Language and Thought

Language is the most distinctive single attribute of our species, without it there would be no culture, no science, no engineering. Most of our conscious thinking is clearly done in linguistic terms, but does thought actually require a language? If so, where does this language come from: is it innate, as some eminent philosophers suggest, or do we learn it in our childhood? What would a language of thought look like, would it have to resemble a natural language or be more akin to an artificial computer programming language? Are there be forms of non-linguistic reasoning? If so, could they be the primitives from which linguistic thought develops? How we approach the problem of constructing artifical intelligences will depend critically on the answers we give to these sorts of puzzles.

If these questions interest you, come join in the discussion. Expert or not, everyone is welcome. We also hope to decide on a set of topics for future meetings, so if there is a subject or question which fascinates you, please let us know.

Tuesday 21st October, 1997
at 16:40 Room: EA502 (Eng. Building)

Everyone Welcome