The Mind Doesn't Work That Way : The Scope and Limits of Computational Psychology

Fodor, Jerry A.

ISBN 10: 0262062127 / ISBN 13: 9780262062121

Published by MIT Press, 2000

About this Item

Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Mind Doesn't Work That Way : The Scope and Limits of Computational Psychology
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262062127
• ISBN 13: 9780262062121
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 0.617 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

In this engaging book, Jerry Fodor argues against the widely held view that mental processes are largely computations, that the architecture of cognition is massively modular, and that the explanation of our innate mental structure is basically Darwinian. Although Fodor has praised the computational theory of mind as the best theory of cognition that we have got, he considers it to be only a fragment of the truth. In fact, he claims, cognitive scientists do not really know much yet about how the mind works (the book's title refers to Steve Pinker's How the Mind Works).

Fodor's primary aim is to explore the relationship among computational and modular theories of mind, nativism, and evolutionary psychology. Along the way, he explains how Chomsky's version of nativism differs from that of the widely received New Synthesis approach. He concludes that although we have no grounds to suppose that most of the mind is modular, we have no idea how nonmodular cognition could work. Thus, according to Fodor, cognitive science has hardly gotten started.

About the Author

Jerry Fodor is Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. His many books include In Critical Condition (MIT Press, 1998) and The Elm and the Expert (MIT Press, 1994).