computational functionalism

Computational functionalism is a position in the philosophy of mind holding that mental states are defined by the information processing and causal, functional roles they perform rather than by the physical material that realizes them. As a form of functionalism, it implies that a system implementing the same computational organization could have the same mental states even if it is not a biological brain.

The view developed from the machine functionalism proposed in the 1960s by philosophers including Hilary Putnam. In AI, it commonly serves as the working assumption behind discussions of whether artificial systems could be conscious or have subjective experience.

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