Phil/Psych 447, Phil 673

Seminar in Cognitive Science

Week 6: Machines

Key Ideas

Computation

Representation

Embodiment

Quantum computing

Discussion Questions

0. Is your toaster conscious? How can you tell?

1. Is it important that computers be embodied?

2. Can there be intelligence without representation?

3. Is the Turing test a good way to decide whether a machine is conscious?

4. What aspects of thinking relevant to consciousness are hard for machines?

5. What's wrong with Searle's Chinese room argument?

6. Does quantum theory help to understand consciousness?

7. How can we build a conscious robot?

8. If computers become conscious, will their qualia be like ours?

9. Could the Internet become conscious?

10. Should people become cyborgs, i.e. combinations of brains and computers?

Links

Artificial intelligence on the Web

Examples of AI:

Litt, A., Eliasmith, C., Kroon, F. W., Weinstein, S., & Thagard, P. (2006). Is the brain a quantum computer? Cognitive Science, 30, 593-603

Parisien, C., & Thagard, P. (2008). Robosemantics: How Stanley the Volkswagen represents the world. Minds and Machines, 18, 169-178.


Phil/Psych 447

Computational Epistemology Laboratory.

Paul Thagard

This page updated Oct. 18, 2013