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Physical Computation: A Mechanistic Account

by Gualtiero Piccinini (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 9 ratings
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Gualtiero Piccinini articulates and defends a mechanistic account of concrete, or physical, computation. A physical system is a computing system just in case it is a mechanism one of whose functions is to manipulate vehicles based solely on differences between different portions of the vehicles according to a rule defined over the vehicles. Physical Computation discusses previous accounts of computation and argues that the mechanistic account is better. Many kinds of computation are explicated, such as digital vs. analog, serial vs. parallel, neural network computation, program-controlled computation, and more. Piccinini argues that computation does not entail representation or information processing although information processing entails computation. Pancomputationalism, according to which every physical system is computational, is rejected. A modest version of the physical Church-Turing thesis, according to which any function that is physically computable is computable by Turing machines, is defended.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0199658854
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0199658855
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    August 25, 2015
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
  7. Print length
    324 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The arguments are clear and meticulous, and the writing style is crisp. Piccinini does an admirable job at guiding readers through the different steps of his account...Physical Computation makes important contributions to foundational issues in several fields. It is a pellucid example of how good philosophical work can advance wide ranging debates at the crossroads of computer science, AI, cognitive science and philosophy. Physical Computation should be read by anybody interested in mind, machines, and the sciences of computation." -- Minds and Machines

"It provides a thorough...introduction to the philosophical issues associated with computation in the physical sense and would serve as a good basis for a postgraduate or upper-level undergraduate course on the subject. Piccinini delivers a comprehensive summary of previous work on physical computation, alongside the definitive presentation of his mechanistic account, and I have no doubt that this book will become a valuable resource for future work on the topic." -- Philosophical Psychology

"Piccinini's discussion is a notable contribution that offers a bounty of insights into computation and computing practice. All philosophers interested in computation must read this highly informative and thought-provoking book." --British Journal for the Philosophy of Science

About the Author

Gualtiero Piccinini is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Shortly after his appointment to the position in 2005, he founded Brains, which later became a group blog in the philosophy of mind and related sciences. He received early tenure and promotion in 2010 and early promotion to full professor in 2014. Between 2001 and 2014 he was department chair. In 2014, he received the Herbert A. Simon Award from the International Association for Computing and Philosophy for his research in the philosophy of computation.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (August 25, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199658854
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199658855
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 9 ratings

About the author

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Gualtiero Piccinini

Gualtiero Piccinini

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Gualtiero Piccinini is Curators' Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Missouri. In 2014, he received the Herbert A. Simon Award from the International Association for Computing and Philosophy. In 2018, he received the K. Jon Barwise Prize from the American Philosophical Association. In 2019, he received the Chancellor's Award for Research and Creativity from University of Missouri - St. Louis. His publications include Physical Computation: A Mechanistic Account (OUP 2015), Neurocognitive Mechanisms: Explaining Biological Cognition (OUP 2020), The Computational Theory of Mind (with Matteo Colombo, CUP 2023), and The Physical Signature of Computation (with Neal G. Anderson, OUP 2024).

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4.3 out of 5 stars
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Excellent treatment of the mechanistic account of physical computation
5 out of 5 stars
Excellent treatment of the mechanistic account of physical computation
This is an incredibly thorough and well-reasoned account of physical computation. This book sits right at the intersection of philosophy and computation, which is timely and makes it useful to anyone working in tech in general, but especially to anyone working in AI. Equally valuable to philosophers interested in computation and computer scientists interested in reasoning about computation. Also valuable to philosophy students as an example of really well-done philosophy and useful in courses like philosophy of mind.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Lance
    5.0 out of 5 stars A thorough account of an active area of reseaarch.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    In Physical Computation the author defends a particular view of computation that he feels is the strongest approach to explaining the fundamental nature of computation. A strength of the book is that it not only clearly articulates the position defended, but also clearly explicates the alternative views. Hence, when the author defends his position through philosophical argument one is straightforwardly able to understand why he takes the views that he does and what the targets of his arguments are saying that elicits his responses.

    The author's own arguments are clear, succinct, and well thought through - making it a useful book for making explicit the nature of the problem and the authorial positions supporting arguments for people interested in the topic but not specialists in the areas discussed.

    However, the author's principal intended audience seems to be researchers and philosophers who are the active community of thinkers producing original works in this field. Hence the extended historical discussion of the development of the idea of physical computation and clear tracing of lines of development are useful to people working on problems of computation as well as colleagues in the adjoining areas of philosophy of mind. For philosophers working outside the area of philosophy of mind the extensive bibliography and the appendix on computability are a welcome resource.

    A well argued, scholarly, and original, hence important, book on a central topic of philosophy of mind. A most useful addition to the literature on computation for anyone interested in contemporary philosophy of science.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • CD
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent treatment of the mechanistic account of physical computation
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This is an incredibly thorough and well-reasoned account of physical computation. This book sits right at the intersection of philosophy and computation, which is timely and makes it useful to anyone working in tech in general, but especially to anyone working in AI. Equally valuable to philosophers interested in computation and computer scientists interested in reasoning about computation. Also valuable to philosophy students as an example of really well-done philosophy and useful in courses like philosophy of mind.
    Customer image
    CD
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent treatment of the mechanistic account of physical computation
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2023
    This is an incredibly thorough and well-reasoned account of physical computation. This book sits right at the intersection of philosophy and computation, which is timely and makes it useful to anyone working in tech in general, but especially to anyone working in AI. Equally valuable to philosophers interested in computation and computer scientists interested in reasoning about computation. Also valuable to philosophy students as an example of really well-done philosophy and useful in courses like philosophy of mind.
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    2 people found this helpful
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  • Barbara McGhee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not a light read, but an intriguing one
    Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    although this book was not written for the general audience, I found the book very thought-provoking and intriguing. Piccinini does an excellent job at covering today’s current forms of computation and one by one shows how each one lax to get the full picture. He then methodically demonstrates how the mechanical theory, which he himself came up with, is the best suited to explain computation.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Michelle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
    Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2016
    This is probably the best account of computational systems on the market. It's very comprehensive, informative, and current. I would recommend it to experts and laypeople alike.
    5 people found this helpful
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