To say that all of human behavior is the result of signals that travel down 10^12 neurons is mind boggling. The problem for me is not that there are not enough neurons to account for all behaviors since there is a finite number of behaviors (besides 10^12 is a lot of neurons), but that the simple connection of one neuron to another results in complex behavior. I guess it was easier for me to think of the brain (nervous system included) as behavior, because I did stop to think about what that implied. When I agreed that brain IS behavior, I had no problem putting aside the "mind" and "soul", since they cannot be proven or disproved. I also did not stop to think about what the brain and the nervous system consisted of. Now that the argument has been simplified, I find it harder to disregard "mind" and "soul".

It seems to me if behavior is just a connection of 10^12 neurons with inputs and outputs, then computers can one day be just like humans. Yet it seems unlikely that this will happen, I mean I cannot picture a computer that one day does not work because it is feeling sad. The idea of a computer having free will seems too far fetched. For that matter, the idea of humans having free will seems bewildering, if behavior IS just 10^12 neurons.

It seems like there is more to behavior than just the signals that travel across the axons of neurons. Maybe it is because the brain and the nervous system are autonomous and affected by the body (e.g. hormones). But then, how can you account for free will and consciousness as the result of internal/external inputs which send a signal to the brain? And this is where I always get stuck. Hopefully further discussion and study of the brain functions, will help me make sense of this.

Nice concerns, appropriately occurring with extension of brain/behavior idea to what brain actually IS (lots of neurons). Yes, of course, raises questions about whether computers could, some day, feel sad. And about where we are going to get things like "free will" and "consciousness". Let's see. PG