Turing machines and causal mechanisms in cognitive science

Abstract

Turing machines are simple computational entities which were originally used to define the class of computational tasks that may be carried out by mechanical means. In this article we look at the explanatory roles the Turing Machine 2 plays in cognitive science. With respect to Turing Machines’ explanatory role, we assume that a) rational processes may be defined in such a way (viz. as computational functions) that they can be carried out by mechanical systems, and b) the Turing Machine specifies a means whereby one can show that a mechanistic system can be designed to perform rational processes.