What Computers Can't Do
What Computers Can't Do by Hubert Dreyfusby Hubert L. Dreyfus
Shares rank 25 of 30 philosophy books by recommenders
Recommended for its analysis of the assumptions behind AI research, still relevant to today's debates. Critics call its ideas outdated because it predates modern machine learning.
Recommended for its analysis of the assumptions behind AI research, still relevant to today's debates. Critics call its ideas outdated because it predates modern machine learning.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 2
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 67%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 2 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Still relevant to today's AI debates
“if you read the book today, you'll find lots of similar situations and a similar way of thinking about the possibilities of AI”
Comment from 5 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"” “The reference to What Computers Can't Still do is precisely relevant because it narrates exactly this same discussion”
Comment from 5 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"” Explains AI research assumptions in detail
“this books explains the assumptions the AI research programme is based on, and why they are problematic.”
Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"” “the book from Dreyfus (What Computers can't still do) explains that in much detail”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Ideas predate modern AI, seen as outdated
“Dreyfus' critique is based on GOFAI, since the book is pre-GAN/RL AI systems”
Comment from 8 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"” “their theories and ideas are highly outdated, even ancient”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"”
Other philosophy books people recommend
The four most recommended other philosophy books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tao Te Chingby 老子 and Yang Peng and Jordi Fibla and James Legge | 32 | 3 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenanceby Robert M. Pirsig | 24 | 3 | 89% | 9 | 44 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius | 17 | 4 | 81% | 8 | — | Approved |
| I Am a Strange Loopby Douglas R. Hofstadter | 16 | 1 | 94% | 8 | — | Approved |
| What Computers Can't Doby Hubert L. DreyfusThis page | 2 | 1 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
7 of the 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Dreyfus goes on to discuss the history of forecasts and progress in computer chess in a nuanced and highly informative analysis.”
“this books explains the assumptions the AI research programme is based on, and why they are problematic.”
“Dreyfus' critique is based on GOFAI, since the book is pre-GAN/RL AI systems”
“if you read the book today, you'll find lots of similar situations and a similar way of thinking about the possibilities of AI”
“The reference to What Computers Can't Still do is precisely relevant because it narrates exactly this same discussion”
“the book from Dreyfus (What Computers can't still do) explains that in much detail”
“their theories and ideas are highly outdated, even ancient”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.