Mind Over Matter?

[emjay]

Roughly equivalent to saying that if a computer simulation is running and you turn off the monitor - the visual output of the system - it makes no difference to the running of the simulation.

Like a person in a coma?

As for your second point, I think it's best if I just leave that because I'm totally confused and have lost faith in - and even understanding of - my own argument. At the same time I don't think what I mean is a matter of language but just a matter of how the data is neurally represented,

That -is- language, from a systems standpoint.  The manner in which data is represented and communicated between systems and between parts within a system is language.   

but now I'm starting to think that maybe it is possible to represent colours neurally without resorting to having a single neuron for each colour, I just don't know how.

It's definitely possible, think of hex.  Theres nothing about hex that a biological machine -couldn't- do.  I'd be surprised if our exact system of handling the data RE: color was quite that efficient or well managed - it;s something that arose, rather than something that was designed task specific.  I'd be willing to wager we use a ton of resources to do what a computer using hex does with very little.  Hell, even if one nueron could do it (and they look to be incredibly robust units)...I bet our wasteful biology would still throw untold numbers of nuerons at the problem.  How would it know any better..heheheh?

@Brian....I think that people just don;t like the way that sounds..alot of unspoken negative connotations.  A brain in motion is a pretty damned awesome thing...that one little intro "nothing more than" sours the soup..for some, it seems.  Being "nothing more than" a human brain is actually a pretty damn awesome thing to be - in context, imo.  Could've been a newt...still might end up one...if I piss off the wrong people.

I didn't really mean like a coma, because there is still experience in that state - dreams etc are not turning off the monitor, just depriving experience of external stimuli (IMO).

OK I stand corrected on your second point, it is a question of language.