
Contents
Cite
Extract
This project started when certain of the language of thought program’s central philosophical commitments struck me as ill conceived. It might have ended after several lengthy arguments with Jerry Fodor, but I am more stubborn than he is.
The idea that the mind is computational pervades contemporary cognitive science and philosophy of mind. Within cognitive science, it has become something like a research paradigm. And over the years, I’ve been very happy with that research paradigm—thrilled, actually. Who would deny that the last thirty or so years have witnessed an amazing beginning for cognitive science? But I must confess that computationalism’s philosophical credentials always struck me as weaker than the science behind it. For what is it to say that the mind is computational? We cannot merely assume that if the brain is computational, the mind is as well. There are substance dualists who accept the former while repudiating the latter, after all. No, we need to reflect on whether the mind is computational even on the assumption that computationalism about the brain is promising. Here, philosophers have ventured two sorts of computational approaches to the mind: one that is based on a connectionist, or neural network, approach, and one—the language of thought (LOT) approach—that takes thinking to consist in the algorithmic manipulation of mental symbols.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
February 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.