Artificial Intelligence: A Philosophical IntroductionPresupposing no familiarity with the technical concepts of either philosophy or computing, this clear introduction reviews the progress made in AI since the inception of the field in 1956. Copeland goes on to analyze what those working in AI must achieve before they can claim to have built a thinking machine and appraises their prospects of succeeding. There are clear introductions to connectionism and to the language of thought hypothesis which weave together material from philosophy, artificial intelligence and neuroscience. John Searle's attacks on AI and cognitive science are countered and close attention is given to foundational issues, including the nature of computation, Turing Machines, the Church-Turing Thesis and the difference between classical symbol processing and parallel distributed processing. The book also explores the possibility of machines having free will and consciousness and concludes with a discussion of in what sense the human brain may be a computer. |
Contents
a historical sketch | 4 |
Some dazzling exhibits | 11 |
Can a machine think? | 33 |
The symbol system hypothesis 58 88 GB1898 | 58 |
A hard look at the facts | 83 |
The curious case of the Chinese room | 121 |
Freedom | 140 |
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Common terms and phrases
able activity actually algorithm answer argument Artificial behaviour believe bits blocks brain called causes chapter Chinese choice cognitive completely connections consciousness consists contains course decision described desires determinism device effect example existence experiment explain fact false Figure follows function give given hand human hypothesis idea input instruction Intelligence knowledge known language Lenat logic look machine manipulation matter means memory Mind move nature neurons never objects operations output parallel pattern perform person Philosophical physical possible present problem processes produce question reason relevant represent representations response result rules running Searle sense sentence sequence Shrdlu simply simulation sort stored strings symbol symbol system Test theory things thought true Turing turn understand units universal write