The Human Brain... just another computer?

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  1. A.Villarasa profile image60
    A.Villarasaposted 12 years ago

    The eminent and prominent physicist, Stephen Hawkings avers,  in an interview with a British magazine, that the human brain is nothing more than a computer, and when  that computer malfunctions then stops operating altogether, the human who has that computer( brain), dies and does not live in the hereafter, thereafter.

    So what gives? Is human life  nothing more than the operative functioning of a biologic entity(brain)? If and when  that biologic entity becomes so functionally mechanized and computerized, stripped of its soulful essence, would humans lose their connectivity to their immediate world, thus cutting off their path to their ultimate destiny... that of   creatively  understanding the mysteries of the universe?

    1. wilderness profile image91
      wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, human life is nothing more that the functioning of a biologic entity and when it dies it dies.  To claim that the ultimate destiny of a human is understanding the mysteries of the universe is silly - the ultimate destiny of any one human is to eventually return to the dust it came from.

      The ultimate destiny of mankind as a species is unknown, but best bet is that it, too, will eventually return to dust without ever understanding all the mysteries of the universe.

      The human brain might be likened to a computer, but it is a very poorly functioning one.  None of us would accept a computer with the foibles of the human brain as it would be almost useless for what we use a computer for.  If you could remove all the right brain functions (emotion, desire, artistry, creativity, etc.) it might make a better computer but I would suspect that you are right.  That the human would lose the connectivity to the immediate world and to the rest of humanity.  Mr. Spock made a poor human.

      1. Jerami profile image60
        Jeramiposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        I think I agree with that.  our brains might be nothing more than  a computer and it is programing our destiny by the words that our brain hears our mouth speek.  Talk about a self fulling prophesy  ??? 

           I choose a differsnt destiny for myself so I am going to make my mind here a different kind of song coming out of my mouth.


           I think it might work?

      2. A.Villarasa profile image60
        A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        @wilderness:

        If you read my post carefully, you will know that I never advanced the "silly" and if I may say so, absuredly illogical idea that a single human, acting on his own, and uninformed of the accumulated  knowledge of his fellow humans, could unlock, and thus understand the mysteries of the universe.

        I do strongly disagree with your pessimistic/nihilistic view of Homo Sapiens. As a specie, I believe, that man should and could aim for an earthly journey  that not only allows him to fulfill his physical and physiologic needs but most importantly also allows him to sublimate those needs to the spiritual and cosmic. Humans having been created through the evolutionary process with the cerebral capacity, temerity and perspicacity to conceptualize endless possibilitie should  aim straight towards that destiny.

        1. pisean282311 profile image61
          pisean282311posted 12 years agoin reply to this

          @villarasa pessimistic view...obviously humans are one of species...how can that be view...view can be on god , on holy book , on heaven etc...one cant have view on shape of earth or gravity or being speices...those are called facts not views...

          secondly it is most empowering place to stand...what a awesome journey we have had as species...it feels with pride as well as responsibility for coming generation as a species...

          1. profile image0
            jomineposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            This non material essence are called concepts and concepts don't exist. Concepts are conceptualized. By your very on description soul does not exist yet you are describing it, as though it exist!
            Sorry pisean I was replying to Villarasa's comment "The non-material(soul)  essence of human beingsreside in the consciousness " I don't know how it came as a reply to you.

            1. Disappearinghead profile image60
              Disappearingheadposted 12 years agoin reply to this

              If the soul is conciousness and that is the result of the bio electrical chemical operation of the brain, then the soul certainly does exist.

              1. profile image0
                jomineposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                Certainly, but then that soul is not eternal!
                All thoughts are brain function, concepts.

                1. Disappearinghead profile image60
                  Disappearingheadposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Agreed. According to the bible man is flesh only, and that dies. Eternity is only possible after resurection with a perfect immortal flesh body. There is no immortal human spirit. However no matter how much I say this the fundamentalists insist on a pagan view of man with an immortal spirit that leaves the body upon death retaining consciousness and memories. Yet they can never prove this from the bible.

