[ExI] Is the brain a digital computer?

[Gordon Swobe]

--- On Mon, 2/22/10, Dave Sill <sparge at gmail.com> wrote:

> A digital simulation of a thing is never equal to the real
> thing, 

Thanks for saying that for me. :)

> Just as a digital simulation of a heart can have a pulse, so can
> simulated brains have thoughts.

A simulated heart can only simulate a pulse -- it's not a real pulse. Likewise, a simulated brain can only simulate having thoughts -- they aren't real thoughts.

On the hypothesis that strong AI=true, a simulation of a brain running on a computer should have real subjective mental states, i.e., it should really think real conscious thoughts like you and me. Not simulated thoughts. 

What's a simulated thought, you ask? Here's a famous one that I've mentioned before:

print "Hello World"

It doesn't get any better than that except in science-fiction novels written by our friend Damien. 

-gts