[ExI] Is the brain a digital computer?

[Dan]

On Fri, February 26, 2010 8:05:52 AM Gordon Swobe gts_2000 at yahoo.com wrote:
>--- On Thu, 2/25/10, Mike Dougherty <msd001 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> If should seem obvious, for example, that thoughts
>>> don't exist in the absence of brain matter.
>> 
>> Playing devil's advocate here:  Suppose thoughts exist
>> like radio waves and brains are merely the antenna that tunes them
>> in.  If there is no radio present, do you really believe the radio
>> signals stop existing?
>
> That sounds like some of sort of dualistic religion to me. We can suppose all sorts of religious ideas, but I'd rather not.

I'm curious: Is dualism ruled out a priori? Dualism, as such, is not religious. It's merely a different stand than monism or other such stands.

This is not to say I'm a dualist, but I don't think one has to stand firm against it on these issues -- though, to be sure, I'm more persuaded by the likes of Jaegwon Kim than by dualists at this time.

Regards,

Dan