PHIL 258 Special Topics in Philosophy of Mind: Minds, Machines and the Game of Chess
Description
This course provides a basic introduction to philosophy and two of its sub-disciplines seen through the lens of the game of chess, namely the philosophy of mind/artificial intelligence and philosophical anthropology. The course is built around a set of classic and contemporary readings, with additional primary readings aimed at bringing general philosophical issues and debates into contact with specific examples drawn from chess and its history. It satisfies both Humanities I and Writing in the Discipline (WID) requirements.
Topics discussed will include: the nature of human thought and expertise, the possibility of machine thought, criteria for success in replicating human thought using machines, different regimes for modeling human thought, including the different forms of AI and their philosophical presuppositions; the impact of technological development on human culture; the nature of play, the role and importance of play in human life, philosophy as play.
Course Aims
- To read and analyze classic and contemporary philosophical texts in the areas of the philosophy of mind and philosophical anthropology
- To read and analyze first-hand accounts of the history of chess, chess theory, and chess technology (AI), including first-hand accounts of episodes in the history of human-machine competition
- To use examples drawn from chess and its history, as well as the particular individual experiences of students with this game, to illustrate or otherwise illuminate related philosophical arguments
- To apply established philosophical methods in concisely reconstructing arguments found in such texts
- To compose well-formed criticisms and original arguments according to the standards of logic
- To orally present arguments and engage in discussion according to standards of mutual respect
- To practice composing a draft of a major paper and revising in response to feedback from the instructor and peers
Course Outline (Tentative)
I. Introduction
a. A Brief Introduction to Philosophy (one week)
Readings:
Kant, Immanuel, Selections from the Jaesche Logic
Sellars, Wilfrid, "Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man"
b. Chess as a Mirror of Human Nature (one week)
Readings:
Lasker, Emanuel, "The Game of the Future" and Selections from "Common Sense in Chess"
Reti, Richard, Selections from Modern Ideas in Chess
Siitonen, Arto, "On the Philosophical Dimensions of Chess"
Kasparov, Garry, Selections from My Great Predecessors
II. Chess, AI and the Philosophy of Mind (six weeks)
a. The Early Days of the Philosophy of AI
Readings:
Turing, A. M., "Computing Machinery and Intelligence"
Dreyfus, H. L., Selections from What Computers Can't Do
Churchland, Paul M., Ch. 6 from Matter and Consciousness
b. The Early Days of Computer-Human/Computer-Computer Chess Competition
Readings:
Müller, Karsten and Jonathan Schaeffer, Selections from Man vs. Machine
Regan, Natascha and Matthew Sadler, Ch. 1 from Game Changer
c. The Philosophical Debate Continues
Readings:
Searle, John, "Minds, Brains, and Programs"
Putnam, Hilary, "Much Ado About Not Very Much"
Dennett, Daniel, "When Philosophers Encounter Artificial Intelligence"
d. Machine Defeats Man
Readings:
Müller, Karsten and Jonathan Schaeffer, Ch. 8 & 9 from Man vs. Machine
Kasparov, Garry and Mig Greengard, Selections from Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins
e. More Recent Trends in Philosophy of AI
Readings:
Schwartz, Jacob T., "The New Connectionism"
Rosenberg, Jay F., "Connectionism and Cognition"
Cowan, Jack D. and David H. Sharp, "Neural Nets and Artificial Intelligence"
Or Paul M. Churchland, pp. 156-165 from Matter and Consciousness
f. AlphaZero and the State of the Art in AI
Readings:
Silver, David, et. al. "Mastering Chess and Shogi by Self-Play with a General Reinforcement Learning Algorithm."
Regan, Natascha and Matthew Sadler, Ch. 2-5 from Game Changer
III. Chess and Philosophy as Play and Sport (four weeks)
a. What is play? Is play essential to being human?
Readings:
Selections from Schiller's Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Mankind
Huizinga, J., Homo Ludens, Chapter 1: "Nature and Significance of Play as a Cultural Phenomenon" & Chapter 12: "The Play-Element in Contemporary Civilization"
b. Philosophy as Play
Readings:
Dennett, Daniel, "Higher-order truths about chmess"
Huang, Y. and Emily Ryall, "On the relationship between philosophy and game-playing"
Hackett, Thomas, "Passion play: Play, free will and the sublime"
Plagiarism
I understand plagiarism to be a use of another person’s ideas without proper citation. All instances will be reported, and depending on the severity the consequences will range from failure on the assignment to failure in the course. If you have any concerns about what precisely defines plagiarism, do not hesitate to ask me or to consult the resources provide by the university.
Students with Special Needs
AUB strives to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers due to a disability (including mental health, chronic or temporary medical conditions), please inform your instructor immediately so that we can privately discuss options. In order to help establish reasonable accommodations and facilitate a smooth accommodations process, you are encouraged to contact the Accessible Education Office: [email protected]; +961-1-350000x3246; West Hall, 314.
Non-Discrimination
AUB is committed to facilitating a campus free of all forms of discrimination including sex/gender-based harassment prohibited by Title IX. The University’s non-discrimination policy applies to, and protects, all students, faculty, and staff. If you think you have experienced discrimination or harassment, including sexual misconduct, we encourage you to tell someone promptly. If you speak to a faculty or staff member about an issue such as harassment, sexual violence, or discrimination, the information will be kept as private as possible, however, faculty and designated staff are required to bring it to the attention of the University’s Title IX Coordinator. Faculty can refer you to fully confidential resources, and you can find information and contacts at www.aub.edu.lb/titleix https://www.aub.edu.lb/titleix . To report an incident, contact the University's Title IX Coordinator Trudi Hodges at 01-350000 ext. 2514, or [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> . An anonymous report may be submitted online via EthicsPoint at www.aub.ethicspoint.com https://www.aub.ethicspoint.com/.
