Introduction to Active Inference (030080-SS 2024)

In this seminar, we will read and discuss the 2022 book "Active Inference: The Free Energy Principle in Mind, Brain, and Behavior" by Thomas Parr, Giovanni Pezzulo, and Karl J. Friston. Active Inference is a theory that promises to unify the explanation of heterogeneous biological and cognitive phenomena under a single principle of free-energy minimization.This course is designed for learners of all backgrounds and assumes no prior familiarity with mathematics, statistics, or physics. The goal of the course is twofold: to introduce basic concepts of Active Inference and to provide a detailed account of the philosophical issues surrounding the Active Inference framework.