Can a mind be “just” a computer? In this episode, we unpack John Searle’s Chinese Room and the debate it ignited about understanding, meaning, and consciousness. We lay out Searle’s thought experiment in plain language, explore why it challenges the idea that syntax alone yields semantics, and walk through some leading replies.
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Can a mind be “just” a computer? In this episode, we unpack John Searle’s Chinese Room and the debate it ignited about understanding, meaning, and consciousness. We lay out Searle’s thought experiment in plain language, explore why it challenges the idea that syntax alone yields semantics, and walk through some leading replies.
When do we really “know” something? In this episode, we dive into contextualism — the idea that whether we count as knowing depends on the situation we’re in. Think of it like this: you might say, “I know the train leaves at 8” when making casual plans. But if missing that train means losing your job, suddenly the standards for “knowing” feel a lot higher. We’ll explore why our sense of certainty shifts with the stakes, how philosophers use everyday examples to make sense of this, and w...
The Thursday Thought Experiment.
Can a mind be “just” a computer? In this episode, we unpack John Searle’s Chinese Room and the debate it ignited about understanding, meaning, and consciousness. We lay out Searle’s thought experiment in plain language, explore why it challenges the idea that syntax alone yields semantics, and walk through some leading replies.
