Christopher D. Green (1998) Realism, Instrumentalism and Connectionism
. Psycoloquy: 9(13) Connectionist Explanation (10)
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Psycoloquy 9(13): Realism, Instrumentalism and Connectionism
REALISM, INSTRUMENTALISM AND CONNECTIONISM
Reply to Young on Connectionist-Explanation
Christopher D. Green
Department of Psychology
York University
Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
Canada
http://www.yorku.ca/faculty/academic/christo
christo@yorku.ca
Abstract
Young (1998) argues that my critique of connectionism
(Green 1998) is grounded in an assumption that realism is superior
to instrumentalism as an interpretation of scientific theories, and
that the difficulties that I argue connectionism faces can be
avoided if connectionists adopt an instrumentalist stance. I made
no such assumption, however, and a closer examination of
instrumentalism shows it to be detrimental to the connectionist
cause. Realism -- probably neural realism -- remains the
connectionist's best hope.
Keywords
artificial intelligence, cognition, computer modelling,
connectionism, epistemology, explanation, methodology, neural nets,
philosophy of science, theory.
References
- Churchland, P. M. (1990) Cognitive activity in artificial neural networks. In: Thinking: An Invitation to Cognitive Science (Vol. 3), ed. D. N. Osherson & E. E. Smith, MIT Press.
- Green, C. D. (1998) Are connectionist models theories of cognition? PSYCOLOQUY 9(4) ftp://ftp.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/Psycoloquy/1998.volume.9/ psyc.98.9.04.connectionist-explanation.1.green
- MacCorquodale, K. & Meehl, P. E. (1948). On a distinction between hypothetical constructs and intervening variables. Psychological Review, 55, 97-105.
- McClelland, J. L., Rumelhart, D. E., & Hinton, G. E. (1986) The appeal of parallel distributed processing. In: Parallel Distributed Processing: Explorations in the Microstructure of Cognition (Vol. 1), ed. Rumelhart, D. E. & McClelland, J. L., MIT Press.
- Rumelhart, D. E., Hinton, G. E., & McClelland, J. L. (1986) A general framework for parallel distributed processing. In: Parallel Distributed Processing: Explorations in the Microstructure of Cognition (Vol. 1), ed. Rumelhart, D. E. & McClelland, J. L., MIT Press.
- Skinner, B.F. (1950). Are theories of learning necessary? Psychological Review, 57, 193-216.
- Van Fraassen, B. C. (1980) The Scientific Image. Oxford University Press.
- Young, M. E. (1992) Are hypothetical constructs preferred over intervening variables? Commentary on Green on Connectionist-Explanation. PSYCOLOQUY 9(9) ftp://ftp.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/Psycoloquy/1998.volume.9/ psyc.98.9.09.connectionist-explanation.6.young