For this assignment I want you to think about and reflect upon the arguments made by Searle in today's reading assignment: Minds, Brains and Programs. Searle distinguishes between what he calls "strong" AI versus "weak or cautious" AI. He uses his Chinese Room argument to try to persuade the reader that, while he thinks weak AI is possible (that is, computers may be helpful tools for explaining intelligence), strong AI can never happen, because what happens in brains is somehow different from what happens in computer chips.
I want you to briefly explain Searle's arguments, as well as his responses to some possible criticisms of his ideas, then present your own perspective on the issues he raises. You are welcome to bring in outside sources if you would like to, but this is not required. I'll warn you that an incredible amount of material has been written about Searle's arguments and wading through too much of that might be more time consuming than enlightening.
I want your paper to be 4-5 pages (roughly 1500 words) written for an audience of your classmates who have been doing the readings from our class. While you can assume that your audience has read the Searle paper, I would still like you to spend some time explaining the main thrust of his argument.
Be sure to write the paper in your own words referring to your sources as necessary. Your paper should follow the rules of academic writing. If you use citations, use the MLA or APA citation styles by default.