{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,22]],"date-time":"2026-08-22T00:43:54Z","timestamp":1787359434476,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":86,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2010,2,4]],"date-time":"2010-02-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1265241600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":10748,"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/terms"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behav Brain Sci"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1980,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>This article can be viewed as an attempt to explore the consequences of two propositions. (1) Intentionality in human beings (and animals) is a product of causal features of the brain. I assume this is an empirical fact about the actual causal relations between mental processes and brains. It says simply that certain brain processes are sufficient for intentionality. (2) Instantiating a computer program is never by itself a sufficient condition of intentionality. The main argument of this paper is directed at establishing this claim. The form of the argument is to show how a human agent could instantiate the program and still not have the relevant intentionality. These two propositions have the following consequences: (3) The explanation of how the brain produces intentionality cannot be that it does it by instantiating a computer program. This is a strict logical consequence of 1 and 2. (4) Any mechanism capable of producing intentionality must have causal powers equal to those of the brain. This is meant to be a trivial consequence of 1. (5) Any attempt literally to create intentionality artificially (strong AI) could not succeed just by designing programs but would have to duplicate the causal powers of the human brain. This follows from 2 and 4.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    \u201cCould a machine think?\u201d On the argument advanced here\n                    <jats:italic>only<\/jats:italic>\n                    a machine could think, and only very special kinds of machines, namely brains and machines with internal causal powers equivalent to those of brains. And that is why strong AI has little to tell us about thinking, since it is not about machines but about programs, and no program by itself is sufficient for thinking.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1017\/s0140525x00005756","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2010,2,4]],"date-time":"2010-02-04T19:44:17Z","timestamp":1265312657000},"page":"417-424","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4073,"title":["Minds, brains, and programs"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"3","author":[{"given":"John R.","family":"Searle","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"56","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2010,2,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref010","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1468-5914.1975.tb00350.x"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref079","volume-title":"Entertaining thoughts","author":"Stich"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref053","volume-title":"Visual information processing","author":"Newell","year":"1973"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref003","unstructured":"Block N. J. (forthcoming) Psychologism and behaviorism. Philosophical Review. [NB, WGL]"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref001","volume-title":"Cognitive units","author":"Anderson","year":"1980"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref086","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0010-0277(79)90021-0"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref011","volume-title":"Brainstorms","author":"Dennett","year":"1978"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref050","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0003-066X.33.3.269"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref081","first-page":"4","volume-title":"Minds and machines","author":"Turing","year":"1964"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref020","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00485025"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref013","volume-title":"The human mystery","author":"Dennett","year":"1979"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref065","volume-title":"Human knowledge: its scope and limits","author":"Russell","year":"1948"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref021","volume-title":"The psychology of knowing","author":"Gibson","year":"1972"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref076","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/h0028156"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref018","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/3103866"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref004","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0010-0285(79)90009-4"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref002","volume-title":"Minnesota studies in the philosophy of science, vol. 9","author":"Block","year":"1978"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref077","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/h0029957"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref080","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rspb.1968.0078"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref058","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-642-61891-8"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref062","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511625251"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref024","volume-title":"Perception and discovery","author":"Hanson","year":"1969"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref054","unstructured":"Newell A. (1979) Physical symbol systems. Lecture at the La Jolla Conference on Cognitive Science. [JRS]"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref048","first-page":"75","article-title":"On perceptual aboutness","volume":"5","author":"Natsoulas","year":"1977","journal-title":"Behaviorism"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref009","volume-title":"Reply to Arbib and Gund\u00e9rson","author":"Dennett","year":"1972"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref022","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0022-5371(79)90182-8"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref039","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rspb.1979.0029"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref038","volume-title":"Philosophical perspectives in artificial intelligence","author":"McCarthy","year":"1979"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref052","volume-title":"From person episode to social script: two dimensions in the development of event knowledge","author":"Nelson","year":"1978"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref074","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0010-0285(78)90007-5"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref075","volume-title":"The analogical\/propositional debate about mental representation: a Goodmanian analysis","author":"Smythe","year":"1979"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref072","volume-title":"The computer revolution in philosophy","author":"Sloman","year":"1978"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref019","volume-title":"The senses considered as perceptual systems","author":"Gibson","year":"1966"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref067","volume-title":"Meaning and use","author":"Searle","year":"1979"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref026","volume-title":"Leviathan","author":"Hobbes","year":"1651"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref047","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/h0036941"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref035","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rspb.1979.0067"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref055","volume-title":"Perception