The Chinese Room

Claudia Obeng

Intro to Philosophy

Professor Wood

Paper #2

03/09/15

John Searle: The Chinese Room Argument

Is it possible for machines to think? How does the mind work? Are machines capable of working in the same manner as a mind, with the help of a program? These are questions that led to The Chinese Room Argument also known as the Thought Experiment conducted by John Searle. Two views were presented in this argument. One view suggests that it is possible for machines to think and understand and the other argues that machines or computers are incapable of doing so; rather they can just simulate what they see. My view is that computers are incapable of thinking or being conscious. There is no way for a computer to behave like a human. I will begin my paper by explaining what The Chinese Argument is, and what event occurred in the experiment. I will outline the claims and objections presented in the argument, present my view or opinion, and evaluate the argument.

The Chinese Room Argument was a thought experiment conducted by John Searle to determine whether computers could think. He wanted to answer the question of whether brains cause mind. In his argument Searle compares "Strong Artificial Intelligence (AI)" against "Weak AI." According to Weak AI, computers "enable us to formulate and test hypothesis in a more rigorous and precise fashion, but according to Strong AI, the computer is not merely a tool but in the study of the min; rather, the appropriately programmed computer really is a mind, the sense that computers given the right programs can be literally said to understand and have other cognitive states.(Perry, 2013, p. 298)" Basically what all that means is that weak artificial intelligence believes that machines are only able to imitate real human behavior, and strong AI believes if programs are written properly and accurately, machines become or behave like a mind and are able to understand and or have consciousness.

To test the hypothesis of...