The universe as computer

[Owen J Byrne]

> I can and I will. It may be possible to reduce the computation model 
> of the human brain to a Turing-like process but this would still 
> remain a generalization of human cognition. Algorithms do not govern 
> the subtleties of human consciousness. I assert that it takes much 
> more than a Turing machine to create a consciousness capable of 
> mythologizing it's own evolution or realizing it's own dreams.
> 
I know enough about this subject to know I'm not an expert, but I
found this book a pretty convincing argument of just that:

 Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies
Douglas Hofstadter's new book is called Fluid Concepts and Creative
Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of
Thought. While the first two books, Goedel, Escher, Bach and
Metamagical Themas discussed a number of ideas relevant to artificial
intelligence and cognitive science, such as recursivity and emergent
behavior, the new book looks back from the perspective of having
grappled with those ideas in the course of implementing actual
computer models. Programs that model creativity and analogy-making
have been designed by Doug and his graduate students, and the story of
their past, present and future development is the subject of the book,
co-authored by the students in the Fluid Analogies Research Group
(FARG).


http://www.cogsci.indiana.edu/fcca.html

(note - new means 1995 here)
Owen