            2. A.Villarasa profile image60
              A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

              I@Jomine:
              If your experiential instincts lead you to the conclude that reality are all material, and that anything that does not have a measurable physical form could not exist ....thus your insistence that concepts, devoid of material form do not exist. You eliminated from you formulation, the role perceptual instinct...in man's ability to conceptualize non-material relialities , I.e. gravity, justice, soul, God.

              1. A Troubled Man profile image60
                A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                So, gravity is on par with souls and gods? lol

                1. A.Villarasa profile image60
                  A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Yes, but only in so far as they are all conceptually speaking non-material realities. I told the other hubbers, just like you who have no use for anything spiritual, that my perceptual instincts led me to believe the existence of npm-material realities.

                  1. A Troubled Man profile image60
                    A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                    lol



                    Why would anyone have any use for that which has never been shown to exist outside ones imagination?

                    Perceptual instincts, indeed.

              2. profile image0
                jomineposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                So you agree they are all concepts and are only in the mind?
                So it need somebody to conceive all those and is dependent on the one who is conceiving and is different for each person and will cease the moment the person start thinking about other things. Soul will disappear the moment people stop thinking about it!
                Exist is objective.

        2. wilderness profile image91
          wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Sorry if I misunderstood your earlier post - it happens sometimes when there is only a few written words.  The reference to "biological entity" (singular) threw me off.

          This one, though, I very definitely do not follow.  You seem to feel that physical needs of a biological entity should be secondary to something, but I'm not sure what.  "Spiritual" thoughts or ideas?  "Spiritual" something?  Spiritual what?  Same thing with "cosmic" - cosmic what?  Cosmic is either an adverb or adjective; you think we should place the need for food secondary to a descriptive term of a noun or verb?  I'm a little lost, especially when you consider that if the biological needs aren't met as a priority the entity won't exist for long.  If eating is sublimated to creating spiritual myths as a primary activity the ultimate destiny (dust to dust) won't take but a couple of weeks.

          I also read this post as saying that humans have an imagination and should aim towards using that imagination to find endless possibilities without ever knowing of any of them are true.  If so, I really prefer to imagine a possibility and then investigate to see if it is true and would not care to live my own life simply imagining all the possibilities that my brain can come up with.  It can be entertaining for a while, but palls quickly for me.

          1. A.Villarasa profile image60
            A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            @wilderness: The biologic need to survive is inherent in all animate entities and in whatever way/form  that  need is met is not unique to any one specie but is universal to all species.. What separates the human specie is their cerebral capacity to conceptualize  meanings to those physiologic functions  other  than the material/physical.

            I did not in any way suggest that those physiologic functions(breath, sleep,eat , procreate etc.) should be secondary in the narrative of the survival of our specie, but in the narrative of  man's ultimate destination,  i.e. exploring, inventing ways to explore, and securing the tools to explore the mysteries of the universe, man should elevate/sublimate,  his physicality to his spirituality. I understand that as a non-believer in anything spiritual, the concept is alien to you.

            Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was Einstein who said,( and I'm paraphrasing here) ....intellect without imagination is like a plane without wings.  I might add to that,  this....intellect without ambition is like a boat without a rudder. Man should use all his imaginative/comtemplative  capacity to explore the meaning of his existence vis-a,vis God, and the cosmos that sorrounds him.

            Homo Sapiens

            1. A Troubled Man profile image60
              A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

              “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.”
              ― Salvador Dalí

              1. A.Villarasa profile image60
                A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                Thank you for the correction Troubled Man.

    2. A Troubled Man profile image60
      A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Of course.



      What is soulful essence and what does it have to do with humans and biology?

      1. A.Villarasa profile image60
        A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        The non-material(soul)  essence of human beings reside in the consciousness mediated via the neuronal connections of a material/biologic entity(brain).  I posit that man,  as with all sentient beings on earth,  have dual consciousness i.e. the material/physical and the spiritual/ethereal. Man,  among those sentient beings have been blessed, through the evolutionary creative process, with a brain that not only manifest the inate dignity of man, but also sublimates his  material/physical verities to that of  his  spiritual/ethereal  realities.

