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Article
The Mind as Neural Software? Understanding Functionalism, Computationalism, and Computational Functionalism
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research (2010)
  • Gualtiero Piccinini, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Abstract
Defending or attacking either functionalism or computationalism requires clarity on what they amount to and what evidence counts for or against them. My goal here is not to evaluate their plausibility. My goal is to formulate them and their relationship clearly enough that we can determine which type of evidence is relevant to them. I aim to dispel some sources of confusion that surround functionalism and computationalism, recruit recent philosophical work on mechanisms and computation to shed light on them, and clarify how functionalism and computationalism may or may not legitimately come together.
Keywords
  • Neural Networks,
  • Computationalism,
  • Computational Functionalism,
  • Functionalism
Disciplines
Publication Date
September 16, 2010
DOI
10.1111/j.1933-1592.2010.00356.x
Citation Information
PICCININI, G. (2010), The Mind as Neural Software? Understanding Functionalism, Computationalism, and Computational Functionalism. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 81: 269–311. doi:10.1111/j.1933-1592.2010.00356.x