Readings
Texts
- John Searle, "Minds, Brains, and Programs" (pdf, from last time)
- John Searle, Watson Doesn't Know It Won on 'Jeopardy!' (pdf)
- Margaret Boden, "Escaping from the Chinese Room"
- John Searle, "Is the Brain a Digital Computer?"
Notes
- The Chinese Room (from last time)
- The Chinese Room: Criticisms and Replies
- Boden's Reply
- Searle's Argument
Lectures
John Searle: Strong Artificial Intelligence (from last time)
John Searle: The Chinese Room Argument (from last time)
John Searle: Can a Machine Think?
John Searle: Is the Brain a Digital Computer?
Videos
Synopsis
We did not, alas, get to any of the above material today, so we shall take it up next Tuesday. Instead, I went through the list of paper topics and attempted to briefly explain them. It was breathless presentation, as there are so many. My hope is that you made note of the topics that sounded interesting and will more fully read up on them when you get home.
As I explained in class, it is unfortunate that we can't take up the term paper after we've covered the material in class. Still, we do the best we can. Please note that the term paper prospectus is due next Thursday. After I go over them, I'll arrange appointments to meet with me one-on-one to discuss the topic further with you and make suggestions about where to find relevant literature. Please don't stress over the prospectus. Just explain as best you can what you take the problem to be and brainstorm ideas on it. Alternatively, explain where you want to take the term paper if a given topic doesn't perfectly align with your interests.