[ExI] Wernicke's aphasia and the CRA.

[John Clark]

On Dec 12, 2009,  Gordon Swobe wrote:

> So goes the functionalist theory, just one of many in the philosophy of mind, but one which you seem here to take for granted.

I take it for granted that science works better than mystical crap.

> But you'll notice first that functionalism amounts to behaviorism at the level of the neuron

So what?

> it ignores the subjective first person ontology of mental states

I see no evidence that a neuron has a mental state. Do you?

> it relies on the shaky assumption that substance does not matter -- only function matters.

What the hell is shaky about that? If substance has no function then it doesn't matter. Evolution is blind to substance, it only sees function, and yet I am conscious and you are too probably. Can't you see that fact is telling you something?

> If only function matters then we could, as others have pointed out, construct a giant artificial brain out of beer cans and toilet paper.

True.

> Do you think such a monstrosity would have semantics? 

Certainly!

 John K Clark

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