About our cognitive processes: computational verses embodied

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dc.contributorHarold, James
dc.contributorFerraro, Vincent
dc.contributor.advisorMitchell, Samuel
dc.contributor.authorFu, Wanyun
dc.date.accessioned2015-05-20T12:59:48Z
dc.date.available2015-05-20T12:59:48Z
dc.date.gradyear2015en_US
dc.date.issued2015-05-20
dc.description.abstractThis thesis discusses two distinct cognitive theories in philosophy of mind. In 1975, Jerry Fodor proposed the Language of Thought Hypothesis (LOTH). This hypothesis essentially offers a computational theory of mind. It states that our cognitive processes proceed like physical computers, in which we employ an internal representational system for computation. Moreover, he claims that this representational system is literally a language of thought, consisting of syntax and semantics for representing things out there in one’s head. On the other hand, in 1972, Hubert Dreyfus proposes the Embodied Cognition (EC) that completely contradicts the LOTH. The EC suggests an embodied solution. By virtue of having a human body, agents are always situated in the environment, given direct access to the physical world. In this case, the EC denies any computational process or any internal representational system. In this thesis, I attempt to defend the LOTH against the EC. I discover that the EC can be refuted by the LOTH, simply because the embodied cognitive processes require computational processes of some kind as well. The upshot is, our cognitive processes are necessarily computational.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipPhilosophyen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10166/3639
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rights.restrictedrestricteden_US
dc.subjectcognitive processesen_US
dc.subjectthe language of thought hypothesisen_US
dc.subjectLOTHen_US
dc.subjectembodied cognitionen_US
dc.titleAbout our cognitive processes: computational verses embodieden_US
dc.typeThesis
mhc.degreeUndergraduateen_US
mhc.institutionMount Holyoke College

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