Computational Explanation and Mechanistic Explanation of Mind

Abstract

According to the computational theory of mind (CTM), mental capacities are explained by inner computations, which in biological organisms are realized in the brain. Computational explanation is so popular and entrenched that it's common for scientists and philosophers to assume CTM without argument. But if we presuppose that neural processes are computations before investigating, we turn CTM into dogma. If, instead, our theory is to be genuinely empirical and explanatory, it needs to be empirically testable. To bring empirical evidence to bear on CTM, we need an appropriate notion of computational explanation.