IUBio

machine brains

Ray Scanlon rscanlon at wsg.net
Fri Jan 22 13:30:46 EST 1999



Malcolm McMahon wrote in message <36ae402a.24776446 at news.demon.co.uk>...
>On Thu, 21 Jan 1999 08:53:57 -0500, "Ray Scanlon" <rscanlon at wsg.net>
>wrote:
>
>>
>>First, why soul at all? Because people insist that there is something
behind
>>the brain. I bow to the vast majority but I do say it is better to use
>>"soul" rather than the prissy euphemism "mind".
>>
>
>To me the words mind and soul have substantially different meanings. The
>mind is the information processor. Intelect and emotion are parts of the
>mind.


"Mind" came to be used in the early nineteenth century as a euphemism for
soul. The intent was to indicate that the writer was a freethinker. I think
we are past that.

>The soul, to me, is another word for consciousness. The mind is
>something we're conscious of.


It should be better if we could drop this talk of soul. The thread is
"Machine Brains"

I will read you paper.

Ray
Those interested in how the brain works might look at
www.wsg.net/~rscanlon/brain.html






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