and production of fluent speech","author":"Newell","year":"1980"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref016","volume-title":"The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud","volume":"1","author":"Freud","year":"1895"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref042","volume-title":"Consciousness and the brain","author":"Maxwell","year":"1976"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref060","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511625251"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref028","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00437956.1962.11659772"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref027","volume-title":"G\u00f6del, Escher, Bach","author":"Hofstadter","year":"1979"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref061","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511625251"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref037","article-title":"Form, function, and feel","author":"Lycan","journal-title":"Journal of Philosophy"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref005","volume-title":"The great chess automaton","author":"Carroll","year":"1975"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref006","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/288742"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref007","volume-title":"Content and consciousness","author":"Dennett","year":"1969"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref008","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2025382"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref012","first-page":"347","volume-title":"Cerebral correlates of conscious experiences","author":"Eccles","year":"1978"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref014","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2024316"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref015","first-page":"1","article-title":"Methodological solopsism considered as a research strategy in cognitive psychology","volume":"3","author":"Dennett","year":"1980","journal-title":"The Behavioral and Brain Sciences"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-662-06239-5"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref023","unstructured":"Gruendel J. (1980). Scripts and stories: a study of children's event narratives. Ph.D. dissertation, Yale University. [RCS]"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref025","volume-title":"Proceedings of the 5th international joint conference on artificial intelligence","author":"Hayes","year":"1977"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref029","volume-title":"Collected Essays","volume":"1","author":"Huxley","year":"1874"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref030","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/h0081714"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref031","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1207\/s15516709cog0103_2"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref032","first-page":"125","article-title":"A neuropsychological comparison between man, chimpanzee and monkey","volume":"13","author":"Lenneberg","year":"1975","journal-title":"Neuropsychologia"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref033","first-page":"743","volume-title":"Handbook of sensory physiology","volume":"II","author":"Libet","year":"1973"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref034","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/brain\/102.1.193"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref036","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0031819100057983"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref040","volume-title":"Biological and social factors in psycholinguistics","author":"Marshall","year":"1971"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref041","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/030631277700700412"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref043","volume-title":"Perception and cognition: Issues in the foundaions of psychology","volume":"9","author":"Maxwell","year":"1978"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref044","volume-title":"Harmonie universelle","author":"Mersenne","year":"1636"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref046","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2183914"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref049","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0140525X0007432X"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref051","unstructured":"Natsoulas T. (1980) Dimensions of perceptual awareness. Psychology Department, University of California, Davis. Unpublished manuscript. [TN]"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref056","first-page":"279","volume-title":"Computers and thought","author":"Newell","year":"1963"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref057","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-94-017-6203-8"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref059","first-page":"138","volume-title":"Dimensions of mind","author":"Putnam","year":"1960"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref063","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0140525X00002053"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref064","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pylyshyn Z. W. (1980b) Cognitive representation and the process-architecture distinction. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. [ZWP]","DOI":"10.1017\/S0140525X00002302"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref066","volume-title":"Scripts, plans, goals, and understanding","author":"Schank","year":"1977"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref068","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00201747908601876"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref069","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/mind\/LXXXVIII.1.74"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref070","volume-title":"The physical basis of mind","author":"Sherrington","year":"1950"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref071","volume-title":"Chess skill in man and machine","author":"Slate","year":"1977"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref073","volume-title":"The analysis of meaning (informatics 5)","author":"Sloman","year":"1979"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref078","volume-title":"Consciousness and the brain","author":"Sperry","year":"1976"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref082","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/365153.365168"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref083","volume-title":"Computer power and human reason","author":"Weizenbaum","year":"1976"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref084","volume-title":"Computer models of thought and language","author":"Winograd","year":"1973"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref045","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bjps\/29.3.213"},{"key":"S0140525X00005756_ref085","volume-title":"Artificial intelligence","author":"Winston","year":"1977"}],"container-title":["Behavioral and Brain Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/services\/aop-cambridge-core\/content\/view\/S0140525X00005756","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,25]],"date-time":"2019-05-25T18:09:33Z","timestamp":1558807773000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/product\/identifier\/S0140525X00005756\/type\/journal_article"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[1980,9]]},"references-count":86,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[1980,9]]}},"alternative-id":["S0140525X00005756"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/s0140525x00005756","relation":{},"ISSN":["0140-525X","1469-1825"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0140-525X","type":"print"},{"value":"1469-1825","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[1980,9]]}}}