IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NEURAL NETWORKS, VOL. 16, NO.

2, MARCH 2005 511

Neural Networks and Intellect: Using Model-Based Concepts— mensionality of the problem, a priori knowledge, formal logic; the role
Leonid Perlovsky. (London, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2001, of fuzzy logic and required modifications needed to overcome the CC.
pp. 496, ISBN 0-19-511162-1). Reviewed by Igor Ternovskiy and This part concludes with relating mathematical and philosophical con-
John Ternovski cepts. Fuzzy logic is related to Aristotelian ideas of the workings of the
mind.
The second part of the book describes the mathematical theory
With the first few words of Neural Networks and Intellect: Using
of modeling fields; the importance of a similarity measure between
Model-Based Concepts, Leonid Perlovsky embarks on the daring task
models and data; new types of similarity measures based on the
of creating a mathematical concept of “the mind.” The content of the
likelihood and information. Chapters 5–7 consider a number of en-
book actually exceeds even the most daring of expectations. A wide
gineering problems, including prediction, pattern recognition, target
variety of concepts are linked together intertwining the development
tracking, spectrum estimation, time-frequency and multidimensional
of artificial intelligence, evolutionary computation, and even the philo-
signal processing, image understanding, fusion, and their applications
sophical observations ranging from Aristotle and Plato to Kant and
in radar systems, acoustics, and surprisingly even the stock market.
Gvdel. Perlovsky discusses fundamental questions with a number of
Significant improvement is demonstrated over the previous state of the
engineering applications to filter them through philosophical categories
art, especially in complex cases. Even though Perlovsky’s research was
(both ontological and epistemological). In such a fashion, the inner
extensively published there is much in the book to hold the attention
workings of the human mind, consciousness, language-mind relation-
of readers already familiar with his previous work. Chapter 8 dis-
ships, learning, and emotions are explored mathematically in amazing
cusses quantum computing and introduces new quantum computation
details. Perlovsky even manages to discuss the concept of beauty per-
algorithms. Chapter 9 derives a new class of Cramer–Rao bounds and
ception in mathematical terms.
discusses its relationship to fundamental information limitations on
Beginners will appreciate that Perlovsky starts with the basics. The
learning. This second part concludes with a discussion of hierarchical
first chapter contains an introduction to probability, statistics, and pat-
organization of intelligent systems. The aspects of the workings of the
tern recognition, along with the intuitive explanation of the complicated
mind are discussed in an enjoyable combination of mathematical anal-
mathematical concepts. The second chapter reviews numerous mathe-
ysis, engineering problems, linguistics, psychology, and philosophy.
matical approaches, algorithms, neural networks, and the fundamental
(Kant, Gvdel, and consciousness are discussed alongside engineering
mathematical ideas underlying each method. It analyzes fundamental
problems).
limitations of the nearest neighbor methods and the simple neural net-
The third part discusses relationships between workings of the mind,
work. Vapnik’s statistical learning theory, support vector machines, and
Gvdel theory, and the nature of consciousness. Perlovsky resolves Pen-
Grossberg’s neural field theories are clearly explained. Roles of hierar-
rose’s puzzle: he shows that limitations of formal logic demonstrated
chical organization and evolutionary computation are analyzed. Even
by Gvdel do not lead to a conclusion of uncomputability of the mind
experts in the field might find interesting the relationships among var-
operations; and he relates Gvdel’s results to combinatorial complexity
ious algorithms and approaches. Fundamental mathematical issues in-
of formal logic. The concluding chapter on consciousness addresses
clude origins of combinatorial complexity (CC) of many algorithms
Searle’s “Chinese room” paradox. Perlovsky shows why it is wrong
and neural networks (operations or training) and its relationship to di-
both philosophically and mathematically to attempt to understand the
mind within simplified paradigms, like formal logic. Combinatorial
The reviewers are with the Intelligent Optical Systems, Torrance, CA 90505 complexity of logic means that the mind is “practically infinite” math-
USA (e-mail: iternovskiy@intopsys.com). ematically; it might be computable but not logical, as many of us have
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TNN.2005.845550 always known.

1045-9227/$20.00 © 2005 IEEE

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