On the Possibility of Thinking Machines
Contemporary Islamic Approaches to a Western Question
In: Religion and TheologySearch for other papers by Auwais Rafudeen in
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Abstract
Can machines think? This question has again come to prominence of late because of recent advances in Artificial Intelligence. But it is a question generated since at least the 1950’s because of Alan Turing’s seminal paper, “Computing machinery and intelligence,” and its famous “Turing test.” Turing in essence suggested that machines could think. His view has been reinforced in more recent times by philosophers such as David Chalmers. On the other hand, scholars such as John Searle and Noam Chomsky have forcefully argued against this proposition, with the notion of what “thinking” constitutes as central to their argument. What are the current and potential Islamic perspectives on this debate? This is the question that this paper seeks to examine by drawing on various contemporary Muslim thinkers who have spoken directly or indirectly to this issue. These thinkers draw from a rich trove of Islamic theological thinking which relates to this debate in a multi-layered fashion. But they necessarily also speak to the Western debate in a way that challenges certain dominant assumptions in that discussion, but that can also draw fruitfully from that discussion in developing their particular Islamic perspective on the question. The conclusion is that, while contemporary Islamic perspectives can admit of both affirmative and negative responses to the question, the more intriguing issue is a suggestive divide between Muslim scholars who primarily resort to the classical tradition in approaching the issue, and those who, actually or potentially, incorporate Western approaches into an Islamic epistemology.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
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On the Possibility of Thinking Machines
Contemporary Islamic Approaches to a Western Question
In: Religion and TheologySearch for other papers by Auwais Rafudeen in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Can machines think? This question has again come to prominence of late because of recent advances in Artificial Intelligence. But it is a question generated since at least the 1950’s because of Alan Turing’s seminal paper, “Computing machinery and intelligence,” and its famous “Turing test.” Turing in essence suggested that machines could think. His view has been reinforced in more recent times by philosophers such as David Chalmers. On the other hand, scholars such as John Searle and Noam Chomsky have forcefully argued against this proposition, with the notion of what “thinking” constitutes as central to their argument. What are the current and potential Islamic perspectives on this debate? This is the question that this paper seeks to examine by drawing on various contemporary Muslim thinkers who have spoken directly or indirectly to this issue. These thinkers draw from a rich trove of Islamic theological thinking which relates to this debate in a multi-layered fashion. But they necessarily also speak to the Western debate in a way that challenges certain dominant assumptions in that discussion, but that can also draw fruitfully from that discussion in developing their particular Islamic perspective on the question. The conclusion is that, while contemporary Islamic perspectives can admit of both affirmative and negative responses to the question, the more intriguing issue is a suggestive divide between Muslim scholars who primarily resort to the classical tradition in approaching the issue, and those who, actually or potentially, incorporate Western approaches into an Islamic epistemology.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Full Text Views | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 1 | 1 | 1 |
