The mind as a computational system
Christoph Adami
TL;DR
This paper discusses the conceptual view of the mind as a computational system, reflecting on philosophical and scientific ideas from the 1980s influenced by Jerry Fodor.
Contribution
It offers a philosophical perspective on the mind as a computational system, integrating ideas from philosophy, computer science, and physics from the 1980s.
Findings
Highlights the influence of Jerry Fodor on computational theories of mind
Connects philosophical ideas with computational models of cognition
Provides historical context for AI and cognitive science development
Abstract
The present document is an excerpt of an essay that I wrote as part of my application material to graduate school in Computer Science (with a focus on Artificial Intelligence), in 1986. I was not invited by any of the schools that received it, so I became a theoretical physicist instead. The essay's full title was "Some Topics in Philosophy and Computer Science". I am making this text (unchanged from 1985, preserving the typesetting as much as possible) available now in memory of Jerry Fodor, whose writings had influenced me significantly at the time (even though I did not always agree).
Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsMultidisciplinary Warburg-centric Studies · Philosophy, Science, and History · Philosophy and Theoretical Science