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(2013) Computing nature, Dordrecht, Springer.
What does it mean to claim that a physical or natural system computes? One answer, endorsed here, is that computing is about programming a system to behave in different ways. This paper offers an account of what it means for a physical system to compute based on this notion. It proposes a behavioural characterisation of computing in terms of a measure of programmability, which reflects a system's ability to react to external stimuli. The proposed measure of programmability is useful for classifying computers in terms of the apparent algorithmic complexity of their evolution in time. I make some specific proposals in this connection and discuss this approach in the context of other behavioural approaches, notably Turing's test of machine intelligence. I also anticipate possible objections and consider the applicability of these proposals to the task of relating abstract computation to nature-like computation.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-37225-4_5
Full citation:
Zenil, H. (2013)., A behavioural foundation for natural computing and a programmability test, in G. Dodig Crnkovic, G. Dodig-Crnkovic & R. Giovagnoli (eds.), Computing nature, Dordrecht, Springer, pp. 87-113.
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