The modern study of cognition finds itself with two widely endorsed but seemingly incongruous theoretical paradigms. The first of these, inspired by formal logic and the digital computer, sees reasoning in the principled manipulation of structured symbolic representations. The second, inspired by the physiology of the brain, sees reasoning as the behavior that emerges from the direct interactions found in large networks of simple processing components. Each paradigm has its own accomplishments, problems, methodology, proponents, and agenda. This book records the thoughts of researchers -- from both computer science and philosophy -- on resolving the debate between the symbolic and connectionist paradigms. It addresses theoretical and methodological issues throughout, but at the same time exhibits the current attempts of practicing cognitive scientists to solve real problems.

Contents: J. Dinsmore, Thunder in the Gap. D.J. Chalmers, Subsymbolic Computation and the Chinese Room. F. Adams, K. Aizawa, G. Fuller, Rules in Programming Languages and Networks. K. Aizawa, Biology and Sufficiency in Connectionist Theory. J. Schwartz, Who's Afraid of Multiple Realizability?: Functionalism, Reductionism and Connectionism. D.S. Blank, L.A. Meeden, J.B. Marshall, Exploring the Symbolic/Subsymbolic Continuum: A Case Study of RAAM. J. Barnden, Connectionism, Generalization and Propositional Attitudes: A Catalogue of Challenging Issues. C-D. Lee, M. Gasser, Where Do Underlying Representations Come From?: A Connectionist Approach to the Acquisition of Phonological Rules. S.C. Kwasny, K.A. Faisal, Symbolic Paring via Subsymbolic Rules. T.E. Lange, Hybrid Connectionist Models: Temporary Bridges Over the Gap Between the Symbolic and the Subsymbolic.