From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!psych.toronto.edu!christo Tue May 12 15:49:24 EDT 1992
Article 5451 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
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>From: christo@psych.toronto.edu (Christopher Green)
Subject: Re: brains and information processing
Organization: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
References: <1992May2.170158.5837@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> <1992May5.201703.17963@psych.toronto.edu> <1992May6.205923.14479@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu>
Message-ID: <1992May7.164257.17225@psych.toronto.edu>
Date: Thu, 7 May 1992 16:42:57 GMT

In article <1992May6.205923.14479@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> bill@NSMA.AriZonA.EdU (Bill Skaggs) writes:
>In article <1992May5.201703.17963@psych.toronto.edu> 
>christo@psych.toronto.edu (Christopher Green) writes:
>>...
>>Nothing like a little whole-hearted question-begging to get things off on the 
>>right foot, eh? Brains are no more *essentially* information processing
>>devices than weather systems are. If you define them as such from the outset,
>>it is little wonder you end up with the conclusion you had assumed. 
>>Nice try. :-)
>
>  All right.  I am willing to be enlightened.  Brains must have a
>function or they would not exist.  How would you describe that
>function?
>
>	-- Bill

This sounds pretty teleological to me, but I think you've missed the point.
The question is why you would characterize information processing as
the *essential* function of the brain. Even if it is *a* function of
the brain, why *essential*?


-- 
Christopher D. Green                christo@psych.toronto.edu
Psychology Department               cgreen@lake.scar.utoronto.ca
University of Toronto
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