# Hubert Dreyfus ![[50 Resources/51 Attachments/51.03 Public/2026-02-11 Hubert Dreyfus.jpg|400]] Hubert Dreyfus (1929–2017) was a philosopher and the most prominent critic of classical AI. His *What Computers Can't Do* (1972) argued that symbolic AI would fail because human intelligence relies on embodied know-how, context, and intuition—not rule-following. Drawing on Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty, Dreyfus argued AI ignored the role of the body and background understanding. Initially dismissed by AI researchers, Dreyfus's critiques gained credibility as symbolic AI stalled. His work influenced [[Embodied Cognition]], situated AI, and debates about the limits of computation. The [[Chinese Room Argument]] makes similar points. Dreyfus later acknowledged that connectionist and embodied approaches addressed some of his concerns. ## Key Arguments | Argument | Against | |----------|---------| | Embodiment matters | Disembodied symbol manipulation | | Background knowledge | Explicit rule representation | | Skill acquisition stages | Knowledge as propositions | ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Hubert Dreyfus]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/book AND [[Hubert Dreyfus]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> ## Related - [[Chinese Room Argument]] - [[Embodied Cognition]] - [[Philosophy of Mind]] - [[Artificial Intelligence (AI)]] ## References - Dreyfus, Hubert. *What Computers Can't Do* (1972) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_Dreyfus