Mechanistic and ecological explanations in agent-based models of cognition

We argue that two styles of explanation—mechanistic and ecological—are needed in accounting for the behaviour of synthetic agents. An emphasis on mechanistic explanation in some current ALife models is identified, and parallels are drawn with issues in the philosophy of mind literature. We conclude that ecological or agent-level explanation does not come with representational baggage, and that mechanistic ex-planations cannot stand alone. Explaining the behaviour of artificial agents This paper is concerned with the ways in which artificial life researchers explain the behaviour of their evolved agents. We see a role for both mechanistic explanations, and eco-logical or agent-level explanations. In a mechanistic expla-nation, the agent is accounted for by showing how its com