abstract:In philosophy, a computational theory of mind names a view that the human mind and/or human brain is an information processing system and that thinking is a form of computing. The theory was proposed in its modern form by Hilary Putnam in 1961, and developed by the MIT philosopher and cognitive scientist (and Putnam's PhD student) Jerry Fodor in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
Adherents of the computationaltheoryofmind often claim that the only alternative theories ofmind would necessarily involve a supernatural or dualistic component.