        A lot of folks on HubPages, via their  ego-driven propensity  towards  nihilism, objectivism,  reductionism,  and ultimately atheism would deny  their fellow humans their  inate cerebral capacity, temerity, and perspicacity  to conceptulize realities that are not immediately inferred from or informed by  their  5 physical senses. That to me is intellectual bullyism of the 10th degree.

        1. A Troubled Man profile image60
          A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          And, you have hard evidence for this considering no scientist has ever found such evidence for souls?

           

          And, you posit that from what exactly?



          So, you're upset and are playing the bully card because your fantasies are being questioned with reality?

          1. A.Villarasa profile image60
            A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I don't need the seal of approval from any scientist for me to believe joyfully that I have a soul...a soul that defines me who, what, why I am. A soul whose existence elevates and sublimates  me from the purely biologic/physical  to the truly cosmic/spiritual.

            I of course have no intention of disabusing you from your idea that as a human being you are no more than the material product of your biologic need to survive i.e. feed, sleep, breath, micturate, defecate and procreate, thus an existence that is no better(or worse, I suppose) from the existence of  let say... the rat that I see scampering all over the public dump.

            By the way, your post reminded me of the nippy-nappy comments that Mark Knowles used to throw on fellow hubbers who he thinks are intellectually inferior.... thus the bullying tenor. For now, and until such time that you can post something lucid, anything luminous and levitating that adds a substantial girth to the discussion at hand...I would appreciate it very much if you could keep those comments to yourself.

            1. wilderness profile image91
              wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

              No, you certainly don't need a seal of approval to maintain that belief.  You do need that seal (or equivalent facts) to KNOW you have a soul or to (accurately) make the claim that it raises you to the spiritual.

              But far be it from me to try to disabuse of the notion.  If it keeps you joyful and you have no expectation that others need to or somehow should share the belief then I cannot see it does any harm.

              1. A.Villarasa profile image60
                A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                @Wilderness
                You are absolutely right. Contrary to what other hubbers say on this forum, I do not have the least intention of imposing my belief systems on anyone.

            2. A Troubled Man profile image60
              A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

              True, you are free to wallow in that fantasy.



              Nonsense.



              We are all a material product of biology, but we aren't rats either. Perhaps, you should look up the differences. But, now that you mention it, we do share about 85% genetics with rats.



              Ah yes, playing the bully card. How quaint. It's hilarious you believers play that card when your irrational beliefs are exposed as nonsense.



              lol You actually believe you're irrational beliefs are substantial and luminous to a discussion? lol

              1. A.Villarasa profile image60
                A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                @ A troubled Man:
                True... you are free to bathe in the polluted waters of your "sanity".

                Makes total sense to me.

                We are all not only the material product of our biology, but  most importantly,  the spiritual product of our  cosmology....thus we are not rats.  I have looked up the difference, and in your case.... apparently , not much. But now that you mention it, we do share about 99% of our genetic code with our closest chromosomal "kin", the bonobo chimpanzee. Perhaps you should  use the monicker "A troubled Chimp", instead of "A troubled Man.".

                Ah you play laughing idiot card. How boorish. It's more than hilarious... in fact it is bordering on the troubling that you non-believers play that card when your non-spiritual beliefs are exposed as nonsense.

                You actually believe that your non-transcendental beliefs are substantial and luminous to a discussion?

                1. Mark Knowles profile image58
                  Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  My what a high opinion you have of yourself. What a shame none of you self-professed Christians do as Jesus told you to do.

                  This is why your religion causes so much ill will and hatred. sad

                2. A Troubled Man profile image60
                  A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Once again, you impose as fact that which has NEVER been shown to exist, which is anything that constitutes the "spiritual" hence your claim is completely unfounded and pointless.



