Philosophy and Connectionist Theory

Philosophy and Connectionist Theory PDF Author: William Ramsey
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 1134755090
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
The philosophy of cognitive science has recently become one of the most exciting and fastest growing domains of philosophical inquiry and analysis. Until the early 1980s, nearly all of the models developed treated cognitive processes -- like problem solving, language comprehension, memory, and higher visual processing -- as rule-governed symbol manipulation. However, this situation has changed dramatically over the last half dozen years. In that period there has been an enormous shift of attention toward connectionist models of cognition that are inspired by the network-like architecture of the brain. Because of their unique architecture and style of processing, connectionist systems are generally regarded as radically different from the more traditional symbol manipulation models. This collection was designed to provide philosophers who have been working in the area of cognitive science with a forum for expressing their views on these recent developments. Because the symbol-manipulating paradigm has been so important to the work of contemporary philosophers, many have watched the emergence of connectionism with considerable interest. The contributors take very different stands toward connectionism, but all agree that the potential exists for a radical shift in the way many philosophers think of various aspects of cognition. Exploring this potential and other philosophical dimensions of connectionist research is the aim of this volume.

Philosophy and Connectionist Theory

Philosophy and Connectionist Theory PDF Author: William Ramsey
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 1134755090
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 340

Get Book Here

Book Description
The philosophy of cognitive science has recently become one of the most exciting and fastest growing domains of philosophical inquiry and analysis. Until the early 1980s, nearly all of the models developed treated cognitive processes -- like problem solving, language comprehension, memory, and higher visual processing -- as rule-governed symbol manipulation. However, this situation has changed dramatically over the last half dozen years. In that period there has been an enormous shift of attention toward connectionist models of cognition that are inspired by the network-like architecture of the brain. Because of their unique architecture and style of processing, connectionist systems are generally regarded as radically different from the more traditional symbol manipulation models. This collection was designed to provide philosophers who have been working in the area of cognitive science with a forum for expressing their views on these recent developments. Because the symbol-manipulating paradigm has been so important to the work of contemporary philosophers, many have watched the emergence of connectionism with considerable interest. The contributors take very different stands toward connectionism, but all agree that the potential exists for a radical shift in the way many philosophers think of various aspects of cognition. Exploring this potential and other philosophical dimensions of connectionist research is the aim of this volume.

Philosophy and Connectionist Theory

Philosophy and Connectionist Theory PDF Author: William Ramsey
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 1134755023
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 335

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Book Description
The philosophy of cognitive science has recently become one of the most exciting and fastest growing domains of philosophical inquiry and analysis. Until the early 1980s, nearly all of the models developed treated cognitive processes -- like problem solving, language comprehension, memory, and higher visual processing -- as rule-governed symbol manipulation. However, this situation has changed dramatically over the last half dozen years. In that period there has been an enormous shift of attention toward connectionist models of cognition that are inspired by the network-like architecture of the brain. Because of their unique architecture and style of processing, connectionist systems are generally regarded as radically different from the more traditional symbol manipulation models. This collection was designed to provide philosophers who have been working in the area of cognitive science with a forum for expressing their views on these recent developments. Because the symbol-manipulating paradigm has been so important to the work of contemporary philosophers, many have watched the emergence of connectionism with considerable interest. The contributors take very different stands toward connectionism, but all agree that the potential exists for a radical shift in the way many philosophers think of various aspects of cognition. Exploring this potential and other philosophical dimensions of connectionist research is the aim of this volume.

Connectionism and the Philosophy of Mind

Connectionism and the Philosophy of Mind PDF Author: T. Horgan
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 940113524X
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 484

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Book Description
This series will include monographs and collections of studies devoted to the investigation and exploration of knowledge, information and data processing systems of all kinds, no matter whether human, (other) animal, or machine. Its scope is intended to span the full range of interests from classical problems in the philosophy of mind and philosophical psychology through issues in cognitive psychology and sociobiology (concerning the mental capabilities of other species) to ideas related to artificial intelligence and to computer science. While primary emphasis will be placed upon theoretical, conceptual and epistemological aspects of these problems and domains, empirical, experimental and methodological studies will also appear from time to time. One of the most, if not the most, exciting developments within cognitive science has been the emergence of connectionism as an alternative to the computational conception of the mind that tends to dominate the discipline. In this volume, John Tienson and Terence Horgan have brought together a fine collection of stimulating studies on connectionism and its significance. As the Introduction explains, the most pressing questions concern whether or not connectionism can provide a new conception of the nature of mentality. By focusing on the similarities and differences between connectionism and other approaches to cognitive science, the chapters of this book supply valuable resources that advance our understanding of these difficult issues. J.H.F.

