Is Every Cognitive Phenomenon Computable?
Mathematics February 2, 2026 Fernando Rodriguez-Vergara, Phil Husbands
The Church–Turing thesis sets the limits of computability at Turing machines, leading some to argue that cognitive processes must also be bounded by such machines. Yet a strong intuition in cognitive science holds that mental phenomena like consciousness and agency transcend computational frameworks. This paper argues that the relationship between cognition and computation is a crucial, often overlooked issue that will shape future research in artificial life, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence.