Thought experiment
What makes you think that a brain doesn't just follow a fixed set of rules?

There's an interesting thought experiment described here:

www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1580363,00.html

In short it poses this problem: Imagine you have a neurological disease that destroys your brain and nervous system slowly. However, due to the wonder of modern technology, medics replace each bit of your nervous system, even down to the level of individual neurons, as it dies. The replacement parts are electro-mechanical devices that perfectly replicate the function of your neurons.

Now, how much of your brain could be replaced before you no longer had the same consciousness, or were no longer conscious (as you describe it) at all?

As far as I can work out, we're based on carbon, robots are based on silicon and that's pretty much the extent of the difference.

Also, if consciousness is a non-material thing, why do neurons (material things) have to "digest all the stimuli and stored memories into something the conciousness can cope with"?
(flimflam_machine, Thu 26 Mar 2009, 11:53, Reply)