[ExI] Consciouness and paracrap

[Mike Dougherty]

On Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 7:15 PM, Gordon Swobe <gts_2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Let us say that we created an artificial brain that contained a cubic foot of warm leftover mashed potatoes and gravy. Only the neurons on the exterior exist, but they have the i/o's of the neurons external to a natural brain so the brain as a whole has the same i/o behavior of a natural brain.
>
> Would your mister potato-head have consciousness? After all it has the same i/o's of a natural brain and you think nothing else matters.
>
> Food for thought.

Was the whole email a setup for that punchline?