From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!utgpu!jupiter!morgan.ucs.mun.ca!nstn.ns.ca!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!news Tue Nov 19 11:10:33 EST 1991
Article 1363 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Xref: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca rec.arts.books:10014 sci.philosophy.tech:973 comp.ai.philosophy:1363 sci.med:5568
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>From: turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.books,sci.philosophy.tech,comp.ai.philosophy,sci.med
Subject: Liver, kidneys, and brain  (was: Daniel Dennett)
Summary: Yes, Virginia, the brain makes memories; the kidneys, urine.
Message-ID: <kie1rcINN2rb@cs.utexas.edu>
Date: 18 Nov 91 00:21:00 GMT
References: <1991Nov14.223348.4076@milton.u.washington.edu>
Followup-To: sci.philosophy.tech,comp.ai.philosophy,sci.med
Organization: U Texas Dept of Computer Sciences, Austin TX
Lines: 36

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Cross-posted to sci.med.  Irrelevent groups dropped.

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In article <1991Nov15.160741.5495@husc3.harvard.edu> zeleny@walsh.harvard.edu (Mikhail Zeleny) writes:
> ... If the brain can be seen as the seat of consciousness, why
> not the liver or the kidneys? ...

Does Mr Zeleny also wonder why we don't think the brain the seat
of urine production?  

Physiologists think that the brain is the seat of consciousness,
memory, speech, and in general, of cognitive function, on much the
same kind of evidence that they think other organs are the seat of the
functions that are attributed to them.  In the event that Mr Zeleny
were to awake tomorrow uncharacteristically aphasic, and presenting no
other symptoms, he would be referred to a neurologist or neurological
surgeon, who would try to determine the cause of his brain's
dysfunction.  Does he think that he should instead be referred to a
urologist for investigation of his kidneys?? 

Given his Platonic philosophy, I suspect that Mr Zeleny holds that
ideas, beliefs, intentions, and feelings are not epiphenomena of
physical processes.  Fair enough.  But there is a very operational
sense in which the brain remembers, solves problems, forms speech, and
performs other observable cognitive functions.  This does not "prove"
that ideas, beliefs, intentions, etc, come from the brain.  It is
undoubtedly possible to construct a philosophy in which the mental
qualities reside in a separate sphere from the behavior that
neurologists observe, and in which the two are mysteriously and
uncannily linked.  But let's not play coy about what the organ is to
which these mental qualities must be linked.  It is the brain.  To
question the behavioral role of the brain in memory, speech, thought,
etc is to ignore medical science. 

Russell