                  Perhaps then, you can explain why your God would do such a thing as opposed to how evolution works and the fact we share the same ancestors as a result?



                  Non-spiritual beliefs, non-transcendental beliefs? Why do you continue to impose concepts that have never been shown to exist?

                  1. A.Villarasa profile image60
                    A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                    Wow... I did not know that I deserve to be honored by the appearance of the supreme  provocateur/ranter, Mark  Knowles. I assume that his  presence, was due to the fact that A troubled Man  extricated him from wherever he was to be his relief pitcher or designated hitter.

                    Either way it won't work. Mark Knowles rants are as old as God-knows-what, and reading them again just gave me the worse case of  "deja vu all over again".

    3. profile image0
      Brenda Durhamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The brain may be "just a computer", but that's not the only organ that indicates life, no.  There's the heart and lungs and etc.
      And the intangible soul can't be said to exist literally in any of those.

    4. Jesus was a hippy profile image60
      Jesus was a hippyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Mice have brains. They work in the same way that ours do. We are not special.

      1. A.Villarasa profile image60
        A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        @hippy: Stunning statement from someone who would use the name of the Nazarene in his HubPages monicker. In the Nazarene's narrative He did not assume human form to save rats.

        "Of mice and men", if I'm not mistaken, is  the title of a book written by, was it Hemmingway?. Anyway, I'm not sure if you are referencing the book or just to privide an alibi  for  why  some humans  sometme act like rats.

    5. jacharless profile image73
      jacharlessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The brain itself is not a computer, because a computer is a sum of many parts working together to perform a function. Diodes, chips, fans, power source, memory, display/output, etc.

      However the brain is the/a processor of light sequences and frequencies.
      Its purpose is to properly process inbound and outbound light. Another way to approach this is to say the brain takes the invisible and processes it for visible; and vice versa.

      James.

      1. A.Villarasa profile image60
        A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        @jacharles:
        I would like to add to what you wrote, this pargraph from a recent editorial piece on Discover Magazine:."...we give computers too much credit. The average human brain operates for  about 70 years without crashing or needing a system upgrade, and it requires just 20 watts of power to think. Machines are feeble in comparison; a computer would need at least 10 million watts to do what the brain does everyday. And consider this: would you trust your consciousness to a system running Windows?

        1. jacharless profile image73
          jacharlessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          lol
          one sure-fire reason I am a Mac Lion user.

  2. Jerami profile image60
    Jeramiposted 12 years ago

    YEP!  Now that might be SOME of the good news that Jesus was talking about when he hinted;  It isn't what goes into the mouth that corrupts but that which comes out of it corrupts (the soul?).

  3. Disturbia profile image59
    Disturbiaposted 12 years ago

    With all due respect to Mr. Hawkings, I agree that the human brain might be a computer, but I reserve the right to disagree with him about the hereafter and what might or might not live on there.  On second thought, the human brain is so much more than just a computer, and to distill our humanity down to nothing more than just a simple machine is to do a disservice to us all.  We are more than just that which is physical.  Of all people one would imagine that Stephen Hawkings would understand the depth and breath of the human soul.

    1. wilderness profile image91
      wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      If you could explain to Mr. Hawkings what a "soul" is in concrete, understandable, terms he might be interested.  He might even be able to measure the depth and width of that soul, depending on your definition.

      1. Jewels profile image84
        Jewelsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Mr Hawkings doesn't have the answers, that's why he's a scientist.  He, like everyone else is attempting to find them. 

        Maybe Disturbia a rewording of your statement "the human mind, and not just the human brain is so much more than just a computer."  There is a distinction between brain and mind.  The mind is that which is in and beyond the brain.  The brain is the organ stimulated to animate thoughts, bring them into something concrete - via the act of doing something with them.

        wilderness, If Mr Hawkings doesn't understand the concept of a soul and has to measure everything by algorithms and test tubes to prove the existence of all things, he is missing out and quite tunneled in his vision.

