The body is not there to compute: Comment on "Informational embodiment: Computational role of information structure in codes and robots" by Pitti et al

TL;DR

This paper critiques the view that bodies primarily serve computational functions, emphasizing instead their roles beyond information processing in biological and robotic contexts.

Contribution

It challenges the computational perspective on bodies, proposing that their main functions extend beyond information processing and computation.

Findings

Bodies are not primarily designed for computation.

The role of bodies involves functions beyond information encoding.

Computational views may overlook other biological and functional aspects.

Abstract

Applying the lens of computation and information has been instrumental in driving the technological progress of our civilization as well as in empowering our understanding of the world around us. The digital computer was and for many still is the leading metaphor for how our mind operates. Information theory (IT) has also been important in our understanding of how nervous systems encode and process information. The target article deploys information and computation to bodies: to understand why they have evolved in particular ways (animal bodies) and to design optimal bodies (robots). In this commentary, I argue that the main role of bodies is not to compute.