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Philosophy of Mind

• Two classic papers in the area are
  • Turing, A. M. (1950). ``Computing Machinery and Intelligence,'' Mind, LIX, pp. 433-460. Reprinted in Anderson, A. R. [Ed.] (1964). Minds and Machines, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
  • Searle, J. R. (1980). ``Minds, Brains and Programs'' (with peer commentaries), Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3, pp. 417-457. Reprinted in Haugeland, J. [Ed.] (1981). Mind Design, Cambridge Mass.: MIT Press/Bradford Books.

• Churchland, P. M. (1984). Matter and Consciousness: a Contemporary Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind. Cambridge Mass.: MIT Press/Bradford Books.

  A short and readable survey of key issues in this area, oriented towards the cognitive and neural sciences. Particularly good at explaining the various `isms' which abound in philosophical discussions about mind.

• Hofstadter, D. W. (1979). Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. New York: Basic Books.

  One of the most remarkable pieces of writing of the twentieth century. Hofstadter, a computer scientist by training, sheds light on many interesting issues in philosophy, art, mathematics, music, mysticism, and biology. A primary theme of the book is the role of logic, paradox, contradiction, and self-reference in understanding the mind.

• Dennett, D. C. (1978). Brainstorms: Philosophical Essays on Mind and Psychology. Cambridge Mass.: MIT Press/Bradford Books.

  A collection of essays by one of the best known philosophers of cognitive science. Particularly worth reading are the essays ``Intentional Systems,'' ``Why You Can't Make a Computer That Feels Pain,'' and the concluding science fiction story on brain replication and personal identity.