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During the twentieth century, particularly the last half of that century, we witnessed the development of a formal understanding of the abstract notion of computation and, of course, also the design and use of ever more sophisticated computing machines. For many, the idea of computation and its realization in machines has encouraged the exploration of the hypothesis that the some or all of the phenomena that we refer to when we use terms like intelligence, rationality, reasoning, etc. are phenomena that are: (1) not necessarily exhibited only by biological systems, humans in particular, but also can be exhibited by artificial systems that are designed to exhibit these properties; and (2) that one of the most fruitful ways in which to study and understand these phenomena is to attempt to view them as a kind of computation. The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of this work and in particular to examine its impact on; and, usefulness to the understanding of human cognition. Disciplines as diverse as mathematics, philosophy, computer science, engineering, linguistics, psychology and neuroscience have played a part in the development and evaluation of this hypothesis that cognition is best viewed computationally. In fact, a hybrid discipline known as cognitive science, has arisen to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of this approach to thinking, intelligence and rationality. Each of these disciplines has its own history, tools and methodologies. A semester course can not possibly provide the student a deep understanding and appreciation for these disciplines. However, by examining the way some of the ideas from these various disciplines have influenced the study of cognition, the student will gain some insight into both the advantages and difficulties that are encountered in the interdisciplinary study of something as complicated and rich as human cognition. The course organization is provided in the syllabus page and some discussion of the requirements are found on the course requirements page. This course is particularly appropriate for the student who is majoring in one of the disciplines mentioned above and is interested in questions such as: how the mind works, what constitutes rationality, can machines be designed to exhibit intelligence,...? The course, counts toward the Minor in Cognitive Science for students not majoring in Psychology. |