New Computationalism Ron Chrisley COGS Department of Informatics University of Sussex School of Humanities and Information, University of Skövde October 19th, 2006 QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decomp are needed to see this p QuickTime™ and a TIFF (LZW) decompres are needed to see this QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decomp are needed to see this p
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New Computationalism Ron Chrisley COGS Department of Informatics University of Sussex School of Humanities and Information, University of Skövde October.
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New Computationalism
Ron ChrisleyCOGSDepartment of InformaticsUniversity of Sussex
School of Humanities and Information, University of SkövdeOctober 19th, 2006
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QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
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Overview
Will discuss four related claims/ideas:1. "Transparent" defense of
computationalism2. Falsity of the Church-Turing thesis3. Falsity of pan-computationalism4. Even if computationalism is false,
strong AI is possible
Transparent computationalism
• The claim that cognition is computation can be construed opaquely or transparently
• Opaque construal: The mind is best understood in terms of the concepts from current (or past!) computational theory
• Transparent construal: The mind is best understood in terms of whatever concepts, it turns out, best explain what computers do
• Many critiques of computationalism succeed only on the opaque construal
• Thus, transparent computationalism is not threatened
The transparent strategy
• For each critique, present:– A current (opaque) view of
computation– The critique based on that view– An alternative view of computation
that avoids the criticism– Independent motivation for that view
of computation
Critique 1: Dynamics
• Opaque view: Discrete steps in an algorithm essential to computation
• More plausible sense: Everything has some computational desciption– Yes, but still too broad: IBM vs BMW– Suggests that we need to do more work to
capture real computation: Semantics
Computation and mind
• Traditionally, two ways computation is relevant to understanding or replicating mind:
1. Weak AI: Computational simulation of mind
2. Strong AI: Cognition is computation
Strong AI without Computationalism
• Even if cognition is not computation, does not imply falsity of strong AI– Not because of pan-computationalism– Third way: computation as the ultimate
plastic– Computation is a convenient way to
configure a system's causal/dynamical profile
– In between identity and mere simulation
Strong AI without Computationalism
• E.g. Suppose life is crucial for mind; and (e.g.) Boden is right that life is non-functional – Does not imply that one cannot
program a system to be alive – Falsity of (even transparent)
computationalism does not imply Strong AI is impossible
Thank you!
Video, audio and PowerPoint files of this talk and others can be found at:http://e-asterisk.blogspot.com