One of the most important features that we normally associate with minds is consciousness. Both the functionalists and strong AI advocates talk about the relations between inputs, the various states...

One of the most important features that we normally associate with minds is consciousness. Both the functionalists and strong AI advocates talk about the relations between inputs, the various states of cognitive processing, and outputs, but consciousness is never discussed. Can the functionalist’s theory account for the fact that our minds exhibit conscious awareness? If functionalists cannot account for this awareness, can their theory of the mind and its cognitive activities still be complete? Is it possible that something we would recognize as consciousness could emerge from a very sophisticated computer? If a computer does not have consciousness, can it meaningfully be said to think? Do negative answers to all these questions refute functionalism and strong AI?