Description
This course provides a basic introduction to philosophy and two of its sub-disciplines seen through the lens of the game of chess, namely the philosophy of mind/artificial intelligence and philosophical anthropology. The course is built around a set of classic and contemporary readings, with additional primary readings aimed at bringing general philosophical issues and debates into contact with specific examples drawn from chess and its history. It satisfies both Humanities I and Writing in the Discipline (WID) requirements.
Topics discussed will include: the nature of human thought and expertise, the possibility of machine thought, criteria for success in replicating human thought using machines, different regimes for modeling human thought, including the different forms of AI and their philosophical presuppositions; the impact of technological development on human culture; the nature of play, the role and importance of play in human life, philosophy as play.
Course Aims
- To read and analyze classic and contemporary philosophical texts in the areas of the philosophy of mind and philosophical anthropology
- To read and analyze first-hand accounts of the history of chess, chess theory, and chess technology (AI), including first-hand accounts of episodes in the history of human-machine competition
- To use examples drawn from chess and its history, as well as the particular individual experiences of students with this game, to illustrate or otherwise illuminate related philosophical arguments
- To apply established philosophical methods in concisely reconstructing arguments found in such texts
- To compose well-formed criticisms and original arguments according to the standards of logic
- To orally present arguments and engage in discussion according to standards of mutual respect
- To practice composing a draft of a major paper and revising in response to feedback from the instructor and peers
Course Outline (Tentative)
I. Introduction
a. A Brief Introduction to Philosophy (one week)
Readings:
Kant, Immanuel, Selections from the Jaesche Logic
Sellars, Wilfrid, "Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man"
b. Chess as a Mirror of Human Nature (one week)
Readings:
Lasker, Emanuel, "The Game of the Future" and Selections from "Common Sense in Chess"
Reti, Richard, Selections from Modern Ideas in Chess
Siitonen, Arto, "On the Philosophical Dimensions of Chess"
Kasparov, Garry, Selections from My Great Predecessors
II. Chess, AI and the Philosophy of Mind (six weeks)
a. The Early Days of the Philosophy of AI
Readings:
Turing, A. M., "Computing Machinery and Intelligence"
Dreyfus, H. L., Selections from What Computers Can't Do
Churchland, Paul M., Ch. 6 from Matter and Consciousness
b. The Early Days of Computer-Human/Computer-Computer Chess Competition
Readings:
Müller, Karsten and Jonathan Schaeffer, Selections from Man vs. Machine
Regan, Natascha and Matthew Sadler, Ch. 1 from Game Changer
c. The Philosophical Debate Continues
Readings:
Searle, John, "Minds, Brains, and Programs"
Putnam, Hilary, "Much Ado About Not Very Much"
Dennett, Daniel, "When Philosophers Encounter Artificial Intelligence"
d. Machine Defeats Man
Readings:
Müller, Karsten and Jonathan Schaeffer, Ch. 8 & 9 from Man vs. Machine
Kasparov, Garry and Mig Greengard, Selections from Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins
e. More Recent Trends in Philosophy of AI
Readings:
Schwartz, Jacob T., "The New Connectionism"
Rosenberg, Jay F., "Connectionism and Cognition"
Cowan, Jack D. and David H. Sharp, "Neural Nets and Artificial Intelligence"
Or Paul M. Churchland, pp. 156-165 from Matter and Consciousness
f. AlphaZero and the State of the Art in AI
Readings:
Silver, David, et. al. "Mastering Chess and Shogi by Self-Play with a General Reinforcement Learning Algorithm."
Regan, Natascha and Matthew Sadler, Ch. 2-5 from Game Changer
III. Chess and Philosophy as Play and Sport (four weeks)
a. What is play? Is play essential to being human?
Readings:
Selections from Schiller's Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Mankind
Huizinga, J., Homo Ludens, Chapter 1: "Nature and Significance of Play as a Cultural Phenomenon" & Chapter 12: "The Play-Element in Contemporary Civilization"
b. Philosophy as Play
Readings:
Dennett, Daniel, "Higher-order truths about chmess"
Huang, Y. and Emily Ryall, "On the relationship between philosophy and game-playing"
Hackett, Thomas, "Passion play: Play, free will and the sublime"
Plagiarism
I understand plagiarism to be a use of another person’s ideas without proper citation. All instances will be reported, and depending on the severity the consequences will range from failure on the assignment to failure in the course. If you have any concerns about what precisely defines plagiarism, do not hesitate to ask me or to consult the resources provide by the university.
Students with Special Needs
AUB strives to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers due to a disability (including mental health, chronic or temporary medical conditions), please inform your instructor immediately so that we can privately discuss options. In order to help establish reasonable accommodations and facilitate a smooth accommodations process, you are encouraged to contact the Accessible Education Office: [email protected]; +961-1-350000x3246; West Hall, 314.
Non-Discrimination
AUB is committed to facilitating a campus free of all forms of discrimination including sex/gender-based harassment prohibited by Title IX. The University’s non-discrimination policy applies to, and protects, all students, faculty, and staff. If you think you have experienced discrimination or harassment, including sexual misconduct, we encourage you to tell someone promptly. If you speak to a faculty or staff member about an issue such as harassment, sexual violence, or discrimination, the information will be kept as private as possible, however, faculty and designated staff are required to bring it to the attention of the University’s Title IX Coordinator. Faculty can refer you to fully confidential resources, and you can find information and contacts at www.aub.edu.lb/titleix https://www.aub.edu.lb/titleix . To report an incident, contact the University's Title IX Coordinator Trudi Hodges at 01-350000 ext. 2514, or [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> . An anonymous report may be submitted online via EthicsPoint at www.aub.ethicspoint.com https://www.aub.ethicspoint.com/.