Physical Computation: A Mechanistic Account

Author:   Gualtiero Piccinini (University of Missouri, St. Louis)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
ISBN:  

9780198801160


Pages:   336
Publication Date:   12 July 2018
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
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Physical Computation: A Mechanistic Account


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Author:   Gualtiero Piccinini (University of Missouri, St. Louis)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.464kg
ISBN:  

9780198801160


ISBN 10:   0198801165
Pages:   336
Publication Date:   12 July 2018
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Introduction 1: Towards an Account of Physical Computation 2: Mapping Accounts 3: Semantic Accounts 4: Pancomputationalism 5: From Functional Analysis to Mechanistic Explanation 6: The Ontology of Functional Mechanisms 7: The Mechanistic Account 8: Primitive Components of Computing Mechanisms 9: Complex Components of Computing Mechanisms 10: Digital Calculators 11: Digital Computers 12: Analog Computers 13: Parallel Computers and Neural Networks 14: Information Processing 15: The Bold Physical Church-Turing Thesis 16: The Modest Physical Church-Turing Thesis Epilogue: The Nature of Computation Appendix: Computability Bibliography Index

Reviews

the mechanistic account of physical computation is the best that we currently have . . . Physical Computation is eminently readable and well presented, with a clear structure and helpful introduction . . . 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. * Joe Dewhurst, Philosophical Psychology *


Author Information

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.

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