        I did see a documentary on Hawkings and how his motivation for his work is because of his father's death.  He is looking, like alchemists before him, for the body of immortality.  He's trying to avoid the very thing most humans fear most.  I found that fascinating for such a learned mind.

        1. A Troubled Man profile image60
          A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          lol So, please enlighten us all on exactly the soul is and I'll make sure to pass that on to Hawkings, I'm sure he's be very interested to hear all about it.

          1. Jewels profile image84
            Jewelsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            smile I'm sure Mr Hawkings doesn't know you from a bar of soap!  And there are many references to the soul, you just have to google the term and I'm sure you yourself can become enlightened.  Or are you wanting me to do that for you?  Mind you, it may open you up to a world of literature that, I am sure you are not interested in.

            A hint - in Greek literature the term psyche and soul - the seat of emotions, passions and lower rational faculties were intertwined - basically the same.  So your soul is that which contains your emotions, your passions, and your lower rational faculties.

            It's a term, just as air is the term for an unseen substance we inhale that keeps us alive.  Without a soul you'd be an inanimate moron, with absolutely no means to be conscious that you are conscious.

            Please pass this onto Mr Hawkings if he has the time to speak to you.  But I have a feeling he already knows the meaning.  It was just you who needed to know.  There you go smile

            1. profile image0
              erickcbposted 12 years agoin reply to this

              Yup a bar of soap. Funny how we all came to be on the level of animals with the same rights as trees and amoebas. What a great green future we all have.

            2. A Troubled Man profile image60
              A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

              There are references to unicorns and dragons, too, but no evidence that they exist.



              Oh, I see, so it's a container somewhere in the human body. Where exactly? Besides, our emotions, passions and rational faculties have already been explained by other means that have nothing to do with souls.



              No, that would be oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere that we can actually see with a microscope.



              No, that's our brain.



              Sorry, but you've provided nothing that explains the soul that hasn't already been explained by other biological means.

              1. Jewels profile image84
                Jewelsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                So are you saying psychology doesn't exist?  Psyche?  No?  Hmmmm, wonder how you could grasp the concept?    Don't worry, I am sure Mr Hawkings knows what it means.

                1. profile image0
                  jomineposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Excuse me, but what is 'exist'?

                2. A Troubled Man profile image60
                  A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Try looking at a little closer at my posts and you'll see quite clearly that I said no such thing. Why are putting words in my mouth? Have you not noticed we were discussing souls, not psychology or the psyche?

                  Curious debating tactics you have there, when you can't support your claims, change the goalposts altogether.

                  1. Jewels profile image84
                    Jewelsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                    Not putting any words in your mouth.  You asked for a definition of soul, I gave it to you.  You had difficulty understanding that definition, and still do apparently.  I used the term psychology, it is derived from the word psyche, the word psyche and soul are interchangeable in Greek literature. 

                    I have supported my claims using literature.  Soul is a title, same as a book is a title for two bits of cardboard with pages in the middle with words on them.

                    For you to understand Soul in a deeper context you have to understand your own personal psychology.  And to understand your personal psychology you have to put yourself on a chair, perhaps in front of a mirror and ask who you are......not just the physical body, you know arms and legs and organs and blood and the like.  Brain is part of the physical anatomy - the body.  No......you have to go a bit further than that.  You have to analyse yourself.  For many that is quite difficult.  So good luck with that.  Hope you enjoy your self analysis on the road to understanding your own soul.  If you have trouble understand who you are then perhaps go to a psychologist or psychiatrist.  They may give you some hints, but be aware they will charge you money.

                    So are you getting it?  Soul = psyche = psychology.  Nothing woohoo about that, easy peasy. smile

              2. A.Villarasa profile image60
                A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                @TroubledMan:

                Sorry to burst your bubble i.e. what passes for scientific knowledge, but as far as I can recall, I have never seen Oxygen and Nitrogen under the microscope. Unless the microscopes that we used whike in medical school were so totally defective. The so called electron microscope was not named to indicate that it could see atoms and  their component protons and electrons.

