Philosopher and expert on artificial intelligence to lecture

Searle is Mills Professor of the Philosophy of Mind and Language at the University of California, Berkeley.

His talk, “Rationality in Action,” is geared toward a general audience. The event is part of Wake Forest’s yearlong celebration of “Science and Technology: The Next Millennium.”

“Professor Searle’s work on the relation of the mind to the brain, and on artificial intelligence is well-known and I think his presence will be a very valuable contribution to the university-wide discussions of issues connected with our theme,” said Andrew Cross, Wake Forest assistant professor of philosophy and an organizer of the event.

The Los Angeles Times recently described Searle as “one of the most influential thinkers of the late 20th century, noted for his ruthless disregard of affectation and his celebration of common sense solutions to seemingly intractable problems.”

Searle is the author of many books, including “Minds, Brains and Science” (1984), “The Mystery of Consciousness,” (1997), “Mind, Language and Society, Philosophy in the Real World,” (1998) and the soon to be published, “Rationality in Action.”

He has authored many articles on artificial intelligence, including “Is the Brain’s Mind a Computer Program?” “Cognitive Science and the Computer Metaphor” and “Breaking the Hold: Silicon Brains, Conscious Robots and Other Minds.”

Searle has been featured in numerous BBC and PBS television programs and has received more than a dozen honorary degrees. Several books, including “John Searle and his Critics,” published in 1991, have been written about him and his work. He was a Rhodes Scholar.

Admission to the lecture is free and open to the public. For information, call 758-5359.