(Formerly SYMSYS PHIL 100). An overview of the interdisciplinary study of cognition, information, communication, and language, with an emphasis on foundational issues: What are minds? What is computation? What are rationality and intelligence? Can we predict human behavior? Can computers be truly intelligent? How do people and technology interact, and how might they do so in the future? Lectures focus on how the methods of philosophy, mathematics, empirical research, and computational modeling are used to study minds and machines. Students must take this course before being approved to declare Symbolic Systems as a major. All students interested in studying Symbolic Systems are urged to take this course early in their student careers. The course material and presentation will be at an introductory level, without prerequisites.
PHIL 99: Minds and Machines (CS 24, LINGUIST 35, PSYCH 35, SYMSYS 1, SYMSYS 200)
4 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit · GER: WAY-FR
(Formerly SYMSYS 100). An overview of the interdisciplinary study of cognition, information, communication, and language, with an emphasis on foundational issues: What are minds? What is computation? What are rationality and intelligence? Can we predict human behavior? Can computers be truly intelligent? How do people and technology interact, and how might they do so in the future? Lectures focus on how the methods of philosophy, mathematics, empirical research, and computational modeling are used to study minds and machines. Students must take this course before being approved to declare Symbolic Systems as a major. All students interested in studying Symbolic Systems are urged to take this course early in their student careers. The course material and presentation will be at an introductory level, without prerequisites.
Offered in Winter 2026, Spring 2026 at Stanford University.
Winter 2026 sections
Discussion — Thursday 10:30 AM – 11:20 AM — 160-129 — Zou, C. (Undergrad)
Discussion — Thursday 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM — Lathrop 290 — Chan, J. (Undergrad)