Computational Thought Experiments for a More Rigorous Philosophy and Science of the Mind

TL;DR

Problem: Philosophical puzzles about mental representation and linguistic meaning persist in the absence of operationalizable experiments. Approach: VW CogSci uses virtual embodied agents in configurable virtual worlds to model and test cognitive representations, enabling a god's-eye view that renders belief/concept types token-based. Contributions: articulates a concrete framework for simulating development of beliefs and concepts, shows how token-level analyses resolve classic puzzles (e.g., Kripke’s Pierre, Putnam’s Twin Earth, Jade), and demonstrates the advantages of embodied-embedded, computational modeling for rigorous mind science. Significance: expands the scope of cognitive science to possible minds and worlds, improving rigor, testability, and cross-domain applicability.

Abstract

We offer philosophical motivations for a method we call Virtual World Cognitive Science (VW CogSci), in which researchers use virtual embodied agents that are embedded in virtual worlds to explore questions in the field of Cognitive Science. We focus on questions about mental and linguistic representation and the ways that such computational modeling can add rigor to philosophical thought experiments, as well as the terminology used in the scientific study of such representations. We find that this method forces researchers to take a god's-eye view when describing dynamical relationships between entities in minds and entities in an environment in a way that eliminates the need for problematic talk of belief and concept types, such as the belief that cats are silly, and the concept CAT, while preserving belief and concept tokens in individual cognizers' minds. We conclude with some further key advantages of VW CogSci for the scientific study of mental and linguistic representation and for Cognitive Science more broadly.

Figures (4)

• Figure 1: A virtual world in which Abby and Billy hear coyotes, and each form a concept token for the kind.
• Figure 2: Granny takes Abby to the desert zoo and they see coyotes. Abby creates a new file and label for what she thinks is a new kind of entity.
• Figure 3: Abby and Billy see wolves on TV. Abby adds details to one of her files while Billy creates a new one.
• Figure 4: Granny says to Carol, “I saw a coyote at the desert zoo”. Carol creates a file for the kind.