Searle’s Chinese Room Argument and the Problem of the Causal Relation between Syntax and Semantics: A Formal Reconstruction of the Systems Reply and an Assessment of the Internalization Objection
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Research Institute for Fundamental Studies of Science and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
10.30465/lsj.2026.55149.1528
Abstract
John Searle’s Chinese Room Argument (CRA) maintains that syntactic symbol manipulation, even when it yields appropriate linguistic responses, is not by itself sufficient for semantic understanding. This paper examines two stages of Searle’s argument: the inference from the room operator’s lack of understanding to the whole system’s lack of understanding, and the internalization reply’s attempt to establish that syntax and meaning are causally and operationally unrelated. A formal reconstruction of distributed systems shows that the inability of each local database to derive a conjunctive proposition does not entail the inability of the aggregated database to derive it. The model also represents an operational sequence in which information dependent on an environmental condition is integrated and used to produce a response that can be independently assessed against that condition. The paper argues that Searle’s initial inference from component to whole is invalid unless supplemented by a bridging premise. His internalization response, in turn, requires an independent argument showing that syntactic processing cannot participate causally or operationally in meaning-sensitive processes. The distinction between syntax and semantics does not establish this stronger claim. The paper therefore defends the logical and operational possibility of such participation without claiming that every artificial system actually understands or possesses intrinsic intentionality.
Ranjbar, S. & Tousi Saeidi, M. (2026). Searle’s Chinese Room Argument and the Problem of the Causal Relation between Syntax and Semantics: A Formal Reconstruction of the Systems Reply and an Assessment of the Internalization Objection. (e14406). Logical Studies, (), e14406 https://doi.org/10.30465/lsj.2026.55149.1528
MLA
Ranjbar, S., & Tousi Saeidi, M. "Searle’s Chinese Room Argument and the Problem of the Causal Relation between Syntax and Semantics: A Formal Reconstruction of the Systems Reply and an Assessment of the Internalization Objection" .e14406 , Logical Studies, , 2026, e14406. doi: 10.30465/lsj.2026.55149.1528
HARVARD
Ranjbar, S., & Tousi Saeidi, M. (2026). 'Searle’s Chinese Room Argument and the Problem of the Causal Relation between Syntax and Semantics: A Formal Reconstruction of the Systems Reply and an Assessment of the Internalization Objection', Logical Studies, (), e14406. doi: 10.30465/lsj.2026.55149.1528
CHICAGO
Ranjbar, S. & Tousi Saeidi, M., "Searle’s Chinese Room Argument and the Problem of the Causal Relation between Syntax and Semantics: A Formal Reconstruction of the Systems Reply and an Assessment of the Internalization Objection." Logical Studies, (2026): e14406, doi: 10.30465/lsj.2026.55149.1528
VANCOUVER
Ranjbar S., Tousi Saeidi M. Searle’s Chinese Room Argument and the Problem of the Causal Relation between Syntax and Semantics: A Formal Reconstruction of the Systems Reply and an Assessment of the Internalization Objection. Logical Studies. 2026;():e14406 (In Persian). doi: 10.30465/lsj.2026.55149.1528
