Was that "The Emperor's New Mind" ? We read
that in out Faculty Philosophy of Science
Reading Group at Hampden-Sydney College. I
thought there were other basic flaws in the
book, as well. I could not see how it could
be on the best seller list.
In essence, Penrose argues that a computer
could not simulate human consciousness
because the mind is not a digital device.
The problem is that he never defined human
consciousness. As has been discussed, that
is not easy, and perhaps not even possible,
but you can't argue that something cannot
be simulated when you can't define what it
is you are trying to simulate.