Emergence and Consciousness Explorations into the Philosophy of Mind via the Philosophy of Computation (original) (raw)

This thesis explores the foundations of cognition. I present, analyze, and defend the claim of Computationalism, which states that cognition reduces to computations. I show how various objections, in particular Searle's Chinese Room argument, are flawed due to a deep confusion regarding the nature of computation. In my defense of Computationalism, I appeal to the notion of emergence, which is a notion that I analyze in detail, since it has been suggested that emergence can solve the problem of consciousness. I argue against this latter suggestion, proposing an alternative view on consciousness instead. Most importantly, I want to thank Eric Dietrich, who has been my main teacher, advisor, advocate, mentor, and friend over the years. Thanks, Eric! I couldn't have done this without the unending support of my parents, Joost and Margot van Heuveln, who have sacrificed so much in supporting their youngest son in his pursuit of his interests and dreams across the great pond. They have done so with admirable grace, integrity, and love. Also thanks to the rest of the family for understanding my absence and sending me lots of photos.