Brain Inspired

BI 114 Mark Sprevak and Mazviita Chirimuuta: Computation and the Mind

Sep 22, 2021

01:38:07

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Highlights

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Episode notes

Is There a Hyper Specialization in Modeling?

03:38

The Motivation for Appealing to Computation to Explain Cognition

03:02

Is Computalism the Right Framework for Neuro Scientists?

04:38

Introduction

4min

Philosophy and the Sciences of the Mind

2min

The Relationship Between Philosophy and the Sciences

2min

The Divide Between Science and Philosophy

2min

The Relationship Between Philosophy and the Sciences

6min

The Specialization of the Mind Sciences?

4min

Is There a Hyper Specialization in Modeling?

4min

Is Science Doing Its Job of Cohering?

2min

Do You Think That's Getting Funded More?

2min

10.

Is There a Barlow As?

2min

11.

Is the Computational Brain Really a Good Idea?

4min

12.

I Think That I Agree With What Masvidais Is Saying Here

1min

13.

Is There a Problem With Identity Theory?

2min

14.

Cognitive Processes Are Computed

2min

15.

The Motivation for Appealing to Computation to Explain Cognition

3min

16.

Is There a Pluralist Perspectivlism?

2min

17.

Is Mars Computational Level of Analysis Reformulated?

3min

18.

Is There a Difference Between Competational Models and Competitional Descriptions?

2min

19.

The Computition of the Problem That the Brain Is Facing

3min

20.

Is There a Reductionist Approach to High Vision?

2min

21.

How Much of What the Brain Is Doing Is Compilation?

4min

22.

I'm a Perspectivist About the Physical Things Going on at Physical Levels

2min

23.

Is Computalism the Right Framework for Neuro Scientists?

5min

24.

The Problem of General Intelligence Is an Interesting Case

2min

25.

Is There a Third Option to General Intelligence?

2min

26.

Is There a Context Determination Problem?

5min

27.

The Problem of Naturalizing Representations

2min

28.

Do We Need to Differ Between Different Cases?

6min

29.

Is There a Complete Story to Tell About Minds?

2min

30.

Is There a Constraint in Representational Content?

3min

31.

Anti-Representational Research Programmes

2min

32.

Is Your Book Coming Out?

2min

33.

Do You Feel Like You're Doing It Right?

3min

34.

Are You Getting It Right the First Time?

2min

35.

The Journey and the Process of Intellectual Inquiry

4min

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Mark and Mazviita discuss the philosophy and science of mind, and how to think about computations with respect to understanding minds. Current approaches to explaining brain function are dominated by computational models and the computer metaphor for brain and mind. But there are alternative ways to think about the relation between computations and brain function, which we explore in the discussion. We also talk about the role of philosophy broadly and with respect to mind sciences, pluralism and perspectival approaches to truth and understanding, the prospects and desirability of naturalizing representations (accounting for how brain representations relate to the natural world), and much more.

Mark's website.
Mazviita's University of Edinburgh page.
Twitter (Mark): @msprevak.
Mazviita's previous Brain Inspired episode:
- BI 072 Mazviita Chirimuuta: Understanding, Prediction, and Reality
The related book we discuss:
- The Routledge Handbook of the Computational Mind 2018 Mark Sprevak Matteo Colombo (Editors)

0:00 - Intro 5:26 - Philosophy contributing to mind science 15:45 - Trend toward hyperspecialization 21:38 - Practice-focused philosophy of science 30:42 - Computationalism 33:05 - Philosophy of mind: identity theory, functionalism 38:18 - Computations as descriptions 41:27 - Pluralism and perspectivalism 54:18 - How much of brain function is computation? 1:02:11 - AI as computationalism 1:13:28 - Naturalizing representations 1:30:08 - Are you doing it right?