Artificiality
Artificiality (the state of being artificial or anthropogenic) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity.
Connotations
Artificiality often carries with it the implication of being false, counterfeit, or deceptive. The philosopher Aristotle wrote in his Rhetoric:
Naturalness is persuasive, artificiality is the contrary; for our hearers are prejudiced and think we have some design against them, as if we were mixing their wines for them. It is like the difference between the quality of Theodorus' voice and the voices of all other actors: his really seems to be that of the character who is speaking, theirs do not.[1]
However, artificiality does not necessarily have a negative
Distinguishing natural objects from artificial objects
It is generally possible for humans, and in some instances, for computers,[4] to distinguish natural from artificial environments. The artificial environment tends to have more physical regularity both spatially and over time, with natural environments tending to have both irregular structures and structures that change over time.[5] However, on close observation it is possible to discern some mathematical structures and patterns in natural environments, which can then be replicated to create an artificial environment with a more natural appearance.[5]
For example, by identifying and imitating natural means of
See also
References
- ^ Aristotle, Rhetoric, (2004, Dover Publications, W.D. Ross, translator), p. 121.
- ^ a b Herbert A. Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial (1996), p. 4.
- ^ Qinglai Sheng, Philosophical Papers (1993), p. 342.
- ^ See generally, E. P. Baltsavias, A. Gruen, L. VanGool, Automatic Extraction of Man-made Objects from Aerial and Space Images, Volume 3 (2001).
- ^ a b Herman Kaken, "Recognition of Natural and Artificial Environments by Computers: Commonalities and Differences", in Juval Portugali, Complex Artificial Environments (2006), p. 31-48.
- ^ Greg Turk, Reaction–Diffusion
- S2CID 207162368.