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
|
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 22 |
Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
|
Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
Additional Information (Assessment) |
Essay plan 15%
Final 3000 word essay 80%
Participation 5% |
Feedback |
Students have the opportunity to submit a formative essay. The essay cannot be draft of the summative essay but it can be on the same topic. |
No Exam Information |
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: m.chirimuuta@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Olivia Coltman
Tel:
Email: ocoltman@ed.ac.uk |
|
|