ABSTRACT
The idea of this chapter is to explore the claim that connectionism represents a radical innovation in cognitive science. Having worked with both traditional rule-based models and with connectionist models, I must admit that the two have a radically different feel. But, as a philosopher of cognitive science, I must report that I have yet to find any convincing reason to suppose that connectionist architecture, in itself, has anything radically new to offer to our understanding of what it takes to understand mentality in general, and cognition in particular. This is not to say that connectionists have nothing new to offer. Throughout this chapter, my focus will be on connectionist architecture, not on the various doctrines typically advocated by those who work with such architectures.
