FRAGL 29: The use of metaphor and counterfactual thinking in “Computer machinery and intelligence” by Alan M. Turing

Abstract

 
One of the major tenets of Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Conceptual Blending Theory is that the mechanisms implicated in the simplest kinds of thought, such as cross-domain mapping and blending, are also involved in high-order thinking. This paper examines Alan Turing’s (1950) “Computer machinery and intelligence” from the perspective of these two theories. In his pioneering article, Turing addresses the question of whether machines can think. Though mid-twentieth century computers were unable to imitate human cognitive performance satisfactorily, Turing concludes that machines may show intelligent behavior. I argue that the author reaches this conclusion by using counterfactual thinking, and, more specifically, by construing a counterfactual blended space in which computers display human-like characteristics. In addition to this, I suggest that Turing’s (1950) thinking is driven by the metaphor COMPUTER INFORMATION BEHAVIOR IS HUMAN INTELLECTUAL BEHAVIOR. The constant mappings between the domain of COMPUTER BEHAVIOR and that of HUMAN COGNITION allows the author to reason about the former domain in terms of the latter. This provides support for the argument that supposedly bidirectional metaphors (e.g. COMPUTERS ARE HUMANS) are, in fact, asymmetrical, matching specific elements from a source domain to a target domain. Furthermore, it bolsters the claim that metaphor and conceptual integration constitute fundamental mechanisms of human thought, which come into play when conducting complex scientific inquiries as well.

Keywords
COMPUTER AS HUMANS metaphor, counterfactual thinking, Turing’s imitation game, “thinking” computer

 

 zum Artikel (pdf)