https://www.dropbox.com/s/d4yznf0v2e71ksw/Sep11EarlyMorning....
- that hand-drawn figure needs sorting
- no references?
- for a review copy, 1.5-spacing and wide margins, for a "readable" copy, rework the typography, no underlining, no ragged-right etc.
As to the literature for machine learning, I currently do not understand the state of the art. My understanding of the models is that they are systems of neural networks with varying degrees of complexity, but in essence are still neural networks (without A^ as described). I would need to read more on the literature or talk to someone who has as it's a complicated field. One issue is that I don't know that there is any one right model or system of neural networks that has been shown to work - some apparently do and some don't and it's been more of an experimental approach. So who to cite? Navigating the literature may be difficult.
For most journals, submission is free and open to everyone. In particular, being an academic yourself is not a requirement. Of course, there are well-documented biases in the peer review system (some of which are indirect, like your background and writing style being different from that of the in-group). As a consequence your paper will start with a very heavy handicap.
However, since your objective is to get reviewed (not necessarily accepted/published in a prestigious journal), your objective should only be for your paper to be sent to peer reviewers. In other words, you only need to pass the first filter (the editor), which can already be a high bar for an outsider, but a much lower one than acceptance. If the reviewers then recommend rejection, then fine, at least you will get feedback because reviewers are typically requested to write a fairly detailed justifying report.
Here is a list of journals that may be relevant. Please send your manuscript to only one at a time, and only attempt another one after rejection. Simultaneous submission is regarded as very unethical.
Minds and Machines: https://www.springer.com/journal/11023
Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence: https://www.mcmp.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/research/phil_a...
The AI Ethics Journal: https://www.aiethicsjournal.org/
Artificial Intelligence and Philosophy: https://www.omicsonline.org/scholarly/artificial-intelligenc...
Philosophies: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/philosophies
Regarding the paper itself, it is outside of my field of expertise, so I can only comment on the overall presentation... which is important if you want to convince the editor that its looks serious enough to warrant the effort of finding reviewers. I would advise removing everything from the first page except the title and abstract: the caveats, inspirations, apologies and thanks sections look unprofessional. Also, I could not find a discernible conclusion section. You do need to cite previous work (with a bibliography at the end of the paper). After you select the journal, look at a few papers published there, and emulate their structure. This will greatly improve your chances of getting past the editor and into proper peer review. (Editor rejections usually come with very limited justifications.)
Good luck!
I hadn't know about these journals though so that's a definite plus. I'll keep them in mind when looking where to submit. I should also mention my aim isn't to publish per se, but to know whether I'm right. I don't know if publishing the results exclusively (if they are significant) would be ethical.
Thanks for the detailed reply!