X-Message-Number: 12955
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: it's not just parallelism
Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 23:41:59 +1100 (EST)

Hi!

I will apologize for believing that you weren't familiar with how brains
worked, though it seems to me that this is something quite relevant to
what you were saying. Parallelism is one simple feature without which no
real computer (even IBM's) has any chance at all of coming close to a
human brain.

Your reply omits any discussion of another major problem with your list:
the existence of very great computational capability does not imply
consciousness. Consciousness may require some special design features
if it is to be anything like our own consciousness (note that we're not
normally aware of the parallelism of our nervous system: a very
interesting hint). Consciousness can probably occur even with the
computational capability of an 8086 PC --- not extensive or deep
consciousness, but consciousness still. But it's also likely to require
special hardware designs to get it, it does not come automatically for an
8086 PC either.

Moreover, for a computer to be INDEPENDENT it must not only have some
version of consciousness, but also its own desires and emotions (which
are closer together than many think). If you read CRYONICS you'll see my
book review in the latest issue in which I discuss just these problems.
And I also point out that omission of these factors seems to be a common
failing, too, whenever computer people talk about computers becoming
independent minds.

To put the issue briefly, it doesn't really matter what the computational
capability may be (within wide limits). It's emotions, desires, and 
consciousness that make a machine independent.

			Best wishes and long long life,

				Thomas Donaldson

PS: And what books on brains have you read?

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