Our philosophical intuitions do not rain down on us as manna from heaven; they are generated by algorithms in the human brain. Our philosophical intuitions, indeed, are how these particular cognitive algorithms feel from the inside.

To dissolve a philosophical dilemma, it often suffices to understand the cognitive algorithm that generates the appearance of the dilemma - if you understand the algorithm in sufficient detail. It is not enough to say "An algorithm does it!" - this might as well be magic. It takes a detailed step-by-step walkthrough.

Michael Vassar has observed that conventional philosophers seem to be spectacularly bad at understanding that their intuitions are generated by cognitive algorithms. This may be why works of serious reductionism get written by Artificial Intelligence people instead of conventional philosophers.

Blog posts

See also