Postgraduate Course: The Computational Mind MSc (PHIL11115)
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 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Computation is the dominant approach to explaining how the mind works within psychology and neuroscience. Artificial intelligence also now holds out the promise of recreating human-like mental capacities in computing machines. This seems to suggest that cognition (thought, perception, even emotion) is a kind of computation. This course introduces the philosophical background to computational approach to the mind, exploring some foundational questions and challenges that it faces. |
| Course description |
Topics covered by the course include:
- History of the computational theory of mind, from cybernetics to functionalism
- Core commitments of the computational theory of mind (representation, realisation, etc.)
- Is your brain a computer?
- Can computation explain perception?
- Philosophical critiques of computationalism
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- articulate in their own terms the central commitments of the computational theory of mind
- explain how developments in the sciences have influenced the computational theory of mind
- critically read a difficult philosophical text
- develop their own arguments for and against the philosophical views discussed in the course
- demonstrate the ability to actively engage in critical analysis through synchronous and asynchronous seminars
|
Reading List
Representative Texts:
Haugeland, John (1985) Artificial Intelligence: The Very Idea. Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press
Husbands, Phil and Owen Holland (2008) The Mechanical Mind in History.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
Sprevak, Mark and Matteo Colombo (2018) The Routledge Handbook of the
Computational Mind. New York: Routledge |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Mindsets: Enquiry and lifelong learning; Outlook and engagement
Skill groups: Personal and intellectual autonomy; Communication |
| Keywords | computation,mind,artificial intelligence,brain |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mazviita Chirimuuta
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Olivia Coltman
Tel:
Email: |
|
|
University Homepage