>What about simulation? Using algorithms you can simulate the behavior of
>the human brain, or of a neural net.
I do not think so, at least not in any foreseeable time.
And there is not THE behaviour of the human brain. The sectors are
different and run programs some of which are of times maybe tends or
even hundreds of millions of years apart.
And the neural nets tend to have different cells with different
functions, I want to see how you simulate that...
>Leads me to a question I always wondered about, say we hit the point where
>we can actually map a human brain to a fine enough detail that we can
>simulate it's behavior on a computer. Will the simulation be conscious?
There are several sectors conscious and a big bunch of them not.
You talk about nets as if the cells had no purpose, but they have.
And if you look at the different ones, and all the illnesses that
might come, how do you want to make them?
And what for?
There is only one system that might be O.K. for use, and that one is
not really conscious, though it can think. And I am not sure that it
would be good.
The real trick is to compare all the conscious systems of all who are,
and then maybe to find something in between, or to breed different.
But if you make something more intelligent than you are how do you
know that you are not just some illogical disturbing element
disturbing Earth for it, that logic says should be removed ?
And who tells you that there are not already better systems developed?
Another trick might be to send a request when we are far enough and
wait a looong time for answers before setting out to build something
more intelligent than we are in a time where thousands starve each day
because they do not have one dollar a day for food.