Models and Simulations II

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the philosophy of cognitive science. The focus of the course is the computational foundations of cognitive science. First we cover the rudiments of the theory of computation, including finite state machines, non-determinacy, context free grammars, Turing machines, and undecidable languages. Then we turn to explore how these ideas have been used to advance computational theories of cognition. In addition to considering general questions — such as the kinds of processes and states that have been advanced for computational theories of cognition, what counts as an explanation within the cognitive sciences, and the relationship between machine intelligence and human intelligence — we will also consider a specific topic, judgment and decision-making. Finally, we will consider some recent proposals that which challenge the centrality of computational theories of cognition.

Course Mechanics

Location: Ludwigstraße 31, 021
Time: Tuesday 14:00 - 16:00 c.t.
Instructor's Office: Ludwigstraße 31, Room 131.
Office Hours: By Appointment
[Syllabus: pdf]

Course Website: gregorywheeler.coursesites.com