AI Pioneer Margaret Boden, Philosopher of Thought & Creativity, Dies at 88
Margaret Boden, a pioneering British philosopher and cognitive scientist who harnessed the conceptual framework of computing to dissect the very essence of thought and creativity, passed away on July 18 in Brighton, England, at the age of 88. Her death was announced by the University of Sussex, where, in the early 1970s, she was instrumental in establishing what is now recognized as the Center for Cognitive Science. This groundbreaking initiative brought together a diverse cohort of psychologists, linguists, neuroscientists, and philosophers, fostering a collaborative environment dedicated to unraveling the complexities of the human mind.
A polymathic and erudite figure, Professor Boden was a trailblazer in a field predominantly shaped by men. Her extensive body of work, particularly through seminal books such as “The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms” (1990) and “Mind as Machine: A History of Cognitive Science” (2006), profoundly influenced the philosophical discourse surrounding both human and artificial intelligence for decades. Her insights were remarkably prescient, anticipating both the vast potential and inherent limitations of AI long before it became a mainstream topic.
Blay Whitby, a philosopher and ethicist, underscored her unique contribution during a 2014 BBC radio appearance, remarking, “What’s unique about Maggie is that she’s a philosopher who has informed, inspired and shaped science.” He stressed the importance of this distinction, noting that while many contemporary scientists often dismiss philosophical contributions, Professor Boden’s life and work served as a powerful counter-argument, demonstrating the profound practical value of deep philosophical inquiry.
Ironically, despite her profound theoretical engagement with computational concepts, Professor Boden herself admitted to a distinct lack of practical proficiency with computers. “I can’t cope with the damn things,” she once confessed. “I have a Mac on my desk, and if anything goes wrong, it’s an absolute nightmare.” Yet, this personal struggle with the hardware did not diminish her conviction that computing offered an invaluable lens through which to explain the intricate mechanisms of human thought.
For Professor Boden, creativity was not a mystical, divine spark or the result of a sudden, eureka-like flash of genius. Instead, she posited it as a process – a complex interplay of cognitive functions that could, in principle, be modeled and even simulated by computers. This perspective marked a significant departure from traditional, often romanticized, views of creative inspiration, grounding it firmly within the realm of scientific inquiry and computational understanding. Her work thus demystified creativity, making it an accessible subject for rigorous analysis and opening new avenues for understanding how intelligent systems, both biological and artificial, might generate novel ideas. Her legacy endures in the ongoing interdisciplinary dialogue between philosophy, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence, a testament to her enduring influence on our understanding of the mind as a machine, and a machine as a mind.