From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!spool.mu.edu!umn.edu!news.cs.indiana.edu!arizona.edu!arizona!noao!stsci!stsci.edu!bsimon Thu Dec 26 23:57:05 EST 1991
Article 2270 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Path: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!spool.mu.edu!umn.edu!news.cs.indiana.edu!arizona.edu!arizona!noao!stsci!stsci.edu!bsimon
>From: bsimon@elvis.stsci.edu (Bernie Simon)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Searle's response to silicon brain?
Message-ID: <BSIMON.91Dec19071828@elvis.stsci.edu>
Date: 19 Dec 91 12:18:28 GMT
Article-I.D.: elvis.BSIMON.91Dec19071828
References: <40822@dime.cs.umass.edu><1991Dec18.193242.10535@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu>
Sender: news@stsci.edu
Organization: me, myself, and i
Lines: 21
In-Reply-To: chalmers@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu's message of 18 Dec 91 19: 32:42 GMT

> Still, I think that this can be turned into an argument against
> Searle that has some force.  First, we have to replace the neurons
> one by one instead of all at once.  Second, we can allow that
> instead of replacing them by silicon, we can replace them by
> *anything* that's functionally equivalent -- including a
> Chinese-room-style simulation of a neuron that computes the neuron's
> output as a function of its input, and is linked to synaptic
> transmissions in the appropriate way.  In replacing the neurons,
> each time a pair of connected simulated neurons comes up, we can
> dispense with their synaptic connection altogether and simulate it,
> as well.  Eventually we arise at a Chinese-room style simulation of
> the whole nervous system, connected to the world via input/output
> receptors.  Of course the details have to be spelt out a lot better
> than this, but you get the idea.

This argument ignores the fact that neurons have chemical as well as
electrical behaviour. Since no "Chinese room" can secrete or absorb
chemicals, any such replacement for a neuron could not be functionally
identical for the cell it replaces.
--
Bernie Simon	(bsimon@stsci.edu)


