Last week, using a comparison of a computer and the human brain, I questioned whether or not consciousness was "just the brain." The subsequent class discussion concerning the web of boxes within boxes which forms the nervous system has further strengthened my belief that it is impossible to prove that consciousness is "just the brain." The thought that all of the boxes of the brain- all responding to and judging different things- when put together somehow interact to create consciousness is a very hard one for me to grasp. I am still skeptical that if a computer had all the "circuitry" of the human brain, (just by having thrown together all of these circuit) the computer would suddenly become conscious. Therefore, I still think consciousness is the most difficult aspect of behavior to prove exists as "just the brain."
Fair enough. Hard (impossible, as discussed) to PROVE there is nothing else, but may be able to get to point where it doesn't seem like there HAS to be ... by end of semester (have to get some groundwork in place to get there). Even then, the problem of how all the boxes get put together in the right way and work together will remain a difficult one. PG