Making Minds · Phil 133

Lecture

Tue & Thu 12:30–1:45pm
Public Affairs 1222

Sections

Wed 9:00–9:50 and 10:00–10:50
room TBA

Instructor

Professor Gabriel Greenberg
office hours TBA

Paul Talma
office hours TBA

Course book

Making Minds (MM) — PDF · current version
The short MM chapters are also the lecture handouts.

Homework

Six problem sets, in the course app
Due Sundays 11:59pm (HW6 on Fri 12/4)

Exams

Midterm Thu 10/29, in class
Final Wed 12/9, 3:00–6:00pm, Public Affairs 1222

Policies

Grading, group work, late work, and more:
Course Policies

Schedule

MM = Making Minds, the course book

Unit 1Computation
0	Thu 9/24	The Cognition–Body Problem	Read MMThe Cognition-Body Problem MMWhat is a Computer? Syllabus (this page) and Course Policies.
1	Tue 9/29	Logic Gates & Combinatorial Circuits	Read MMLogic Gates & Combinatorial Circuits Recommended reading (2) C Hillis (1999) The Pattern on the Stone, "Preface: Magic in the Stone," Ch. 1: "Nuts and Bolts," Ch. 2: "Universal Building Blocks" (through p. 30) C Edelman (2008) Computing the Brain, Ch. 3: "Computing Brains" pp. 37–44, 50–58
	Thu 10/1	Functions & Representations	Read MMFunctions MMSystems of Representation Recommended reading (4) T Petzold (2000) Code, Ch. 7: "Our Ten Digits" and Ch. 8: "Alternatives to Ten" T Redwoods Department of Mathematics (2007) "Introduction to Functions" C Edelman (2008) Computing the Brain, Ch. 2: "Computing Minds" pp. 13–25 C Gallistel and King (2009) Memory and the Computational Brain, Ch. 3: "Functions"
	Sun 10/4	HW1 dueBasics: Circuits, Functions, and Representations	11:59pm · covers 9/24–10/1
2	Tue 10/6	Computation with Combinatorial Circuits (CCs)	Read MMDefining Computation MMComputation as a 3-way Relation Recommended reading (2) C Crane (2003) The Mechanical Mind, Ch. 3: "Computers and Thought" pp. 83–114 only (skim 92–99) T* Cummins (1991) Meaning and Mental Representations, Ch. 8: "Interpretational Semantics" (excerpt)
	Thu 10/8	The Story of Binary +1 (CC)	Read MMFunctional Abstraction MMFunctional Composition MMThe Story of Binary Successor Recommended reading (2) T Petzold (2000) Code, Ch. 12: "A Binary Adding Machine" C Dixon (2017) "How Aristotle created the computer"
3	Tue 10/13	Natural and Artificial Computers	Read MMIntroducing Turbots MMReal and Ideal Computers MMNatural and Artificial Computers C* Craik (1943) The Nature of Explanation, Ch. 5: "Hypothesis on the Nature of Thought" Recommended reading (2) C Pinker (1997) How the Mind Works, Ch. 2: "Thinking Machines" (excerpt) C Lande (2019) "Do you compute?" (written by a former student from this class!)
	Thu 10/15	The Computational Theory of Mind	Read MMThe Computational Theory of Mind MMLessons and Limits of Computation with Combinatorial Circuits Recommended reading (4) C McLaughlin (2004) "Computationalism, Connectionism, and the Philosophy of Mind" — pages 135–141 only Haugeland, Semantic Engines C Ravenscroft (2005) Philosophy of Mind, Ch. 6: "The Computational Theory of Mind" C Johnson-Laird (1988) "How Should the Mind Be Studied?" [PDF to come]
	Sun 10/18	HW2 dueComputing with CCs	11:59pm · covers 10/6–10/15

