PHIL-4260

Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

This course may be roughly divided into two general areas: philosophical problems in AI and philosophical issues that arise because of AI. An example from the first area is the Knower Paradox, a paradox in which an apparently desirable formalism for handling an agent’s knowledge leads to inconsistency; an example from the second area is John Searle’s attack on so-called “Strong” AI by way of his Chinese Room argument, wherein he claims that because a computer at bottom just manipulates symbols it cannot genuinely understand. Prerequisite: PHIL-2140. Fall term annually.

4 credit hours