Connectionism and the Philosophy of Psychology

Connectionism and the Philosophy of Psychology PDF Author: Terry Horgan
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262082488
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
In this volume, the authors present their view of cognition. They propose that unlike the classical paradigm that takes the mind to be a computer, the mind is best understood as a dynamical system realized in a neural network.

Philosophy and Memory Traces

Philosophy and Memory Traces PDF Author: John Sutton
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521591942
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
This study offers interpretations of theories of memory and the body from Descartes to Coleridge.

Connectionism and the Mind

Connectionism and the Mind PDF Author: William Bechtel
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780631207139
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
Connectionism and the Mind provides a clear and balanced introduction to connectionist networks and explores theoretical and philosophical implications. Much of this discussion from the first edition has been updated, and three new chapters have been added on the relation of connectionism to recent work on dynamical systems theory, artificial life, and cognitive neuroscience. Read two of the sample chapters on line: Connectionism and the Dynamical Approach to Cognition: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/pdf/bechtel.pdf Networks, Robots, and Artificial Life: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/pdf/bechtel2.pdf

Deconstructing the Mind

Deconstructing the Mind PDF Author: Stephen P. Stich
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198026080
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
During the past two decades, debates over the viability of commonsense psychology have occupied center stage in both cognitive science and the philosophy of mind. A group of prominent philosophers known as eliminativists argue that advances in cognitive science and neuroscience will ultimately justify a rejection of our folk theory of mind because it gives a radically mistaken account of mental life. In Deconstructing the Mind, distinguished philosopher Stephen Stich, once a leading advocate of eliminativism, offers a bold and compelling reassessment of this view. The book opens with a groundbreaking multi-part essay in which Stich maintains that even if the sciences develop in the ways that eliminativists foresee, none of the arguments for ontological elimination are tenable. Succeeding essays explore folk psychology in more detail, develop a systematic critique of simulation theory, and counter widespread concern about naturalizing psychological properties.

The Symbolic and Connectionist Paradigms

The Symbolic and Connectionist Paradigms PDF Author: John Dinsmore
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 1317782380
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
The modern study of cognition finds itself with two widely endorsed but seemingly incongruous theoretical paradigms. The first of these, inspired by formal logic and the digital computer, sees reasoning in the principled manipulation of structured symbolic representations. The second, inspired by the physiology of the brain, sees reasoning as the behavior that emerges from the direct interactions found in large networks of simple processing components. Each paradigm has its own accomplishments, problems, methodology, proponents, and agenda. This book records the thoughts of researchers -- from both computer science and philosophy -- on resolving the debate between the symbolic and connectionist paradigms. It addresses theoretical and methodological issues throughout, but at the same time exhibits the current attempts of practicing cognitive scientists to solve real problems.

Representation Reconsidered

Representation Reconsidered PDF Author: William M. Ramsey
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521859875
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
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Philosophy, Mind, and Cognitive Inquiry

Philosophy, Mind, and Cognitive Inquiry PDF Author: David J. Cole
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400918828
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 447

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Book Description
This series will include monographs and collections of studies devoted to the investigation and exploration of knowledge, information, and data-processing systems of all kinds, no matter whether human. (other) animal, or machine. Its scope is intended to span the full range of interests from classical problems in the philosophy of mind and philosophical psychology through issues in cognitive psychology and sociobiology (concerning the mental capabilities of other species) to ideas related to artificial intelligence and computer science. While primary emphasis will be placed upon theoretical, conceptual, and epistemological aspects of these problems and domains, empirical, experimental, and methodological studies will also appear from time to time. No problem within the field of cognitive inquiry is more difficult than that of developing an adequate conception of the nature of mind and of its mode of operation. Our purpose in compiling the present volume has been to contribute to the pursuit of this objective by bringing together a repre sentative cross-section of the principal approaches and the primary players who are engaged in contemporary debate on these crucial issues. The book begins with a comprehensive introduction composed by David Cole, the senior editor of this work, which provides a background for understanding the major problems and alternative solutions, and ends with a selected bibliography intended to promote further research. If our efforts assist others in dealing with these issues, they will have been worthwhile. J. H. F. David J. Cole et at. (eds. ), Philosophy, Mind, and Cognitive Inquiry, ix.