The Superneuron Thought Experiment
Suppose a conscious neuron internalises a map of its whole surrounding neural system along with transfer functions for each other neuron. Its nucleus swells with information, and it becomes a superneuron, gradually replacing all the other central nervous system neurons, which shrivel from disuse.
The man whose skull it inhabits notices no change in his Chinese fluency. His superneuron has the right biological causal powers (because the man still speaks Chinese), but the superneuron doesn't understand Chinese like the man does because it is only aware of the formal manipulations it undertakes.
David Cole, 1984 |