Except, this is wrong. FEP is a tautology like Noether’s theorem. Indeed, it implies that even rocks “learn” about their environment (the temperature of the rock is the inference about the temperature of the outside environment). But Active Inference, which is a process theory of agency is far from a tautology. FEP should best be understood as a mathematical framework that “sets the stage” for Active Inference and sort of explains the nature of the objects that Active Inference operates with, but couldn’t be derived from the FEP (the FEP literature often calls Active Inference a “corollary” of the FEP, which sort of implies the contrary, which is confusing; besides, FEP and Active Inference are hopelessly confused in text and speech, especially by people who are not experts in this theory, or even by experts, but outside of papers). See this comment for further discussion.
Except, this is wrong. FEP is a tautology like Noether’s theorem. Indeed, it implies that even rocks “learn” about their environment (the temperature of the rock is the inference about the temperature of the outside environment). But Active Inference, which is a process theory of agency is far from a tautology. FEP should best be understood as a mathematical framework that “sets the stage” for Active Inference and sort of explains the nature of the objects that Active Inference operates with, but couldn’t be derived from the FEP (the FEP literature often calls Active Inference a “corollary” of the FEP, which sort of implies the contrary, which is confusing; besides, FEP and Active Inference are hopelessly confused in text and speech, especially by people who are not experts in this theory, or even by experts, but outside of papers). See this comment for further discussion.