[ExI] The digital nature of brains

[Damien Broderick]

On 1/23/2010 11:06 AM, Gordon Swobe wrote:
>>> >>  You scan an analog thermostat and observe the
>>> >>  resulting simulation on your computer. You will not see a
>>> >>  real digital thermostat appear on your computer screen.
>>> >>  Instead you will see a digital simulation of a non-digital
>>> >>  object.
>> >
>> >  Wrong.
>
> Show me how my digital simulation of the analog thermostat actually controls the temperature of any room in the real world. Looks to me like it can only regulate simulated temperature in a simulated room.

Jesus Christ, how many people on this list can actually read? You snip 
out most of what I wrote as if I were disagreeing with your assertions 
about simulations, when obviously I was drawing attention to the 
difference between *functional simulations* and *superficial 
representations*:

<Wrong. You see a digital representation of some aspects of the 
[thermometer]--perhaps its surface, perhaps some of its innards (for 
various values of "scan"). An emulation, by definition, is something 
that reproduces the effectivity of the original, not just its 
superficial appearance. >

I doubt that my slip in typing "computer" when I meant "thermometer" has 
any bearing on your misprision.

How about addressing my actual point?

Damien Broderick