- Author:
- Nir Fresco
This book presents a study of digital computation in contemporary cognitive science. Digital computation is a highly ambiguous concept, as there is no common core definition for it in cognitive science. Since this concept plays a central role in cognitive theory, an adequate cognitive explanation requires an explicit account of digital computation. More specifically, it requires an account of how digital computation is implemented in physical systems. The main challenge is to deliver an account encompassing the multiple types of existing models of computation without ending up in pancomputationalism, that is, the view that every physical system is a digital computing system. This book shows that only two accounts, among the ones examined by the author, are adequate for explaining physical computation. One of them is the instructional information processing account, which is developed here for the first time."This book provides a thorough and timely analysis of differing accounts of computation while advancing the important role that information plays in understanding computation. Frescos two-pronged approach will appeal to philosophically inclined computer scientists who want to better understand common theoretical claims in cognitive science.Marty J. Wolf, Professor of Computer Science, Bemidji State University An original and admirably clear discussion of central issues in the foundations of contemporary cognitive science. Frances Egan, Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Cited By
von Haugwitz R and Dodig-Crnkovic G Probabilistic Computation and Emotion as Self-regulation Proceedings of the 2015 European Conference on Software Architecture Workshops, (1-4)- Burgin M and Dodig-Crnkovic G A Taxonomy of Computation and Information Architecture Proceedings of the 2015 European Conference on Software Architecture Workshops, (1-8)
Index Terms
- Physical Computation and Cognitive Science
Recommendations
The Explanatory Role of Computation in Cognitive Science
Which notion of computation (if any) is essential for explaining cognition? Five answers to this question are discussed in the paper. (1) The classicist answer: symbolic (digital) computation is required for explaining cognition; (2) The broad digital ...
Reviews
Hector Zenil
Nir Fresco does a very good job of gathering most, if not all, of the traditional approaches to the question: “What is computation__?__” Perhaps the most unconventional approach is presented in the last chapter, in which the author wraps up his own ideas, proposing that the question is ultimately related to the cognitive sciences. I would have personally liked to see more contemporary approaches to the question. While the traditional stance is that the “everything computes” trivialization has failed because it makes no contribution to the debate, in practice, it is the other way around that seems to be prevailing. Indeed, whole new areas under the umbrella of natural and unconventional computing are founded on the very basis of the “everything (can) compute(s)” dogma, from popular examples of slime mold [1] to accounts of the universe as a digital causal network [2] or as a giant quantum computer [3] (there are additional broad [4] and specific examples [5,6] for interested readers). None of this seems to be covered by Fresco, possibly because he focuses on providing a thorough account of the conventional approach to the question of computation, coming from decades of debate, proposals, and counterproposals around mostly a handful of important assumptions deeply related to computation. Fresco does an excellent job in this regard. Every chapter has been published in top journals devoted to the philosophy of computing, and I only regret the lack of author and topic indexes, which would have facilitated finding further information on specific subjects. Online Computing Reviews Service
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