Is "fear" the correct word?
DISCLAIMER: what follows is my own opinion. IANA boffin, theoretician, psychologist, etc, nor do I lay claim to the appropriate credentials/education/training to speak on such matters with authority. I'm just a regular bloke with questions, trying to broaden my own personal horizons. That being said...
Is "fear" really the correct word to use here? I accept that it's a convenient shortcut to promote brevity and understanding but I wonder if it leads to oversimplification. It seems to me* that in order to truly "fear," some level of self-awareness is required. It is true that a cornered animal might attack if threatened but is that truly FEAR or merely instinct for survival. And if the latter, where is the line and how broad the grey area between the two?
To my limited understanding, actual emotional "fear" implies conscious thought - not necessarily rational but conscious thought - about the situation and the consequences of potential outcomes. For example, I fear death by drowning or burning, two particularly unpleasant forms of demise. I do not fear burning my hand in a candle flame. I have learned via experience that putting my hand in candle flame causes pain and damage and therefore I should not do that. Is that truly "fear" or merely a learned response. The article speaks of risk/reward and risk/consequence. These certainly seem valid discussion points and tools for machine learning but I don't know that I'd call the learned response "fear."
* remember, I did state at the outset this is my opinion - and quest for further illumination. Please don't be too harsh.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