                1. A Troubled Man profile image60
                  A Troubled Manposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  "The Scanning Tunneling Microscope

                  The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is a type of electron microscope that shows three-dimensional images of a sample.

                  The stylus is extremely sharp, the tip being formed by one single atom. It slowly scans across the surface at a distance of only an atom's diameter."

                  http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/p … index.html

                  1. A.Villarasa profile image60
                    A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                    @TM
                    I read the brochure on your microscope and it doesn't claim what you are claiming. Btw oxygen and nitrogen are atoms not molecules.

      2. A.Villarasa profile image60
        A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        @wilderness:
        As per your formulation (and Mr Hawkings), the brain is just an entity, albeit a biologic one,  that does nothing for humans except act as a conduit or terminal for sensory input (from all of our 5 physical senses) so that those input could be immediately processed, then acted upon by the brain's intricate dendro-axonal connections in an almost mechanistic way, so that humans could appropriately react to those sensory input, thus ensuring his "survival".

        Recent research on the intricacies of the  physiopathology  of  the brain's  anatomy strongly indicates that those superbly integrated dendro-axonal connections, do and can function independently of the sensory input coming from our 5 senses.....thus giving credibility to the idea that the "brain has a mind of its own."

        We, as humans, think that we are all, in our full consciousness, captains of our own ship... totally in control based on our perception of the material reality that sorrounds us.. It now appears that the brain, irrespective of those material realties, could intitiate perceptions, thus concepts, that is devoid of and in the absence of any material inference made by our  5 physical  senses.

        1. mischeviousme profile image60
          mischeviousmeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          That's because the brain is a sensory organ, it's the conditioning of perception that's the underlying cause of belief and character trait.

  4. Druid Dude profile image60
    Druid Dudeposted 12 years ago

    Hi, guys. How you been AV? Long time. The human brain is, indeed, a computer, albeit, unlike any man-made computer yet made. The human brain can beat the pants off of any of them because of the sheer number of simoultaneous sub-routines which are maintained 24-7, 365 days ayear, non-stop, while maintaining a consciousness level unattainable by any man-made computer. Dell isn't even close. Toss that in with the fact that the only super-natural thing on this planet, possibly in this entire universe is...human beings. We alone stand outside and in defference to nature. The nature of energy goes beyond the physical body. All things are a manifestation of energy, including consciousness. And me? I'm a dummy. I hold no degrees, never graduated from community college, All I hold is a G.E.D. And everything that I say, was not of my invention. It was handed to me on a veritable silver platter. Now, it just might all be B.S....then again, I might be speaking from the spirit, and not the material plane. According to the Medicine Dream, I do walk equally well in both planes.

    1. A.Villarasa profile image60
      A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      @Druid Dude:  I appreciate your always fascinating meta-physical  digressions on the duality of human nature.

  5. paradigmsearch profile image60
    paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

    "I think, therefore I am."

    1. profile image0
      jomineposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      No. I am, therefore I think!

      1. A.Villarasa profile image60
        A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Which brings us to the eternal question... which came first, the chicken or the egg? I would agree with the formulation expressed by paradigmsearch, for the simple reason that even if I am (exist), I may not know that I am(exist), therefore I have to think that I am(exist)... the thinking process obviously comes from the supremely integrated, marvelously connected dendro-axonal structure of the human brain that allows you to think and therefore allows you to conceptualize that you exist.... the I am. The thinking comes first before the conclusion that you exist.( I am).

        1. wilderness profile image91
          wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          No, Jomine is more correct.  A virus is (exist) but doesn't think.  A human can think but cannot think without being (exist).  First must come the existence.

        2. profile image0
          jomineposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Wilderness has explained it beautifully, so I'm just asking you to think about the people with brain defects(syndrome, birth defect, brain injury) too, whose thoughts are drastically different sometimes.

          1. A.Villarasa profile image60
            A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            @jomine: I am assuming that the discussion only pertains to non-diseased human brains....brains that are fully functional in all aspects of  of its anatomy and physiology.

