Connectionists: Brain-Mind Magazine: Vol. 6, No. 2: Table of Contents

[Juyang Weng]

Brain-Mind Magazine
Vol. 6, No. 2
Table of Contents

Front Cover              0
http://www.brain-mind-magazine.org/read.php?file=Cover-2017-V6-N2.pdf

Strong AI is Clear, Necessary, and Practical             1 - 4
by Juyang Weng
Abstract: On one hand, weak AI --- AI (Artificial Intelligence) that focuses on one narrow task --- is widespread but brittle. On the other hand, the AI Community has been continuously ignoring the fundamental advances in my group at MSU toward strong AI --- task-nonspecificity, modality-nonspecificity, auto-programming for general purposes, GENISAMA (Grounded, Emergent, Natural, Incremental, Skulled, Attentive, Motivated, Abstractive), lifetime maximum-likelihood, and Auto-Programming OS. These advances have provided surprising insight: Although we have not resolved all problems yet, strong AI is now clear and necessary not only because this is the only way for natural intelligence to emerge through lifetime but also due to compelling algorithmic and computational reasons. The good news is: Strong AI is also practical. However, the AI community is now so fragmented that every AI school ignores other AI schools. If we report our work in the venue of an AI fragment, other AI fragments will continue to ignore. This article points out that this unfortunate status quo of AI is no longer due to a lack of scientific knowledge about strong AI, but due to political reasons --- non-scientific metrics implicitly used by wide-readership journals like Science and Nature seems to be responsible for blocking our reports of above major advances. Have Science and Nature forgotten their publicly stated missions? How can AAAI, AAAS, Society for Neuroscience, Science journal, Nature journal, and government funding agencies overcome the political challenges?
Index terms: Strong AI, weak AI, system neuroscience, AAAI, AAAS, Society for Neuroscience, Science journal, Nature journal
http://www.brain-mind-magazine.org/read.php?file=BMM-2017-V6-N2-a1-Strong-AI-a.pdf

North Korea: The Importance of Reevaluation             5 - 7
by Ranadeep Mitra
Abstract: The North Korean state has long been at odds with South Korea, the United States, and their allies. The common solution to the conflict has been to enforce sanctions on North Korea to prevent them from further developing their weaponry. However, time has shown that sanctions are ineffective, harmful to civilians, and even detrimental to the prevention of war. The United States possesses the wisdom and resources to solve it. By incorporating modern psychology into the government, the United States can better understand the motivations of the North Korean state and find alternative and more effective methods of ending this long-standing conflict. There is no easy or quick course of action and there will be many obstacles in the future. However, no ideology is set in stone. Just as the United States can evolve with the modern world, so can the North Korean regime, but only if we take the steps necessary to prevent war. It is critical that we reevaluate our stance on the conflict using modern science so that we can ensure the security of the United States and bring peace to the Korean peninsula.
Index terms: North Korea, Kim Jong-un, sanctions, conflict, war, peace, psychology
http://www.brain-mind-magazine.org/read.php?file=BMM-2017-V6-N2-a2-North-Korea-a.pdf

Brain Stories 7: What Fudan University Owes Us             8 - 10
by Brian N. Huang
Abstract: Fudan University is arguably the ``best'' university in Shanghai, China. Like all other major universities in China, Fudan University has given its undergraduates higher education --- a great treasure of life. The author was a student of the class of '77, the first class of the entrance examination after the Cultural Revolution. This story talks about a naive mind, a naive curriculum. It raises a question that is highly controversial: It is like if the mother was poor, why do you ask what your mother owed you?
Index terms: Education, political science, curriculum, science and technology
http://www.brain-mind-magazine.org/read.php?file=BMM-2017-V6-N2-a3-Brain7-Fudan-a.pdf

Power Corrupts             11 - 12
by J. Arden Knoll
Abstract: Power corrupts those who have it, and China's President, Xi Jinping, individually holds the most unchecked power among the world's leaders. During a recent visit to China, President Donald Trump admitted to Xi Jinping's incredible amount of power compared to past Chinese rulers. His statement carries a lot of weight, as China is a continuously growing superpower. Ultimately, Xi Jinping's Government continues to become more corrupt and China and the rest of the world will soon have to face the consequences.
Index terms: Superpower, Communist Party, checks and balances
http://www.brain-mind-magazine.org/read.php?file=BMM-2017-V6-N2-a4-PowerCorrupts-a.pdf

Back Cover              13
http://www.brain-mind-magazine.org/read.php?file=CoverBack-2017-10-26.pdf