Minds and Computers An Introduction to the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

by Carter, Matt

• ISBN13: 9780748620999
• ISBN10: 0748620990
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-02-13
• Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Summary

Could a computer have a mind? What kind of machine would this be? Exactly what do we mean by "mind" anyway?The notion of the "intelligent'"machine, while continuing to feature in numerous entertaining and frightening fictions, has also been the focus of a serious and dedicated research tradition. Reflecting on these fictions, and on the research tradition that pursues "Artificial Intelligence", raises a number of vexing philosophical issues. Minds and Computersoffers an engaging, coherent, and highly approachable interdisciplinary introduction to the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence.Readers are presented with introductory material from each of the disciplines which constitute Cognitive Science: Philosophy, Neuroscience, Psychology, Computer Science, and Linguistics. Throughout, readers are encouraged to consider the implications of this disparate and wide-ranging material for the possibility of developing machines with minds. And they can expect to develop a foundation for philosophically responsible engagement with A.I., a sound understanding of Philosophy of Mind and of computational theory, and a good feel for cross-disciplinary analysis.Features:*A solid foundation in the Philosophy of Mind*A broadly interdisciplinary purview*A directed philosophical focus*A clear and accessible explanation of technical material with abundant exercises*A glossary of terms

Author Biography

Matt Carter is a Fellow of the Philosophy Department at Melbourne University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Dualism	p. 4
Substance Dualism	p. 4
Cartesian Dualism	p. 5
Positive Arguments for Cartesian Dualism	p. 5
The Argument from Religion	p. 6
The Argument from Introspective Appearance	p. 7
The Argument from Essential Properties	p. 8
Arguments against Cartesian Dualism	p. 9
The Problem of Other Minds	p. 9
Ockham's Razor	p. 10
The Problem of Interaction	p. 11
Other Dualisms	p. 12
Parallelism	p. 12
Occasionalism	p. 13
Epiphenomenalism	p. 13
Anomalous Monism	p. 14
Behaviourism	p. 15
Early Empirical Psychology	p. 15
Physiological Psychology	p. 16
Introspectionist Psychology	p. 17
Psychological Behaviourism	p. 20
Philosophical Behaviourism	p. 23
Objections to Philosophical Behaviourism	p. 24
Neuroanatomy	p. 27
Macro-Neuroanatomy	p. 27
Micro-Neuroanatomy	p. 32
Australian Materialism	p. 35
The Causal Theory of Mind	p. 36
The Identity Theory	p. 37
Arguments against Australian Materialism	p. 38
What Mary Didn't Know	p. 42
Functionalism	p. 44
Functional Definition	p. 44
A Black Box Theory	p. 45
Qualia Objections	p. 48
Formal Systems	p. 52
Effectivity	p. 53
States and Rules	p. 57
Specification	p. 58
Generation and Derivation	p. 61
Generation Trees	p. 64
Formality and Isomorphism	p. 67
Computability	p. 70
Register Machines	p. 70
Programs	p. 71
Running a Program	p. 73
Computation	p. 75
Computable Functions	p. 76
Building Programs	p. 79
Universal Machines	p. 85
Church/Turing Thesis	p. 86
Godel Coding	p. 88
A Universal Machine	p. 92
Computationalism	p. 94
What Computationalism Isn't	p. 95
Software and Wetware	p. 99
Variation	p. 101
Learning	p. 103
Creativity	p. 106
Attributing Mentality	p. 108
Search	p. 113
Top Down, Bottom Up	p. 113
Breadth Versus Depth	p. 115
Heuristic Search	p. 117
Games	p. 122
A Simple Game	p. 122
Minimax	p. 125
Pruning	p. 127
Humans Versus Computers	p. 128
Machine Reasoning	p. 132
Logic and Deduction	p. 132
Conditionality and Predication	p. 134
Kinship	p. 137
Expert Systems	p. 141
Machines and Language	p. 145
Interpreting Language	p. 145
Generative Grammar	p. 149
Phrase Structure Trees	p. 150
Computing Language	p. 152
Human Reasoning	p. 154
Following Logically	p. 156
Rational Performance	p. 157
Mental Models	p. 160
Explanatory Burden	p. 161
Human Language	p. 164
Obstruent Phonemes	p. 165
Sonorant Phonemes	p. 167
Allophones and Phonetic Realisation	p. 170
First-Language Acquisition	p. 172
Language and Rules	p. 173
Meaning	p. 175
The Chinese Room	p. 175
Syntax and Semantics	p. 177
Representation	p. 181
Intentionality	p. 181
Categories and Content	p. 183
Symbols and Patterns	p. 184
Cognitive Architecture	p. 185
Artificial Neural Networks	p. 187
Connectionist Architecture	p. 187
Simple Artificial Neural Networks	p. 189
Synthesising Speech	p. 191
Learning	p. 196
Pattern Recognition	p. 198
Two Paradigms?	p. 199
It's Only a Model	p. 200
Minds and Computers	p. 202
Consciousness	p. 202
Personal Identity	p. 203
Emotions	p. 205
Computers with Minds	p. 206
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 207
Glossary of Terms	p. 211
Index	p. 218
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