            1. profile image0
              jomineposted 12 years agoin reply to this

              Why, a fully functional brain is needed for a soul?

              1. A.Villarasa profile image60
                A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                @jomine:

                I would infer from your post that you do believe in the existence of  a soul. A fully functional brain is of course not needed for one to have a soul but a fully functional brain is important, if not critical, for any human being to appreciate his inate dignity, integrity and verity, and spirituality.

                1. profile image0
                  jomineposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  So soul is not something that exist but the totality of human personality?

                  1. A.Villarasa profile image60
                    A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                    @jomine:  The human soul exist because without it  we would be no more conscious of our existence as the petunia that  decorates our window sill. Humans have soul because without it, he would never ask the why,  and the how of his existence. The soul is what makes humans perceive that his existence is not purely material, but most of all surely spiritual.

  6. Druid Dude profile image60
    Druid Dudeposted 12 years ago

    Nothing "meta-physical" about my statement. Calling it such is just an easy way of blowing off what I say.

    1. A.Villarasa profile image60
      A.Villarasaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      @Druid: Sorry Dude if I mis-characterized your post... and I'm not blowing it off, knowing that you added  a unique perspective on the  topic.

  7. VisionInfinity profile image62
    VisionInfinityposted 12 years ago

    I would like to see some thoughts created and/or located inside a brain, before one can figure out how the brain computes them. Until now, such a thing hasn't occured. Physical reactions that thoughts cause to the brain (as well as other body parts) are not proof that thoughts are being made there. Yet, it has been considered a standard fact for decades now. I find it a bit too dogmatic.

  8. Jewels profile image84
    Jewelsposted 12 years ago

    I have done several hubs on this topic, ie consciousness being beyond the brain, and the brain being the organ/receptacle to animate the biped.

    I am therefore I think - smile

  9. Druid Dude profile image60
    Druid Dudeposted 12 years ago

    "Tell me about the rabbits!" The perfection which is evidenced in the mathematical nature of this universe, makes me wonder why many can't see that there is more to our existence than a simple "Darn, look at the mess I've made" accident. The complexities of the human brain would suggest, (Given that it is totally mathematical in it's workings) that those who perceive the intangible are slightly ahead of those who can't.

  10. profile image0
    erickcbposted 12 years ago

    Mere computers do not have the emotional capacity to become more noble or kind. Also, I simply do not believe emotions, dreams, memories and all that are just electro-chemical reactions. Thats is like saying you can create love and all of these things in a lab with the correct PHYSICAL components. For a human being, spontaneity is what makes you different than a computer. Your brain may function like a computer, but it is NOT a computer. There is much much more going on inside humans. Choosing to do a back flip outta nowhere is a perfect example. Logically, this makes no sense. But if humans were indeed computers, there would be NO back flips EVER, simply because computers "know logically" there is no real reason for a back flip to exist. If we were indeed JUST computers.. wow. No art, no music, no fun.

  11. prettydarkhorse profile image63
    prettydarkhorseposted 12 years ago

    computer with a capability to process knowledge with human emotions, coupled with life's experiences, effects of inclusion in a society and a particular culture.

  12. Druid Dude profile image60
    Druid Dudeposted 12 years ago

    Energy. Straight up, Einsteinian energy. E=MC2. E is equal to all. E existed before the universe coalesced into what we experience. Where once was nothing but energy...now I AM!

  13. ptosis profile image72
    ptosisposted 12 years ago

    Hawking said this? - I'm  disappointed in him. The brain has been compared to the latest technology for a long time and today it's the Turing test; The Chinese Room Argument


    http://hubpages.com/t/2c1cd5
    http://s1.hubimg.com/u/6510700_f248.jpg

    Aristotle thought that the brain is a radiator designed to cool the heart, the seat of the soul.

