Mind as Machine: Can Computational Processes Be Regarded As Explanatory of Mental Processes?

The aim of the thesis is to evaluate recent work in artificial intelligence (AI). It is argued that such evaluation can be philosophically interesting, and examples are given of areas of the philosophy of AI where insufficient concentration on the actual results of AI has led to missed opportunities for the two disciplines — philosophy and AI — to benefit from cross-fertilization. The particular topic of the thesis is the use of AI techniques in psychological explanation. The claim is that such techniques can be of value in psychology, and the strategy of proof is to exhibit an area where this is the case. The field of model-based knowledge-based system (KBS) development is outlined; a type of model called a conceptual model will be shown to be psychologically explanatory of the expertise that it models. A group of major philosophies of explanation are examined, and it is discovered that such philosophies are too restrictive and prescriptive to be of much value in evaluating many areas of science; they fail to apply to scientific explanation generally. The importance of having sympathetic yardsticks for the evaluation of explanatory practices in arbitrary fields is defended, and a series of such yardsticks is suggested. The practice of providing information processing models in psychology is discussed. A particular type of model, a psychological competence model, is defined, and its use in psychological explanation defended. It is then shown that conceptual models used in model-based KBS development are psychological competence models. It follows therefore that such models are explanatory of the expertise they model. Furthermore, since KBSs developed using conceptual models share many structural characteristics with their conceptual models, it follows that a limited class of those systems are also explanatory of expertise. This constitutes an existence proof that computational processes can be explanatory of mental processes

Using Extended Logic Programs to Formalize Commonsense Reasoning

In this dissertation, we investigate how commonsense reasoning can be formalized by using extended logic programs. In this investigation, we first use extended logic programs to formalize inheritance hierarchies with exceptions by adopting McCarthy's simple abnormality formalism to express uncertain knowledge. In our representation, not only credulous reasoning can be performed but also the ambiguity-blocking inheritance and the ambiguity-propagating inheritance in skeptical reasoning are simulated. In response to the anomalous extension problem, we explore and discover that the intuition underlying commonsense reasoning is a kind of forward reasoning. The unidirectional nature of this reasoning is applied by many reformulations of the Yale shooting problem to exclude the undesired conclusion. We then identify defeasible conclusions in our representation based on the syntax of extended logic programs. A similar idea is also applied to other formalizations of commonsense reasoning to achieve such a purpose

Formulation of tradeoffs in planning under uncertainty

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1988.Includes bibliographical references.by Michael Paul Wellman.Ph.D

Working Notes from the 1992 AAAI Spring Symposium on Practical Approaches to Scheduling and Planning

The symposium presented issues involved in the development of scheduling systems that can deal with resource and time limitations. To qualify, a system must be implemented and tested to some degree on non-trivial problems (ideally, on real-world problems). However, a system need not be fully deployed to qualify. Systems that schedule actions in terms of metric time constraints typically represent and reason about an external numeric clock or calendar and can be contrasted with those systems that represent time purely symbolically. The following topics are discussed: integrating planning and scheduling; integrating symbolic goals and numerical utilities; managing uncertainty; incremental rescheduling; managing limited computation time; anytime scheduling and planning algorithms, systems; dependency analysis and schedule reuse; management of schedule and plan execution; and incorporation of discrete event techniques

