Thinkers on Tuesday - How the Mind Works

Imagine that you could build an electronic device which exactly duplicated all functions of a neuron - to the smallest possible detail. After all, neurons are just electrochemical devices, and theoretically you would be able to do that in about 30 to 50 years or so. Now imagine that you'd replace one of your neurons with this device. Would you feel any difference? Remember that we're talking about a device replicating the *exact* functions of a neuron, not a clumsy replacement.

Most people would answer "no, we wouldn't notice a difference". And what about two neurons replaced? Twenty? Ten thousand? After how many neuron replacements would you say that you're still "you"?

If YOU wouldn't notice a thing, would everybody else notice?

"How the Mind Works" is actually a title of a book by neurologist Steven Pinker. He has a purely mechanistic approach to describing how we think and what makes us "intelligent beings" instead of just "clever animals". Of course, he leaves out the "soul", and describes our brain as an electrochemical information processing machine. Is that all of it?

This debate will start with Gwyn sitting on the soapbox for a few minutes and try to present some of the key ideas on modern neurology models of "intelligence". Then we'll discuss if the neurologists are getting the picture completely wrong

Hosted By: Gwyneth Llewelyn

Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 2:00PM

Time: 2:00PM - 3:30PM (90 minutes)

Category: Discussion

Cover Charge? No

Location: Tawhaki (200, 200)