Rethinking Computational Implementation Through Symphoria

This chapter explores the relevance of ‘symphoria,’ a concept from organic chemistry that refers to a universal factor in chemical reactions, to a general theory of computational implementation. It suggests that symphoria, “the bringing together of reactants in the proper spatial relationship” [ 17 ], can be generalized to help explain how and in virtue of what diverse physical systems, such as DNA-based neural networks and photonic neuromorphic systems, carry out computations. The chapter discusses how this concept might integrate with existing accounts of physical computation, offering a new perspective that preserves both extensional adequacy and the naturalistic desideratum of a good theory of implementation.