@article{dcfbc325901d4a07b6e778b3de55adbc,
title = "The indeterminacy of computation",
abstract = "Do the dynamics of a physical system determine what function the system computes? Except in special cases, the answer is no: it is often indeterminate what function a given physical system computes. Accordingly, care should be taken when the question {\textquoteleft}What does a particular neuronal system do?{\textquoteright} is answered by hypothesising that the system computes a particular function. The phenomenon of the indeterminacy of computation has important implications for the development of computational explanations of biological systems. Additionally, the phenomenon lends some support to the idea that a single neuronal structure may perform multiple cognitive functions, each subserved by a different computation. We provide an overarching conceptual framework in order to further the philosophical debate on the nature of computational indeterminacy and computational explanation.",
keywords = "Boolean gates, Cognition, Computation, Computational explanation, Dual functions, Grounding function, Indeterminacy, Multiple specifiabilty, Underdetermination",
author = "Nir Fresco and Copeland, {B. Jack} and Wolf, {Marty J.}",
note = "Funding Information: Many people have contributed to this paper through lively discussions and invaluable comments on earlier versions. They include Oron Shagrir, Diane Proudfoot, Hava Siegelmann, Iris van Rooij, Gualtiero Piccinini, Lotem Elber-Dorozko, Jonathan Najenson, Tomer Fekete, Filippos A. Papagiannopoulos, Marcin Mi{\l}kowski, and Fabrizio Gabbiani. We thank them, several anonymous referees and anyone else whom we may have inadvertently omitted. This research was partly supported by the Israel Science Foundation Grant 386/20 to Fresco, and a stipendiary fellowship from the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Copeland thanks Boston University, ETH Zurich and Renmin University, Beijing, for financial support and hospitality during the research and writing up of this paper. Fresco and Copeland are grateful for the financial support and hospitality of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies of Jerusalem. Funding Information: Many people have contributed to this paper through lively discussions and invaluable comments on earlier versions. They include Oron Shagrir, Diane Proudfoot, Hava Siegelmann, Iris van Rooij, Gualtiero Piccinini, Lotem Elber-Dorozko, Jonathan Najenson, Tomer Fekete, Filippos A. Papagiannopoulos, Marcin Mi{\l}kowski, and Fabrizio Gabbiani. We thank them, several anonymous referees and anyone else whom we may have inadvertently omitted. This research was partly supported by the Israel Science Foundation Grant 386/20 to Fresco, and a stipendiary fellowship from the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Copeland thanks Boston University, ETH Zurich and Renmin University, Beijing, for financial support and hospitality during the research and writing up of this paper. Fresco and Copeland are grateful for the financial support and hospitality of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies of Jerusalem. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).",
year = "2021",
month = dec,
day = "1",
doi = "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03352-9",
language = "English",
volume = "199",
pages = "12753--12775",
journal = "Synthese",
issn = "0039-7857",
publisher = "Springer Netherlands",
number = "5-6",
}