Matter, Mind and Mechanics New models for dynamogenesis and rationality Synopsis of The Mechanical Foundations of Psychology and Economics

The mathematical concepts of modern axiomatic rational mechanics apply more broadly than generally recognized, in that formal mechanical concepts apply directly and with slight adaptations to certain psychological and economic systems as well the familiar physical applications. These nonphysical applications provide new means for characterizing realistic notions of economic rationality and limits on reasoning abilities, translate psychology and economics into studies of new types of mechanical materials, and open traditional informal philosophical conceptions of materialism and dualism to new avenues of mathematical and experimental investigation. This semi-formal article, which summarizes a detailed book-length formal treatment [13], briefly sketches modern mechanics, the adaptation of mechanical axioms to cover hybrid and discrete systems, an illustrative formalization of a representative rational psychological system from artificial intelligence, and the new perspective on psychology and economics, along with reflections on related issues in mechanical computation and biology.