The Computational Theory of Cognition: From Turing Machines to Neurocognitive Mechanisms

McCulloch and Pitts’s idea had enormous ramifications. It contributed to the origin of computational psychology (computational models of cognition), connectionism (artificial neural network models of cognition), contemporary computational neuroscience (models of neural computation), artificial intelligence, and more. The modern computational…

Composition, Realization, and Constitutive Explanation: An Ontologically Egalitarian Account of Multilevel Mechanisms

(Note for connoisseurs: I consider this “aspect view” of realization an improvement over the “subset view,” although they share many virtues. As far as I know, the subset view is due primarily to Jessica Wilson.) It also explains why higher-level…

Now Featuring

The Brains Blog is thrilled to feature Gualtiero Piccinini this week, focusing on their new book, Neurocognitive Mechanisms: Explaining Biological Cognition (Oxford). Gualtiero is, of course, the original founder of the Brains Blog! So we welcome Gualtiero back for a…

Announcement: Finalists of the 7th Annual Oxford Uehiro Prize in Practical Ethics and Final Presentation

All are welcome to attend this public even: The following essays have been awarded an Honourable Mention: Oshmita Ray: May the use of violent civil disobedience be justified as a response to institutional racism? Undergraduate Finalists Graduate Finalists Imogen Rivers:…