Philosopher defends attributing beliefs and desires to LLMs, citing functionalism
matvelloso · x · 2026-09-02
In a spat with @matvelloso, dioscuri argues that LLMs can literally have mental states like beliefs, goals, and intentions. He disputes that being organic is necessary for mentality, noting functionalism remains the plurality view among cognitive science experts, and rebuts the 'dogs flying' analogy as beside the point.
He cites his recent paper on whether LLMs have beliefs and desires, arguing this is a live, far-from-obvious issue rather than a radical claim — though critics like Anil Seth and PGS bring specific counterarguments.
Related event: Scholars Clash Over Whether LLMs Can Have Minds(4 posts)→
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