I've thought about this from time to time. My initial reaction was that the brain would never become self aware without external stimuli with which to process and differentiate itself.
I then thought about the various gauges and meters used to 'process' input in my time on submarines and then wondered what the brain's default position was. Gauges and meters without input will fail to a certain condition, usually high or low. Let's just talk about hunger.
The brain is not the blank slate that Locke assumed (no marks against Locke here, psychology and neuroscience were yet to be discovered). Does the part of my brain that processes hunger fail high or low? Meaning, is the normal state always hungry or always satisfied before processing the input? Infants cry when hungry. Is this because there is a signal given to the brain when the stomach is empty, or is there a lack of signal given when the stomach is empty? Your created brain will either produce an output or not depending on how this relationship works.
Extend this to quasi-involuntary functions like breathing. I can hold my breathe, but I have never been able to make myself pass out before control of my diaphram is relinquished to my medulla oblongata.
I apologize to a certain extent for my lengthy reply; however, I wanted to put my conclusion in context. In your thought experiment I conclude that the petri-brain cannot become self aware, but proclaim that such a condition would be 'worse' than a plant in that the outputs of evolutionary brain function would be rendered meaningless without a body to interact with.
I'm not certain if this is what you were getting at, but there is no mind-body dichotomy.
Great thread.
I then thought about the various gauges and meters used to 'process' input in my time on submarines and then wondered what the brain's default position was. Gauges and meters without input will fail to a certain condition, usually high or low. Let's just talk about hunger.
The brain is not the blank slate that Locke assumed (no marks against Locke here, psychology and neuroscience were yet to be discovered). Does the part of my brain that processes hunger fail high or low? Meaning, is the normal state always hungry or always satisfied before processing the input? Infants cry when hungry. Is this because there is a signal given to the brain when the stomach is empty, or is there a lack of signal given when the stomach is empty? Your created brain will either produce an output or not depending on how this relationship works.
Extend this to quasi-involuntary functions like breathing. I can hold my breathe, but I have never been able to make myself pass out before control of my diaphram is relinquished to my medulla oblongata.
I apologize to a certain extent for my lengthy reply; however, I wanted to put my conclusion in context. In your thought experiment I conclude that the petri-brain cannot become self aware, but proclaim that such a condition would be 'worse' than a plant in that the outputs of evolutionary brain function would be rendered meaningless without a body to interact with.
I'm not certain if this is what you were getting at, but there is no mind-body dichotomy.
Great thread.
