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A Mechanistic Account of Wide Computationalism
1University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Review of Philosophy and Psychology
|September 5, 2017
Summary
This study revisits wide computationalism, proposing a mechanistic view to overcome challenges. It suggests cognitive science has overlooked this viable computational psychology option.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Philosophy of Mind
- Computational Psychology
Background:
- The computational theory of mind assumes psychological states are computational.
- This theory supports individualism, where psychological states depend solely on an individual's physical properties.
- Wide computational systems offer a response to individualism by locating computational units outside the individual.
Purpose of the Study:
- To revisit the concept of wide computationalism in cognitive science.
- To demonstrate that wide computationalism can address issues in its initial formulations.
- To highlight wide computationalism as a potentially overlooked option in computational psychology.
Main Methods:
- Re-examining the computational theory of mind and individualism.
- Proposing a mechanistic conception of computation for wide computationalism.
- Gathering empirical support and addressing potential objections.
Main Results:
- Wide computationalism can be formulated to overcome previous limitations.
- A mechanistic approach strengthens the viability of wide computationalism.
- This approach offers a valuable alternative within computational psychology.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive science may have overlooked a significant avenue in computational psychology.
- Wide computationalism, particularly with a mechanistic foundation, presents a promising research direction.
- Further exploration of wide computational systems is warranted.
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