Stephen Hawking has an impressive brain. He regards it as a computer. Now there is room for doubt here, but he seems to imply that he – i.e. his sense of identity, existence, consciousness, whatever – derives from his brain; that he is his brain.

Now I don’t know what happens when we die – I’ll find out one day and I’m in no hurry. However I’m just not convinced that my sense of existence is caused by a blob of grey matter. I’m not sure quite what I am…but I cannot believe that I am just a squidgy computer.

I can rationalise this position by saying that truth, beauty and love do not compute – but it seems to go deeper than that.

What do you feel?

 

Tags: consciousness, existentialism, reality