[ExI] Is the brain a digital computer?

[Christopher Luebcke]

Not dualism in the sense of some ineffable, non-interactive properties. But in the sense that certain properties pertain to information, or motion, or activity, but not necessarily to matter.

Spreadsheets aren't magnetic (or, when projected, made of photons).

Surface tension isn't wet.

Thinking isn't grey and squishy.



________________________________
From: Gordon Swobe <gts_2000 at yahoo.com>
To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Sent: Fri, February 26, 2010 2:06:33 PM
Subject: Re: [ExI] Is the brain a digital computer?

--- On Fri, 2/26/10, Christopher Luebcke <cluebcke at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I've already argued for thinking as an emergent property

Yes, and I liked your analogy. You argued that conscious thought arises as an emergent property like the surface tension of water. I've made similar analogies here in which I compared consciousness to the frozen state of water. I like your analogy but I like mine better: the brain enters a state of consciousness like water enters a state of solidity.

>, but to assume that since the brain is made of mass that any of its 
> properties must also have mass is absurd. 

I wonder now if you want to defend property dualism. 

I reject both substance and property dualism. On my view, at time t when the brain exists in conscious state s, the conscious thought at t exists in/as a particular configuration of brain matter. That configuration of brain matter at t has mass.

-gts



      
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