The frame problem: what it is and what it tells us about the human mind.

This topic in philosophy shows why the human mind is unique.

The frame problem is a term that, as its words indicate, refers to a problem that is not yet is a term that, as its words indicate, refers to a problem that is still unsolved in the area of cognitive science, philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence.

The attempt to solve this problem has been relevant for a good part of the previous disciplines, whose boom has extended since the end of the 20th century. In the following we will see what the "framework problem" consists of, from which philosophical and scientific approaches an attempt has been made to solve it, and why it has been relevant for cognitive psychology.

The frame problem: how do we execute a task?

Among the many things that philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence have studied is the how humans have the ability to discriminate between different options when we have to solve a problem. when we have to provide a solution to a problem. This has also led them to wonder why it has not yet been possible to get a machine to respond in the same way.

Differentiating between different alternatives or possibilities, and then selecting the one that best suits the circumstances of the task we are about to perform, is something that only human beings can do.

In other words, to be able to perform a task, the first thing we do is to understand the situation where the task is to be carried out. This implies considering the possible consequences of the action we are about to perform, since it can always have side effects (effects that could prevent us from reaching the main objective).

The latter is something we humans do almost automatically, without realizing it. However, it involves a series of very complex cognitive tools that have not been possible to reproduce in computational systems until now.

This is because, although a computer can be programmed to respond in a specific way to a task, that programming cannot be flexible enough, that programming cannot be sufficiently flexible or voluntary to discern between different to discern between different options and decide what is the priority or most prudent according to the situation.

We cannot anticipate everything

The framework problem arises in a context where there are many attempts to understand and respond to the process described above. It is a problem that refers to many other doubts about the functioning of the human mind. about the functioning of the human mindHowever, one of these doubts that has been crucial is precisely the reflection on how the effects of an action can be represented without having to make explicit or foresee all the effects that may derive from that action (since this is impossible even for humans).

Although the framework problem can encompass different reflections, depending on the discipline that tries to solve it, we can say in broad terms that it is about how the human mind determines the relevance of information at the time of carrying out a specific task.

It is a problem that ponders the idea that not everything can be anticipated with certainty. Actions have a series of contingencies, of unexpected events that we cannot know in advance whether they will affect us or not. whether they will affect us or not. In other words, although we can evaluate the consequences that each decision might have, our actions have limits and effects that we cannot predict or control. Reflecting on the side effects of a task is something that may never end.

For that very reason, we have not been able to program a machine to develop the ability to discriminate between alternatives and their side effects, and at the same time execute an action at the time and in the way we expect.

This is also why the framework problem was initially posed by the cognitive sciences, but quickly moved to the but quickly moved to the field of artificial intelligence, logic and philosophy of mind..

Its importance in the cognitive sciences

In the field of study of cognitive sciences, the framework problem has focused on understanding how we carry out some automatic tasks necessary for our survival, such as making inferences, reasoning, solving problems, discerning between alternatives, making decisions, among others.

Providing answers to this problem is one of the main and most promising tasks of cognitive sciences today. In fact, there are those who consider that if this problem were not solved, these sciences would have limited progress, the progress of these sciences would be limited..

It is for this reason that the frame problem continues to be a topic of many philosophical and scientific debates. However, the frame problem has many connotations, which depend on the theory or discipline that addresses it and tries to solve it. For example, it may have different answers in logic, in epistemology, or metaphysics.

Bibliographical references:

• Silenzi, M. (2015). What is the framework problem? Confluences between different interpretations. Eidos, 22: 49-80.
• Silenzi, M. (2014). The duality of the Frame Problem: On interpretations and resolutions. Tópicos (Mexico). 47: 89-112
• Silenzi, M. (2011). The frame problem and research in the Cognitive Sciences. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Department of Humanities. Retrieved May 22, 2018. Available at http://repositoriodigital.uns.edu.ar/handle/123456789/2758
• The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2016). The Frame Problem. Retrieved May 22, 2018. Available at https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/frame-problem/