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Observation levels and units of time: A critical analysis of the main assumption of the theory of the artificial

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Abstract

Negrotti's theory of the artificial is based on the fundamental assumption that the human being cannot select more than one observation level per unit of time. Since this assumption has important consequences for the theory of knowledge — knowledge cannot be synthesised but only further differentiated — its plausibility is tested against two aspects that characterise any theory of knowledge: knowledge production and knowledge application. The way in which the human being produces and applies knowledge is analysed, and a model of mind based on the transitoriness of its elements is proposed. The analysis confirms that only one observation level can be selected per unit of time.

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  1. IMES-LCA, University of Urbino, Via Saffi 15, 61029, Urbino(PS), Italy

    Giorgio Marchetti

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  1. Giorgio Marchetti
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Correspondence to Giorgio Marchetti.

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Marchetti, G. Observation levels and units of time: A critical analysis of the main assumption of the theory of the artificial. AI & Soc 14, 331–347 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01205515

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