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John R. Searle's Minds, Brains And Programs

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In his essay “Minds, Brains, and Programs”, John R. Searle argues that a computer is incapable of thinking, and that it can only be used as a tool to aid human beings or can simulate human thinking, which he refers to as the theory of weak AI (artificial intelligence). He opposes the theory of strong AI, which states that the computer is a mind and can function similarly to a human brain – that it can reason, understand, and be in different cognitive states. Searle does not believe a computer can think because human beings have programmed all the functions it is able to perform, and that computers can only compute (transform) the information it is given (351ab¶1). Searle clarifies the meaning of understanding as he uses it by saying that an …show more content…

He, who cannot read or understand Chinese, is then given a second set of sheets written in Chinese, called a “story”, and a set of rules written in English (the “program”). The rules explain how he can compare the second set of Chinese symbols to the first set, thereby allowing him to identify symbols by their shapes. A third set of Chinese writing (the “questions”), along with rules in English, is delivered to him. The rules lay out how Searle can provide the correct Chinese symbols needed to answer these questions through a comparison of the “script” and the “story”. He explains that he could become so proficient at computing using this method that his answers would seem like they were written by a fluent Chinese speaker, even though he cannot read, write, or speak a word of Chinese (352b-353a¶5). He uses this example to show that Schank’s computer does not understand the way a human being can because it is being fed information and is computing it without learning or getting any meaning out of it. Searle delves into this further in order to respond to claims made in support of strong

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However, Carr did not inform the readers his credentials and professional expertise throughout the essay. His profession is established at the end of the essay on a small footnote, which also provided his other essays and books. In the beginning of his essay, he establishes himself as a trustworthy source by discussing catastrophic events and providing small amounts of history. He also used quotes from historical figures such as the British mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead to make readers assume that he researched for his topic, which he did (90). Carr also provided opposing viewpoints by giving the reader’s quotes from theorists who are pro-automation and facts that prove humans can be “unreliable and inefficient” when they are responsible for operating simple tasks (93).

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In the article “Is Google making us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, Carr proposes that technology is causing a negative effect on our brain. Carr believes that since he’s been on the internet a lot more in the past decade he notices that his mind can’t focus on books or essays anymore. Even bloggers, that Carr follows, are coming up with the same conclusion. Since internet access is so quick it’s changing how our minds work and that we are becoming depended on the internet for everything. Carr goes on to say how he thinks that as long as we rely on computers mediate our understanding of the world that our own intelligence will become mixed into artificial intelligence.

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Let us start with John Searle’s argument, or one could say counter-argument, with what he calls “strong AI.” The most famous of his arguments; “The Chinese Room.” In which you picture yourself as a monolingual English speaker “locked in a room, and given a large batch of Chinese writing “ as well as, “ a second batch of Chinese script” and “a set of rules” in English “for correlating the second batch with the first batch.”

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In Christina Haas and Linda Flower’s article, Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Construction of Meaning, Haas and Flower explore the way reading should be seen. They believe that reading is a process that is actually constructive, and not receptive. This means that the meaning of a text being read is not the same for every reader, and is constructed by the reader for themselves. Haas and Flower performed a study to understand how college students interpret college-level reading.

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Because of these issues, Searle fails to properly damage the “Strong AI” theory. The Representational Theory

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She gave an example by comparing a computer software and a human’s mind working similar to one

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