Concept

Computation

Overview

A computation is any type of arithmetic or non-arithmetic calculation that is well-defined. Common examples of computation are mathematical equation solving and the execution of computer algorithms.

Mechanical or electronic devices (or, historically, people) that perform computations are known as computers. Computer science is an academic field that involves the study of computation.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

Philosophers who discussed Computation

• Gualtiero Piccinini

Related ideas

• Alan Turing
• Kurt Gödel
• Logic programming
• Lambda calculus
• Semantics
• Theory of computation
• Turing machine
• Arithmetic
• Emil Leon Post
• Brain
• Multiple realizability
• Mechanism (philosophy)
• Jerry Fodor
• Alonzo Church
• Computer science
• Hilary Putnam
• Computer
• Peter Godfrey-Smith
• Gualtiero Piccinini
• Turing's proof

Place in the tradition

Part of Functionalism (philosophy of mind).

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