John Searle - Minds, Brains, and Programs - Digital Computers And Intentionality - Sadler's Lectures episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 16, 2026 · 12 MIN

John Searle - Minds, Brains, and Programs - Digital Computers And Intentionality - Sadler's Lectures

from Sadler's Lectures · host Lectures on classic and contemporary philosophical texts and thinkers by Gregory B. Sadler

This lecture discusses key ideas John Searle's article "Minds, Brains, & Programs", first published in The Behavioral And Brain Sciences In 1980, considered to be an important contribution to theorizing about the possibility and nature of artificial intelligence, not least by introducing his famous "Chinese Room" thought experiment. Specifically it examines his discussion bearing on whether digital computers running programs are able to think, understand, and so on solely in virtue of being a computer with the right sort of program, which Searle answers in the negative. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 4500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler Get John Searle, Minds, Brains, & Programs here - https://home.csulb.edu/~cwallis/382/readings/482/searle.minds.brains.programs.bbs.1980.pdf

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 16, 2026

This lecture discusses key ideas John Searle's article "Minds, Brains, & Programs", first published in The Behavioral And Brain Sciences In 1980, considered to be an important contribution to theorizing about the possibility and nature of artificial intelligence, not least by introducing his famous "Chinese Room" thought experiment. Specifically it examines his discussion bearing on whether digital computers running programs are able to think, understand, and so on solely in virtue of being a computer with the right sort of program, which Searle answers in the negative. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 4500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler Get John Searle, Minds, Brains, & Programs here - https://home.csulb.edu/~cwallis/382/readings/482/searle.minds.brains.programs.bbs.1980.pdf

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John Searle - Minds, Brains, and Programs - Digital Computers And Intentionality - Sadler's Lectures

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This lecture discusses key ideas John Searle's article "Minds, Brains, & Programs", first published in The Behavioral And Brain Sciences In 1980, considered to be an important contribution to theorizing about the possibility and nature of artificial...

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