The Mind Doesn't Work That Way

The Scope and Limits of Computational Psychology

Jerry A. Fodor

Recommended By

Book Synopsis

"The Mind Doesn't Work That Way" by Jerry A. Fodor is a captivating exploration of how the mind functions. Fodor critically examines popular theories that propose the mind operates as a computer or follows simple algorithms. With razor-sharp analysis, he challenges the idea that the mind can be reduced to a set of computational processes.

In this thought-provoking book, Fodor argues that the mind's intricate operations cannot be adequately understood through computational models alone. He highlights the limitations of computational theories, revealing how they oversimplify complex cognitive processes such as language acquisition, perception, and problem-solving.

Fodor proposes an alternative hypothesis called the "modularity of mind," which suggests that the mind is composed of specialized cognitive modules that are responsible for specific tasks. He presents compelling evidence from various domains, including language, vision, and reasoning, to support his theory.

Throughout the book, Fodor engages with opposing viewpoints and offers insightful critiques of alternative theories, shedding light on the fundamental flaws of these approaches.

"The Mind Doesn't Work That Way" is a must-read for anyone interested in cognitive science, philosophy of mind, or psychology. Fodor's comprehensive analysis challenges conventional wisdom and seeks to redefine our understanding of how the mind truly operates.

Explore More Books

See All
Lake Success
Valuation
A Sound of Thunder and Other Stories
The Selfish Gene
Going Infinite
The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide
The Diversity Myth
The Upside of Stress
The Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage
Joy on Demand
The Invisible Gorilla
The Inimitable Jeeves
Foundation and Empire
The Fry Chronicles
Win Bigly
Confessions of a Pricing Man
Statistical Models
Graphs, Maps, Trees
The Power Law
Nexus
Age Of Ambition
David Bowie
Man, Economy, and State
Lessons
Rick and Morty Book Four
Trump and Churchill
Big World, Small Planet
The Things They Carried
The Araboolies of Liberty Street
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Bold Return to Giving a Damn
Radical Acceptance
Principles
Coyote America
Good Profit
I Contain Multitudes
Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children
Alpha Girls
Lincoln at Gettysburg
Men, Machines, and Modern Times
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
1000 Ways to Make $1,000
A Matter of Degrees
The Passage of Power
Cry, The Beloved Country
Swallows and Amazons
The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive
The Creative Act
Unravelling the Double Helix
Lone Survivor
The Story of Design
The Complete Guide to Sales Force Incentive Compensation
Globalization and its Discontents
Three Blind Mice
These Truths
Aware
Getting to Yes
Die With Zero
Bet With the Best
Stealing Fire
Kingpin
A Short History of Myth
Walt Disney
Striking Thoughts
Inside Trump's White House
Walden
Prisoners of Geography
Wind, Sand and Stars
Infectious Generosity
How To Live
Edison
A Guide To Econometrics
A Cultural History of Physics
Joe Beef
Debt
March
Build
She Has Her Mother's Laugh
The Interpretation of Dreams
XKCD
The Fund
Nature Via Nurture
Happiness
Bull!
Eradication
Pippi Longstocking
Essentialism
My Stroke of Insight
Team of Teams
The Making of Europe
No Two Alike
The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert
The Tartar Steppe
Skunk Works
Hail Mary
Value-added Measures in Education
American Nations
Moby Dick
Dictionary of Untranslatables
How An Economy Grows and Why It Crashes