Jonathan Opie (1998) Connectionist Modelling Strategies
. Psycoloquy: 9(30) Connectionist Explanation (27)
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Psycoloquy 9(30): Connectionist Modelling Strategies
CONNECTIONIST MODELLING STRATEGIES
Commentary on Green on Connectionist-Explanation
Jonathan Opie
Department of Philosophy
The University of Adelaide
South Australia 5005
http://chomsky.arts.adelaide.edu.au/Philosophy/jopie/jopie.htm
jopie@arts.adelaide.edu.au
Abstract
Green offers us two options: either connectionist models
are literal models of brain activity or they are mere instruments,
with little or no ontological significance. According to Green,
only the first option renders connectionist models genuinely
explanatory. I think there is a third possibility. Connectionist
models are not literal models of brain activity, but neither are
they mere instruments. They are abstract, IDEALISED models of the
brain that are capable of providing genuine explanations of
cognitive phenomena.
Keywords
connectionism, explanation, instrumentalism, realism,
idealisation.
References
- Cartwright, N. (1983) How the Laws of Physics Lie. Oxford University Press.
- Chalmers, A. (1982) What is this thing called science? 2nd ed. University of Queensland Press.
- Churchland, P.M. (1995) The Engine of Reason, the Seat of the Soul. MIT Press.
- Dennett, D.C. (1991) Real patterns. Journal of Philosophy 88:27-51
- 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
- Lakatos, I. (1978) The methodology of scientific research programmes. J. Worrall & G. Currie (eds.). Cambridge University Press.
- O'Brien, G. (1998) The role of implementation in connectionist explanation. PSYCOLOQUY 9(6) ftp://ftp.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/Psycoloquy/1998.volume.9/psyc.98.9.06.connectionist-explanation.3.obrien
- Sejnowski, T.J. & Rosenberg, C. (1987) Parallel networks that learn to pronounce English text,. Complex Systems 1:145-68.