Miscomputation as a Type of Malfunction

Nir Fresco (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)

Dates: Monday, 26/08/2024
Time: 5:30pm
Venue: F09.331. Madsen Building. Madsen Seminar Room 331
How to register: Free, no registration required

Abstract: When representation fails, it results in misrepresentation; likewise, faulty computation
leads to miscomputation. Theories of representation that also explain misrepresentation are
abundant. By contrast, theories of computation, we will argue, do not likewise explain
miscomputation. Despite its significance for understanding physical computation and its
theoretical role in explaining abnormal mental phenomena, surprisingly few works have
characterised miscomputation explicitly (e.g., Colombo, 2021; Fresco & Primiero, 2013;
Piccinini, 2015; Tucker, 2018) . When miscomputation occurs, a system computes a different
mathematical function, g, rather than the normal function, f (i.e., there exists at least one input i
such that g(i) ≠ f(i)). Normative accounts of computation, whether semantic or mechanistic, face
a dilemma: either there is no such thing as miscomputation, or it cannot be explained. A key
contentious claim here though is that miscomputation, unlike standard malfunction, is a form of
computation. A system that does not compute cannot miscompute (Tucker, 2018) . In this talk,
we will outline the dilemma, defend the preceding contentious claim, and propose a potential
initial solution.
 

Bio: Nir is an associate professor at the department of cognitive and brain sciences, at Ben-Gurion University of the Negevת and the principal investigator of the Epistemology and Cognition Lab. Most of his work is in the foundations of cognitive neuroscience, philosophy of computation and information, and philosophy of mind. One branch of his research focuses on understanding—from informational and computational perspectives—how information processing contributes to our cognitive life. To that effect, he studies the explanatory roles computation and information play in cognitive neuroscience. Another branch of research, which is undertaken in the Lab, combines philosophical and behavioural methods to study the relation between automaticity, habit formation, and skill acquisition in humans.