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	8.6
	Author: Tim Crane Excerpt: How can the human mind represent the world? How can thoughts direct themselves upon the world? Can there be a science of the mind? Should the mind be thought of as a type of machine? In particular, is the mind a computer of any kind? .: Buy at Amazon.com :.

The Mechanical Mind: A Philosophical Introduction to Minds, Machines, and Mental Representation by Tim Crane was my first real introduction into the field of artificial intelligence and philosophy. The book is a great introduction to anyone interested in the theory of the mind, representation of knowledge or merely 'computational' philosophy.

The book is split up into 5 chapters: 'The Puzzle of Representation', 'Understanding Thinkers and Their Thoughts', 'Computers and Thought', 'The Mechanisms of Thought', and 'Explaining Mental Representation.' The book takes a very structured approach to explaining the mind, its representation and how it can be described in computational terms. Yet Crane manages to take a few digressions to help the reader understand the concept at hand without loosing track of the main theme.

Crane's method of writing is excellent - a semi-informal, concise, and throughly understandable style that brings the reader close to the book. His writing is consistent throughout, with perhaps the exception of the 'Intentionality and Intensionality' section. Crane has many examples to illustrate his points, and quotes from many other scientists and philosophers. The book is also extensively footnoted, and features a 'Further Reading' section at the end of each chapter.

The book doesn't necessarily focus on the field of artificial intelligence - in fact, a person with no knowledge of computer science could easily read the book. The 'Computers and Thought' chapter discusses the idea of algorithms thoroughly before going on to discuss the ideas of Turing Machines (excellent section), functions, 'black box'ing, and other such simple terms in computer science before discussing actual artificial intelligence. Discussions of AI always remain on a superficial level, without ever going into deep theory or algorithmic representation. It therefore serves as great reading for the casual, curious reader.

One excellent section of the book that lead me to write my extended essay on the subject, was the section that dealt with Mentalese. A concept that the brain operates in its own unique language, and that everything it receives from its senses are converted into this language. This language is symbolic, and can be symbolically manipulated, just like mathematical symbols. I found this notion quite interesting - it, of course, assumes that the brain is serial and computationally-orientated. This is contrary to most beliefs, but it is nevertheless quite an interesting theory to play with.

Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable book - a definite must-read to anyone remotely interested in this field of artificial intelligence and its offshoots.