    "Throughout history, people have compared the brain to different inventions. In the past, the brain has been said to be like a water clock and a telephone switchboard " - More metaphors throughout history @ http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/metaphor.html

  14. Druid Dude profile image60
    Druid Dudeposted 12 years ago

    Hey Al, read this! Your veiws on the duality of man is always enlightening!smile

  15. Druid Dude profile image60
    Druid Dudeposted 12 years ago

    50/50 odds on who is confused here. Jomine, it is only by the vision of your myopic consciousness that one could assume that. Do you consider them without consciousness? Do you consider them without life, with no mentality at all? If you do, you should reduce the dosage of whatever it is you're on. Noetics...ever hear the word? Google it. All life that we accept is based on the carbon element. You are a lump of coal...one day you will be a diamond. Pressure, pressure, pressure. I was accused of making things up by Rad Man...blindness seems to have spread.

  16. Druid Dude profile image60
    Druid Dudeposted 12 years ago

    Get out of the box.

  17. Druid Dude profile image60
    Druid Dudeposted 12 years ago

    According to basic cardiography, the heart, which is a muscle, is functioned by electrical micro-pulses that make the heart beat. These electrical micro-pulses follow a regular electrical pathway called Einthoven's Triangle: Positive, negative and reset. These micro=pulses are responsible for everything your body does, to include thinking. So, there is one triangle which makes the heart beat, and the same triangle makes your brain think. Energy is what gives us life, makes us who we are, and when we die, we merely become "elemental" in the strictest definition of that word. There is no other way to explain this.

  18. Druid Dude profile image60
    Druid Dudeposted 12 years ago

    Now, that is something that I would like to do, if I trusted anyone. I don't. Certain parameters would have to be in place to keep me from conveniently disappearing into a society I see as wrapped up in an Orwellian nightmare. Habeus Corpus and al that. If I were put under, what they would get is what I write. I write, what I am. I do have a message. What would you do if you had a message? Slip it under the door at the U.N.? My life has been really strange. Twilight Zone strange. Serling was one of my "homies". Same local roots. Boyz in da hood. Darn his hide!

  19. SpanStar profile image60
    SpanStarposted 12 years ago

    If Mr. Stephen Hawkings liken the human brain to a computer I question his and anyone else's ability to even understand the functionality of the computer. Computers cannot think nor can they conceptualize. Ask the computer "what is beautiful?" Ugly and beautiful is the same to a computer. Ask a computer what it feels about pain, it feels no pain so how can it relates to someone who does have pain?

    The human brain is an incredible marvel which I have my doubts that even the most advanced computer can even come close to the human mind. From nothing the human mind can conceptualize a tool. The human mind understand emotions. The human mind is aware of it self meaning it understands that it exist. The computer does only what the human mind has instructed it to do.

  20. Disappearinghead profile image60
    Disappearingheadposted 12 years ago

    I can't imagine anything more horrific than a human brain that used a Microsoft Windows operating system.

  21. profile image0
    erickcbposted 12 years ago

    My question for the people who do not believe in soul is, What keeps it going in such a way that it follows order? Sanity. Why does the brain choose THIS state as the most suitable state of mind if it is all just atoms (unintelligent/unemotional) put together to form a brain. Where does the knowledge of how to create reactions, fire neurons, send communications and regulate body function with such speed and accuracy come from? Where do the rules on which it functions exist? We know the brain has a purpose because it does all these positive, vital things for us. Its purpose then is to keep us sane and alive. Where does this purpose it serves come from? Atoms? Chemicals? Electricity? To me all these things are inhuman. Functioning together they are still inhuman. Humanness is beyond these things. Even if human beings with all their emotions, creativity, and spontaneity, are the result of a certain atomic algorithm which creates a being with all these capabilities.. The question of where this algorithm or order came from still exists. If it is a just a result of randomness creating a possibility, look! That same process created ALL the other species here on this planet? The odds of each algorithm (species) existing on this planet at the same time, who breathing the same air, drinking the same water is just... wow. Just some electricity and chemicals? When you break it down. Atoms are just atoms. Molecules just molecules. Grab a bunch of em, and they are still just that. How do atoms make a human. Where is the connection? Forming requires intelligence...

 
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