Gualtiero Piccinini's Books

Physical Computation

A Mechanistic Account

By: Gualtiero Piccinini

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Physical Computation

A Mechanistic Account

By: Gualtiero Piccinini

Computation permeates our world, but a satisfactory philosophical theory of what it is has been lacking. Gualtiero Piccinini presents a mechanistic account of what makes a physical system a computing system. He argues that computation does not entail representation or information-processing, although information-processing entails computation.

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Page Count

324

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199658854

ISBN 13

9780199658855

Neurocognitive Mechanisms

Explaining Biological Cognition

By: Gualtiero Piccinini

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Neurocognitive Mechanisms

Explaining Biological Cognition

By: Gualtiero Piccinini

In Neurocognitive Mechanisms Gualtiero Piccinini presents the most systematic, rigorous, and comprehensive philosophical defence to date of the computational theory of cognition. His view posits that cognition involves neural computation within multilevel neurocognitive mechanisms, and includes novel ideas about ontology, functions, neural representation, neural computation, and consciousness. He begins by defending an ontologically egalitarian account of composition and realization, according to which all levels are equally real. He then explicates multiple realizability and mechanisms within this ontologically egalitarian framework, defends a goal-contribution account of teleological functions, and defends a mechanistic version of functionalism. This provides the foundation for a mechanistic account of computation, which in turn clarifies the ways in which the computational theory of cognition is a multilevel mechanistic theory supported by contemporary cognitive neuroscience. Piccinini argues that cognition is computational at least in a generic sense. He defends the computational theory of cognition from standard objections, yet also rebuts putative a priori arguments. He contends that the typical vehicles of neural computations are representations, and that, contrary to the received view, the representations posited by the computational theory of cognition are observable and manipulatable in the laboratory. He also contends that neural computations are neither digital nor analog; instead, neural computations are sui generis. He concludes by investigating the relation between computation and consciousness, suggesting that consciousness may be a functional phenomenon without being computational in nature. This book will be of interest to philosophers of cognitive science as well as neuroscientists.

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416

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0192636049

ISBN 13

9780192636041

Neurocognitive Mechanisms

Explaining Biological Cognition

By: Gualtiero Piccinini

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Neurocognitive Mechanisms

Explaining Biological Cognition

By: Gualtiero Piccinini

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416

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0192636049

ISBN 13

9780192636041

The Physical Signature of Computation

A Robust Mapping Account

By: Neal G. Anderson,Gualtiero Piccinini

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The Physical Signature of Computation

A Robust Mapping Account

By: Neal G. Anderson,Gualtiero Piccinini

In The Physical Signature of Computation, Neal Anderson and Gualtiero Piccinini articulate and defend the robust mapping account--the most systematic, rigorous, and comprehensive account of computational implementation to date. Drawing in part from recent results in physical information theory, they argue that mapping accounts of implementation can be made adequate by incorporating appropriate physical constraints. According to the robust mapping account, the key constraint on mappings from physical to computational states--the key for establishing that a computation is physically implemented--is physical-computational equivalence: evolving physical states bear neither more nor less information about the evolving computation than do the computational states they map onto. When this highly nontrivial constraint is satisfied, among others that are spelled out as part of the account, a physical system can be said to implement a computation in a robust sense, which means that the system bears the physical signature of the computation. Anderson and Piccinini apply their robust mapping account to important questions in physical foundations of computation and cognitive science, including the alleged indeterminacy of computation, pancomputationalism, and the computational theory of mind. They show that physical computation is determinate, nontrivial versions of pancomputationalism fail, and cognition involves computation only insofar as neurocognitive systems bear the physical signature of specific computations. They also argue that both consciousness and physics outstrip computation.

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334

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0192570293

ISBN 13

9780192570291

The Computational Theory of Mind

By: Matteo Colombo,Gualtiero Piccinini

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The Computational Theory of Mind

By: Matteo Colombo,Gualtiero Piccinini

The Computational Theory of Mind says that the mind is a computing system. It has a long history going back to the idea that thought is a kind of computation. Its modern incarnation relies on analogies with contemporary computing technology and the use of computational models. It comes in many versions, some more plausible than others. This Element supports the theory primarily by its contribution to solving the mind-body problem, its ability to explain mental phenomena, and the success of computational modelling and artificial intelligence. To be turned into an adequate theory, it needs to be made compatible with the tractability of cognition, the situatedness and dynamical aspects of the mind, the way the brain works, intentionality, and consciousness.

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1009192833

ISBN 13

9781009192835

The Computational Theory of Mind

By: Matteo Colombo,Gualtiero Piccinini

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The Computational Theory of Mind

By: Matteo Colombo,Gualtiero Piccinini

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1009192833

ISBN 13

9781009192835

The Physical Signature of Computation

A Robust Mapping Account

By: Neal G. Anderson,Gualtiero Piccinini

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The Physical Signature of Computation

A Robust Mapping Account

By: Neal G. Anderson,Gualtiero Piccinini

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334

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0192570293

ISBN 13

9780192570291

The Physical Signature of Computation

A Robust Mapping Account

By: Neal G Anderson,Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering Neal G Anderson,Curators' Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Gualtiero Piccinini

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The Physical Signature of Computation

A Robust Mapping Account

By: Neal G Anderson,Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering Neal G Anderson,Curators' Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Gualtiero Piccinini

Anderson and Piccinini offer the most systematic, rigorous, and comprehensive account of computational implementation to date. Their robust mapping account holds that the key for establishing that a computation is physically implemented is that the physical states bear neither more nor less information than the computational states they map onto.

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Page Count

343

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198833644

ISBN 13

9780198833642

Book's by Gualtiero Piccinini

Physical Computation

Physical Computation

Neurocognitive Mechanisms

Neurocognitive Mechanisms

Neurocognitive Mechanisms

Neurocognitive Mechanisms

The Physical Signature of Computation

The Physical Signature of Computation

The Computational Theory of Mind

The Computational Theory of Mind

The Computational Theory of Mind

The Computational Theory of Mind

The Physical Signature of Computation

The Physical Signature of Computation

The Physical Signature of Computation

The Physical Signature of Computation

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