What is learning?

Learning is forming (in neural circuits, in silicon, ...) an internal model of the world. Here are some examples:

  • Mental map of the neighbourhood.
  • How actions on pedals and handlebars affect the stability of a bike.
  • Label the event of two bees spontaneously recombining into a hummingbird incredibly improbable.
  • Model of the English language.
  • Mental model of your cousin Cossandra: appearance, voice, tastes, quirks, ....
  • Cossandra

    If an aspect of reality that is not yet modelled is experienced, than our brains will try to model it. This is one aspect of learning.

  • The new model could be internal to the body, e.g. playing violin.
  • The new model could be a reflection of external reality, e.g. mapping a new neighbourhood or learning Statistics.