One of the wrongest, most infuriating articles I have ever read
Douglas R. Hofstadter, September 1980 (The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, vol. 3). Hofstadter, computer scientist at Indiana University and author of Gödel, Escher, Bach, wrote this signed commentary, "Reductionism and religion", on Searle's Chinese room article in The Behavioral and Brain Sciences,
Reductionism and religion (open peer commentary on Searle, Minds, brains, and programs)
More from Douglas R. Hofstadter · AI and philosophy · Before ChatGPT
Who else?
What it refers to: John Searle's article "Minds, brains, and programs", which the commentary calls a religious diatribe against AI and likens to J. R. Lucas's 1961 article.
Other voices
- “Searle's arguments, which I consider sophistry” Daniel Dennett,
- “To confuse simulation with duplication” John R. Searle,
- “It doesn't count as fooling any more” Richard Rorty,
- “Just three possible thoughts or beliefs” John McCarthy,
- “No reason why consciousness can’t be reproduced in a machine” Christof Koch et al.,










