How does the rule-based approach explain human thinking?

In cognitive science, the rule-based approach—often associated with the physical symbol system hypothesis—posits that human thinking is a form of symbolic manipulation.12

According to this view, the mind functions similarly to a computer, where cognitive processes consist of applying inference rules to complex symbols that possess an internal structure comparable to natural language sentences. These rules typically take the form of "IF…THEN…" statements. For example, if a system holds the symbol "you ate too much," it applies a rule such as "IF you eat too much, THEN you will have a stomach ache" to derive the new symbol "you will have a stomach ache".13

This framework suggests that reasoning—including deductive, inductive, and practical thought—can be reduced to mechanical computation. Proponents argue that the mind is composed of various computational subsystems, where the output of one serves as the input for another. While this approach has been influential in modeling problem solving and developing expert systems, critics note that it often struggles to replicate the flexible, integrated "common sense" reasoning characteristic of human intelligence.41