Computing

Philosophical Foundations of Cognitive Science

Module code: C8808
Level 5
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Unseen examination, Coursework

This module examines various philosophical foundational issues in cognitive science by focussing on the nature and role of computation and representation in cognitive scientific explanations.

In particular, the module asks the question: can our everyday way of understanding the mind, in terms of beliefs, desires and intentions, serve as a foundation for a scientific understanding of mind? The module then analyses various answers that have been given to this question.

Module learning outcomes

• Describe the way(s) in which cognitive science aims to integrate the mind into the natural world.
• Critically discuss the relative merits of representational and non-representational accounts of cognition.
• Synthesise arguments for, and counterarguments to, the elimination of the propositional attitudes from a science of the mind.
• Explain the relative merits of symbolic and sub-symbolic accounts of cognition.