Cognitive scientist who explored how consciousness arises from biochemical interactions within the brain
Margaret Boden, who has died aged 88, explored and extended the philosophy of psychology and artificial intelligence (AI), and led the creation and growth of the School of Cognitive Sciences at the University of Sussex, an interdisciplinary crucible in which the careers of many prominent AI researchers were forged.
Central to all Maggie’s work was the study of mental phenomena, such as perception, thinking, consciousness and creativity, and how they arise from what are ultimately nothing more than mechanistic interactions – either biochemical interactions within the brain, or binary digits shuffling around the circuits of a computer. She wrote 15 books, co-authored another, and co-edited several collections of essays. Her works have been translated into 20 languages.
