X-Message-Number: 11813 Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 16:51:19 -0400 From: Brook Norton <> Subject: improved brain materials Mr Davis said: >>Perhaps there is some unique feature of the organically-constructed brain, >something about the structure or function achieved by the particular use of >carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosporous, etc.--the "organic" >materials--which simply cannot be achieved in an alternate medium. But >barring that, and supposing a thorough understanding of the details of >structure and function of the one machine, what would suggest that a second >machine of alternate--dare I say "better"--materials would not be >theoretically designable and constructable?< I agree that some other material to construct a conscious machine should be possible and preferable. That machine needs to honor whatever it is about biological brains that give them consciousness, but once that mechanism is understood, look out. Technology ought to be able to improve on it, miniturize it, speed it up, WAY up. Not only that but expand the comprehension levels to be aware of entire fields of study that our biological brains are incapable of comprehending in any amount of time. BUT, this improved brain might not be a simulation only. It will have to honor whatever it is that makes us conscious... perhaps a standing wave of some kind as Ettinger speculates. Brook Norton Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=11813