🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1037@ra.stsci.edu> bsimon@stsci.EDU (Bernie Simon) writes:

 > 6) While there are good reasons to believe that thinking is a physical
 > activity, there are no good reasons for believing that thinking is the
 > execution of a computer program.  Nothing revealed either through
 > introspection or the examination of the anatomy of the brain leads to
 > the conclusion that the brain is operating as a computer.  If someone
 > claims that it is, the burden of proof is on that person to justify that
 > claim. Such proof must be base on analysis of the brain's structure and
 > not on logical, mathematical, or philosophical grounds.  Since even the
 > physical basis of memory is poorly understood at present, any claim that
 > the brain is a computer is at best an unproven hypothesis.

The brain is a collection of about 400 anatomically identifiable
neural networks, interconnected by trunk circuits called nerve bundles,
and connected to the outside world by sensory organs (eyes, ears, nose,
tactile sensors) and effectors (muscles, vocal cords).  Neural networks
are programmable computational devices, capable of categorizing stimuli
into cases, and capable of instantiating any computable function (some
more easily than others).  Artificial neural networks are used today
for classifying applicants for credit or insurance.  They have also
been used to read ASCII text and drive a speech synthesizer, thereby
demonstrating one aspect of language processing.  As to memory, you
might want to explore recent research on the Hebb's synapse.

--Barry Kort