Andy Masley Part 2: Why Computers Can in Principle Really Think and Understand
AndyMasley · x · 2026-10-09
Andy Masley publishes part 2 of his three-part essay, arguing the prerequisite claim that computer programs can in principle think and understand.
- What he's not claiming: not that current AI models think yet (that's part 3), not that the brain is a computer, and not that AI is conscious — part 1 argued phenomenal consciousness is irrelevant to thinking/understanding
- Argument structure: thinking and understanding don't require first-person phenomenal consciousness; the required information processing isn't tied to human minds; causal closure of physics means a sufficiently complex machine doing what brains do could think
- Style: written as if having hours-long conversations with a smart friend about philosophy of mind
Part 3 will argue current models actually meet the threshold for real thought and understanding.
Related event: Andy Masley Argues Computer Programs Can in Principle Think and Understand(2 posts)→
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