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Article 1870 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: zeleny@zariski.harvard.edu (Mikhail Zeleny)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.books,sci.philosophy.tech,comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Zeleny (was Re: Searle
Message-ID: <1991Dec4.212727.6154@husc3.harvard.edu>
Date: 5 Dec 91 02:27:26 GMT
References: <12545@pitt.UUCP> <1991Dec3.164932.6119@husc3.harvard.edu> <12563@pitt.UUCP>
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In article <12563@pitt.UUCP> 
geb@dsl.pitt.edu (gordon e. banks) writes:

>In article <1991Dec3.164932.6119@husc3.harvard.edu> 
>zeleny@brauer.harvard.edu (Mikhail Zeleny) writes:

MZ:
>>Brain processes are physical events; mental processes, a.k.a. thoughts, may
>>or may not be reducible to brain processes; while you seem to assume the
>>former, I argue for the latter alternative.  To say that we enjoy

GEB:
>What alternative?

That thoughts are not reducible to physical processes, although they may be
regarded as aspects of the same.

GEB:
>                  If thoughts are the result of a non-physical process,
>what exactly is it?  Spiritual?

I see no need to assume dualism, nor to exclude it.

GEB:
>                                If so, how do you know that such a
>spirit would not also reside in a man-made brain, were it to be complex
>enough?

I don't; nor have I ever claimed otherwise.

GEB:
>        Can you be more specific about these non-physical processes,

Not yet, but I will soon enough.

GEB:
>so I can understand why they could not reside in a machine, or are they
>ineffable?

No more so than most real numbers.


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: Mikhail Zeleny                                                     :
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