Does a rock implement every finite-state automaton?
@article{Chalmers2004DoesAR, title={Does a rock implement every finite-state automaton?}, author={D. Chalmers}, journal={Synthese}, year={2004}, volume={108}, pages={309-333} }
Hilary Putnam has argued that computational functionalism cannot serve as a foundation for the study of the mind, as every ordinary open physical system implements every finite-state automaton. I argue that Putnam's argument fails, but that it points out the need for a better understanding of the bridge between the theory of computation and the theory of physical systems: the relation of implementation. It also raises questions about the class of automata that can serve as a basis for…
213 Citations
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