Undergraduate Course: The Computational Mind (PHIL10134)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Computation appears to be our best hope for explaining how the mind works. Over the past forty years, computational models have scored numerous successes in explaining various mental phenomena. Today, computation dominates cognitive science. This course introduces the computational approach to the mind and explores some foundational questions and challenges that it faces. |
| Course description |
Topics covered by the course include:
- What is a computation?
- If the mind is a computer, what kind is it?
- Is computation a real feature of brain, or a projection of our
interests?
- Can consciousness be explained by computation?
- Are cognitive computations in the brain or do they spill into the
environment?
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
| To develop further the philosophical skills, and to extend as well as deepen the philosophical knowledge, acquired in previous philosophy courses.
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Reading List
1. A. Clark. Mindware: An Introduction to Cognitive Science. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2 edition, 2014.
2. T. Crane. The Mechanical Mind. Routledge, London, 3rd edition, 2016.
3. J. Haugeland. Artificial Intelligence: The Very Idea. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1985.
A complete reading list, with readings for each week, is on Learn.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | computation,philosophy,mind,consciousness,externalism |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mark Sprevak
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Ann-Marie Cowe
Tel: (0131 6)50 3961
Email: |
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