In the seminar we study two classic texts of the philosophy of artificial intelligence: Alan Turing’s essay “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”, in which he describes the test that is supposed to show whether a machine can be attributed intelligence, and John Searle’s essay “Minds, Brains, and Programs”, in which his famous thought experiment on the “Chinese Room” is supposed to show that passing the “Turing Test” is not a sign for the existence of intelligence. – The joint study of the texts is intended to teach, in addition to knowledge of their content, how to deal with questions such as “Can machines think?” and how to deal with arguments and counter-arguments in scientific discourse.
The reading seminar is suitable for beginners. It will be held in German.
max. 15 participants
09.11.2023: 14:00-17:30
10.11.2023: 10:00-13:30
Preparation: Careful study of the two seminar texts, supported by reading questions.
Preparatory reading questions:
- Describe the structure of the Turing test! What is tested in it?
- Describe the structure of the Chinese Room Argument! What is this thought experiment supposed to show?
- What role does the question of whether machines can think play for our self-image and for the way we interact with “artificial intelligences”?
Moritz Cordes holds a doctorate in philosophy and works on the topics of artificial intelligence, philosophy of language, logic and epistemology.
Susanne Hahn is an adjunct professor of philosophy at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and PI for ethical and philosophical questions of digitalisation at CAIS. Her fields of work also include rationality, normativity, business ethics.