Mind, body, and the philosophical theology of Donald M. MacKay

In this thesis, we are seeking to examine a relatively narrow aspect of the work of Donald M. MacKay. In particular, we are seeking to examine his work in relation to a very specific problem as it presents itself to a relatively specific group of people. The problem we will seek MacKay's help in working through is what has come to be known by contemporary Anglo/American philosophers as 'the mind/body problem'. The group of people we will be attempting to help deal with this problem is the contemporary evangelical Christian Church.What we are dealing with is essentially a contemporary problem as it relates to a contemporary system of belief. Though in this sense, this thesis is decidedly not historical, it must be acknowledged that the historical roots of both the system of belief it sets out to preserve and the problem it sets out to work through run very deeply. In fact, even before God's people were called 'the Christian Church', there was a mind/body problem—and ever since the Church took up the task of explaining her beliefs, something like the mind/body problem has been an issue.After introducing the mind/body problem as it relates to the contemporary evangelical Christian Church in chapter 1 and the career of Donald MacKay as it relates to the mind/body problem in chapter 2, we proceeded to explain MacKay's metaphysical anthropology.The key to understanding MacKay's metaphysical anthropology is his understanding of logical complementarity. Accordingly, we devoted chapter 3 to the task of expositing his work in that area before proceeding, in chapter 4, to explain in more detail how this understanding related to the mind/body problem. We saw in chapter 4 that MacKay's understanding of logical complementarity allowed him to say that human beings are multi-faceted creatures—creatures that may be meaningfully described in many different kinds of ways. Most significantly, MacKay argued that although mental descriptions and physical descriptions necessitate radically different standpoints, they do not necessitate substantially different subjects.In saying that mental descriptions and physical descriptions can apply to human beings with equal validity, however, he raised the following objections from other evangelicals: 1) If physical descriptions really apply to me in the same way that mental descriptions do, and the subjects ofphysical descriptions must always obey the mechanical laws of cause and effect, how can /be said to befree? And 2) If mental descriptions and physical descriptions really apply to the same 'me', how can I reasonably hope for mental life after my body dies?Since MacKay dealt with this first objection rather extensively and consistently throughout his academic life, Chapter 5 was devoted to explaining and evaluating his response.With regard to the second objection, however, MacKay seems to have altered his position somewhat in the final years of his career. Since this alteration in his position may have been at least partly due to the complexity ofrelated theological issues, we spent the first half of chapter 6 explaining these complex issues by investigating the related controversies in biblical, philosophical, and systematic Mind, Body, and the Philosophical Theology of Donald M. MacKay theology during MacKay's lifetime. In the second half of chapter 6, we explained the shift in MacKay's position relative to this second objection as it relates to these theological controversies

A Comparison Of Two Secondary Literature Units. Literary Duo A: Twain And Knowles Vs. Literary Duo B: Twain And Hentoff (Volumes I And Ii)

Purpose. This seven-week high school English literature study purported to compare the effects of two combinations of novels and their collateral curricular treatments. DUO A combined Twain\u27s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with Knowles\u27 A Separate Peace. DUO B combined the same Twain novel with Hentoff\u27s I\u27m Really Dragged But Nothing Gets Me Down. A key question in the inquiry was which of the two modern works would increase the appeal and accessibility of the 19th century classic. Specifically, the study posed nine null hypotheses focusing on these areas: (1) knowledge of literary terms and figurative language; (2) literary analysis and inference or interpretation; (3) empathy and social awareness; (4) imaginative writing; (5) literary discrimination; (6) expository writing; (7) classroom discussion; (8) creative productions; and (9) student involvement and satisfaction. A tenth area was teacher reaction to the theory and implementation of the DUOS. Procedures. Extensive curricular materials for each DUO were created, (Volume II). The study was located in two high schools in two different districts; each school furnished two classes with one studying DUO A and the other DUO B. The total sample was divided in this manner: 52 students in DUO A and 50 students in DUO B. At School No. 1 a different teacher taught each DUO; at School No. 2 the same teacher taught both. The seven-week investigation included four days of pretesting and five days of posttesting in areas 1-5 above. The investigator created thirteen instruments; a fourteenth instrument was the California Achievement Test 1977. Eight analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were employed to test the hypotheses bearing on the areas listed as 1-8. The covariates were: pretests and previous English grade (1-5); previous English only (6); previous English grade and California Achievement Test 1977 Test 2, Form C only for (7); and CAT \u2777 to test area (8). A factorial design implemented the inquiry making it possible to detect possible interaction effects between treatment, school, and sex. To test for area (9), 17 chi square analyses were used. Finally, a tally was computed of the responses on the twenty-seven-item questionnaire and content analyses were devised for the student and teacher self-reports. Findings. The latter instruments revealed that the teachers appreciated the curricular materials and grew professionally through using them. For the most part, the students enjoyed the curricula. The only two objections to the DUOs were the number of tests and the shortness of time. A noticeable reaction was the interest in the creative productions. Of the nine null hypotheses tested, six were rejected and three retained. DUO B made higher significant mean gains than DUO A in: knowledge of literary terms and figurative language, literary analysis, empathy and social awareness, creative productions, and classroom discussion. It appeared that the pairing of a non-literary and a 19th century classic was the more effective combination. All the students preferred Huck Finn over the modern works. Recommendations. It is recommended that this Literary DUOS study be replicated. The following are certain conditions which should be provided for: (1) increase the time from seven to nine weeks and administer the pre- and post-tests before and after this nine-week treatment period; (2) allow at least one hour for Pre- and Post-tests II, III, IV, and V, and one-half hour for Pre- and Post-test I; (3) allow a teacher to teach only one DUO due to the heavy requirements of the research aspects; (4) include more academically talented students among the subjects; (5) encourage the schools to purchase the books; (6) allow for pre-service training of the teachers in both the research and curricular aspects; (7) encourage the teachers to begin emphasizing the creative opportunities right at the start; (8) acquaint the school counselors with the research constraints