Unit 2Levels
4	Tue 10/20	Memory and Sequential Circuits (SCs)	Read MMMemory MMCircuit Memory Recommended reading (1) C Braitenberg (1986) Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology, Ch. 5: "Vehicles"
	Thu 10/22	Computing in Time	Read MMMachines in Time: Sequential Circuits MMComputing in Time Recommended reading (2) T Neso Academy (2015) "Comparison between Combinational and Sequential Circuits" [video] T Neso Academy (2015) "Introduction to Sequential Circuits" [video]
	Sun 10/25	HW3 dueComputing with SCs	11:59pm · covers 10/20–10/22 · doubles as midterm prep
5	Tue 10/27	Circuits and States	Read MMComputational Power MMThe Method of State Description
	Thu 10/29	Midtermin class, 12:30–1:45	Covers Unit 1 and sequential circuits, through Circuits and States (10/27).
6	Tue 11/3	State Abstraction	Read MMState Abstraction Recommended reading (3) C* Putnam (1967) "The Nature of Mental States" — excerpt · full paper (if you already read Putnam (1960) "Minds and Machines", that will work) C* Putnam (1975) "Philosophy and Our Mental Life" — excerpt · full paper T Patterson and Hennessy (2018) "Finite State Machines"
	Thu 11/5	Finite State Machines (FSMs) & the Algorithm Concept	Read MMFinite State Machines Recommended reading (3) C Hillis (1999) The Pattern on the Stone — pages 30–38 T Gkasdrogkas (2019) "An Example-based Introduction to Finite State Machines" (skip NFAs) C Review the discussion of algorithms from the Crane reading for Lesson 4.
	Sun 11/8	HW4 dueComputing with FSMs	11:59pm · covers 10/27–11/5
7	Tue 11/10	Levels of Abstraction	Read MMLevels of Abstraction Recommended reading (1) C* Marr (1982) "Understanding Complex Information-Processing Systems"
	Wed 11/11	Veterans Day — no sections this week

Unit 3Cognition
7	Thu 11/12	Turing Machines (TMs)	Read MMTuring Machines MMTuring Machine Abstraction and Composition Recommended reading (5) Gallistel and King (2009) Memory and the Computational Brain, Preface T* Turing (1936) "On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem" (excerpt) T Boolos, Burgess, and Jeffrey (2007) Computability and Logic, Ch. 3: "Turing Computability" Of interest: The Imitation Game (2014) — a Hollywood biopic about Alan Turing Of interest: LEGO Turing Machine and Wood Turing Machine [videos]
8	Tue 11/17	Recursive Algorithms for TM Computation	Read MMRecursion MMBinary Turing Machines MMExploring the Mathematical Tree C* Chomsky (1957) "An Elementary Linguistic Theory" (excerpt from Syntactic Structures) Recommended reading (2) Hillis (1999) The Pattern on the Stone, "Programming" Miller, Galanter, and Pribram (1960) "The Unit of Analysis," from Plans and the Structure of Behavior
	Thu 11/19	Navigation as Computation in Physical Space	Read MMComputational Navigation MMThe Desert Ant MMPhysical Cognition Goldman (2012) "Desert Ants are Better at Trigonometry than Most High-School Students" Recommended reading (2) Gallistel (1998) "Insect Navigation: Brains as Symbol-Processing Organs" Collett et al. (2025) "The Neuroethology of Ant Navigation"
	Sun 11/22	HW5 dueComputing with TMs	11:59pm · covers 11/10–11/17
9	Tue 11/24	Machines & Programs	Read MMMachines and Programs C* Pylyshyn (1980) "Computation and Cognition: Issues in the Foundations of Cognitive Science" — sections 1–6
	Thu 11/26	Thanksgiving — no class
10	Tue 12/1	The Universal Machine	Read MMThe Universal Machine C* Pylyshyn (1980) "Computation and Cognition: Issues in the Foundations of Cognitive Science" — sections 7–11
	Thu 12/3	Computation & Consciousness	Read MMCognitive Architecture MMComputation as Consciousness MMCTM: The Long View C Baars (1988) "The Global Workspace Theory of Consciousness" Recommended reading (3) C Lau and Rosenthal (2011) "Empirical Support for Higher-Order Theories of Conscious Awareness" McDermott (2007) "Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness" C/T Aaronson (2013) "Why Philosophers Should Care About Complexity Theory"
	Fri 12/4	HW6 dueNavigation with Turbots	11:59pm · covers 11/19–12/3 · last day of instruction
F	Wed 12/9	Final exam3:00–6:00pm · Public Affairs 1222	Registrar's exam slot.