Establishing the Phenomenological Conditions of Intention-like Goal-oriented Behavior

Introduction This essay will explore the space between mathematical realism and anti-realism, while also providing a possible answer to the "mindlessness" of natural (not necessarily mathematical) laws (Field, 1982). We will also consider biologically-inspired models of physical systems, as well as consider intentionlike goal-oriented behavior in the context of combinatorial representations. To set the mood, we must recognize that mathematical formulations are simply cultural constructs, and that lawlike behavior is something that is often beyond the scope of formal mathematical language. Statistical regularities, such as they are, serve only as a heuristic for building mathematical equations and lawful relationships. One consequence of this non-traditional view of mathematical laws is that I will sometimes present statistical regularities as laws, such as Fitts’ Law and the Law of Requisite Variety. For lack of a better semantic framework, we can consider all such laws as the statistical regularities or invariant features of a system exhibiting intentionality and goal-directed behavior.