Before the Algorithm: Philosophy & Semantics of AI

This course doesn't start with code. It starts with Plato, Frege, and Turing. It doesn't ask what machines can do, but what they can never be.

Through cinematic lectures and deep theory, we explore the limits of computation, the fragility of meaning, and the epistemic boundary machines can't cross. Whether you're a student of philosophy, a tech skeptic, a curious designer, or simply someone who suspects that something is off when machines sound too smart, this course will give you the tools to think before, and beyond, the algorithm. Learn why:Syntax ≠ SemanticsGetting it "right" isn't the same as understandingNormativity and justification are not programmable Includes a downloadable PDF Course Map, summarizing:The 5 main philosophical insightsThe 3 core contributions of the courseWhat students will learnKey philosophical debates you can now enterContemporary thinkers you'll meet along the way New.

One module includes a staged debate - a dramatized philosophical confrontation between two voices: one defending computationalism, the other arguing that true intelligence requires epistemic access - not just processing power. It's not just lecture. It's live argument.

Course Map: Before the Algorithm - Philosophy & Semantics of AISECTION 1 - PREFACE AND OVERVIEWClass 1: Before the First Line of Code - A Philosophical Prelude Introduces key conceptual tensions that drive the course. Includes peer-reviewed article on Kant and AI. Class 2: Course Map Overview and Audio File: From Symbolic Logic to Neural Nets: Why AI Still Doesn't UnderstandWe explore:The transition from symbolic logic (Carnap, Tarski, Chomsky) to machine learning and deep neural netsConcepts like structural isomorphism, emergent behavior, and few-shot learningWhy pattern recognition ≠ conceptual graspHow thinkers like Quine, Brandom, Kant, and Searle help expose the semantic gapThe illusion of intelligence produced by scaling syntax without grounding semanticsUltimately, this class shows that today's machines don't just reflect meaning - they morph it.