12 octobre 2012 : séminaire dans le cadre du "Global Brain Intsitute" et du "Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group" de Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Entrée libre

Simplicity Theory: Why did human brains specialize in detecting abnormal order?
Jean-Louis Dessalles (School of Telecom ParisTech)

Human beings devote some two hours each day on average to reporting events, through conversational narratives. This behaviour is unique in the animal kingdom. Simplicity Theory offers a formal characterization of what makes an event narratable. Interesting events (exceptions, deviations from norms, coincidences, rarities, emotional situations...) all share the property of offering abnormal order: they are less complex than anticipated. Complexity drop (simplicity) seems to be a key determining factor, not only of interest, but also of aesthetics and of emotional intensity. Why did human beings evolve a sense of simplicity?

Simplicity Theory: Why did human brains specialize in detecting abnormal order? (PART I) from Fondation Telecom on Vimeo.

Simplicity Theory: Why did human brains specialize in detecting abnormal order? (PART II: Q&A) from Fondation Telecom on Vimeo.

---