- Index
Summary
Intelligence evolved to cope with situations of uncertainty generated by nature, predators, and the behavior of conspecifics. To this end, humans and other animals acquired special abilities, including heuristics that allow for swift action in face of scarce information. In this chapter, I introduce the concept of embodied heuristics, that is, innate or learned rules of thumb that exploit evolved sensory and motor abilities in order to facilitate superior decisions. I provide a case study of the gaze heuristic, which solves coordination problems from intercepting prey to catching a fly ball. Various species have adapted this heuristic to their specific sensorimotor abilities, such as vision, echolocation, running, and flying. Humans have enlisted it for solving tasks beyond its original purpose, a process akin to exaptation. The gaze heuristic also made its way into rocket technology. I propose a systematic study of embodied heuristics as a research framework for situated cognition and embodied bounded rationality.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Intelligence of Intuition , pp. 109 - 124Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023