Is Mind Distinct from Body?: Testing Computers against the Human Mind
With he advent of new computer technologies, enthusiasts predict that soon computers will do everything minds that can. In 1951, computer pioneer Alan Turing proposed a simple test for judging when a computer has reached the level of a human mind. W...
The Turing Test
Philosopher Hilary Putnam discusses the Turing test and explains why he doesn't think it's a valid method by which to establish that a machine can be considered conscious and capable of thinking.
The Turing Test
Philosopher John Searle talks about the Turing test, based on a paper written by Alan Turing in 1950, in which a test was devised to measure whether a computer could simulate the working of a human brain.
Functionalism
Philosopher Hilary Putnam talks about his early idea about the mind, which he says actually consists of two ideas. One goes back to Aristotle and essentially argues that the mind is not an object but, rather, a system of abilities. The second, relat...
The Chinese Room Argument
Philosopher John Searle goes through the "Chinese room argument" to prove that no matter how powerful computers are, they aren't minds. Professor Searle explains that while the computer can very rapidly manipulate formal, syntactical objects (such a...