An electronic computer is also made up of matter, but organised differently; what is there so magical about the workings of the huge, slow cells of the animal brain that they can claim themselves to be conscious, but would deny a quicker, more finely-grained device of equivalent power - or even a machine hobbled so that it worked with precisely the same ponderousness - a similar distinction?
In "Use of Weapons," author Iain M. Banks explores the nature of consciousness by contrasting electronic computers with the biological brain. He suggests that both are composed of matter, yet they are organized differently. This raises intriguing questions about the essence of consciousness and why animals claim a unique conscious experience, while dismissing the possibility of consciousness in advanced machines that, despite their slower functioning, possess equivalent capabilities.
Banks challenges the...
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
