Brains

nyarlothothep

Are they algorithmic or non algorithmic. The subconscious behaves like a parallel computer, algorithmically too but can you attribute the same properties to consciousness; self awareness, truth, beauty and insight, mathematical Platonism and so forth? The globality of consciousness also sets it apart from the qm computer analogy although an experiment in separating the corpus callosum of a patient with epilepsy actually bifurcated his identity.

There is also the argument that connections between synapses through dendritic spines originate at a QM level, a superimposition of states undergoes state reduction at the one graviton level and this is readily supplied by the electric field generated by neurons. Is QM subjective in the sense that we cannot know the momentum and velocity of particles until we have decided them through observation? I guess the interesting thing is the non locality element in QM and how this may apply to the operation of brains at a fundamental level. The universe imo lives through us so a non algorithmic existence would readily affect us in this regard. As regards Turing machines purely determining which ones work by examining their output algorithmically would not determine their validity, this would be another case of insight being useful. I guess I like this viewpoint as I find a purely mechanistic explanation of things to miss out on the more intangible elements in life like the sum experience of subjective experiences, ie our reactions to art or music and what these mean to us, its useful but I just don't think it fully accounts for or can be put forward as more than likely accounting for what all this is.

Joe1919

nyarlothothep wrote: »

... I guess I like this viewpoint as I find a purely mechanistic explanation of things to miss out on the more intangible elements in life like the sum experience of subjective experiences, ie our reactions to art or music and what these mean to us, its useful but I just don't think it fully accounts for or can be put forward as more than likely accounting for what all this is.

John Searle also seem to argues against a machine/mechanical explanation of consciousness in his Chinese Room Argument and I find his argument convincing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_room