Unknown author · CC BY-SA 2.5

A philosopher and mathematician who helped found the computational theory of mind, arguing that mental states are defined by their function rather than tied to any specific physical substrate — an idea, called functionalism, that underlies much of how cognitive science still frames the mind today. With Martin Davis he developed the Davis-Putnam algorithm for the Boolean satisfiability problem, foundational to modern automated reasoning, and he helped resolve Hilbert's tenth problem. He was known for revising his own positions as often as he attacked others', treating that willingness as intellectual honesty rather than inconsistency.