Machine Learning User Guide for Young Philosophers

I. Dear Young Philosopher

Thank you for your interest in the study of machine learning and philosophy. In order to fully

make this transition, please read this guide carefully and pay particularly close attention to

sections 4-6.

II. Product Introduction

Machine learning researchers study methods to get computers to “gain knowledge”, improve

their performance at some task, and perform inference (reasoning about the world). This field

has much relevance to philosophy and is essential for any young philosopher in the modern era.

III. Compatibility

No prerequisite knowledge is required. However, an understanding of basic philosophical

concepts, such as functionalism, and some understanding of the taxonomy of the machine

learning field would be helpful. For a review of these concepts see the official article.

IV. Computational Model of the Mind

The question of whether the mind can be modeled as a computer is highly controversial in

philosophy. Fundamentally, this question asks about the similarities and differences between

computers and human minds, and its answer has only become more unclear in recent years, as

computers are able to increasingly outperform humans at various tasks. We make no attempt to

resolve it here, but consider this question: what does a machine being able to learn like a

human mean for the existence of a computational model of the human mind?
 V. Functionalism

This concept says that the mental state is not a physical state but instead characterized by its

functional relation to other states. This means a mental state is described by its impact on the

system (person). Then even if a computer does not “understand” what a word means, if it is able

to respond to that word as a human would in all contexts, what’s the difference?

VI. Methodology of Learning

We can easily (relatively) assess the validity of a scientific experiment in the natural sciences.

We verify or find counterexamples to Newton’s theory of gravity through observation of the

movement of objects. However, no such assessment exists for machine learning. How does a

machine learn, and how can we evaluate that it has really learned it? If a researcher claims that

a machine has learned something, we must ask at least the following questions:

1. How does this program represent knowledge, and what information about the world does

it have access to?

2. What range of tasks can the program perform?

3. What principles of learning underlie the program's successes?

VII. Learn More about Machine Learning

For more information about machine learning, refer to the official article, and check out the 5

papers listed in the second section.

VIII. Disclaimer

Much of what is discussed, such as the ability of machines to learn as humans do, has not been

achieved or even come close to fruition in reality. However much of machine learning research
seems to indicate that is the direction we are headed, and it would do well for young

philosophers to familiarize themselves with these ideas.