Probably Approximately Correct: Nature's Algorithms for Learning and Prospering in a Complex World

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Leslie Valiant

Probably Approximately Correct

Nature's Algorithms for Learning and Prospering in a Complex World

Leslie Valiant

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English

Basic Books
14 November 2014

Mathematics & Sciences; Evolution; Artificial intelligence

"From a leading computer scientist, a unifying theory that will revolutionize our understanding of how life evolves and learns.

How does life prosper in a complex and erratic world? While we know that nature follows patterns,such as the law of gravity,our everyday lives are beyond what known science can predict. We nevertheless muddle through even in the absence of theories of how to act. But how do we do it?

In

Probably Approximately Correct , computer scientist Leslie Valiant presents a masterful synthesis of learning and evolution to show how both individually and collectively we not only survive, but prosper in a world as complex as our own. The key is

probably approximately correct"" algorithms, a concept Valiant developed to explain how effective behaviour can be learned. The model shows that pragmatically coping with a problem can provide a satisfactory solution in the absence of any theory of the problem. After all, finding a mate does not require a theory of mating. Valiant's theory reveals the shared computational nature of evolution and learning, and sheds light on perennial questions such as nature versus nurture and the limits of artificial intelligence.

Offering a powerful and elegant model that encompasses life's complexity,

Probably Approximately Correct

has profound implications for how we think about behaviour, cognition, biological evolution, and the possibilities and limits of human and machine intelligence."

By: Leslie Valiant
Imprint: Basic Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 206mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 220g
ISBN: 9780465060726
ISBN 10: 0465060722
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 14 November 2014
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Ecorithms 2. Prediction and Adaptation 3. The Computable 4. Mechanistic Explanations of Nature 5. The Learnable 6. The Evolvable 7. The Deducible 8. Humans as Ecorithms 9. Machines as Ecorithms 10. Questions

Leslie Valiant is the T. Jefferson Coolidge Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is a winner of the Nevanlinna Prize from the International Mathematical Union, and the Turing Award, known as the Nobel of computing.