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--- abstract: 'It is widely accepted that symbolic systems are useful in understanding the working of the brain, and there are many symbolic models of functions of the brain. This is based on the assumption, commonly implicit, that in the brain itself there is a symbolic system. In this article I challenge this belief, by showing that symbolic systems cannot be implemented by neurons in the brain. I based the argument on textbook knowledge from neurobiology, and the basic requirements for implementing symbolic systems. In particular, I show that there is no way to implement symbol tokens in neuronal substrate, where the individual connections of individual neurons (as opposed to cell populations) are not well defined.' altloc: - http://human-brain.org/brain-symbols-index.html - http://human-brain.org/n-brain-symbols.html chapter: ~ commentary: ~ commref: ~ confdates: ~ conference: ~ confloc: ~ contact_email: ~ creators_id: [] creators_name: - family: Harpaz given: Yehouda honourific: '' lineage: '' date: 1996-04 date_type: published datestamp: 1998-07-05 department: ~ dir: disk0/00/00/07/15 edit_lock_since: ~ edit_lock_until: ~ edit_lock_user: ~ editors_id: [] editors_name: [] eprint_status: archive eprintid: 715 fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/text_html.png;/715/1/yeh%2D2.html full_text_status: public importid: ~ institution: ~ isbn: ~ ispublished: unpub issn: ~ item_issues_comment: [] item_issues_count: 0 item_issues_description: [] item_issues_id: [] item_issues_reported_by: [] item_issues_resolved_by: [] item_issues_status: [] item_issues_timestamp: [] item_issues_type: [] keywords: 'Symbolic system, brain, neurons, Connectivity, Stochastic connectivity, symbol tokens,' lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:54:13 latitude: ~ longitude: ~ metadata_visibility: show note: ~ number: ~ pagerange: ~ pubdom: FALSE publication: ~ publisher: ~ refereed: FALSE referencetext: ~ relation_type: [] relation_uri: [] reportno: ~ rev_number: 8 series: ~ source: ~ status_changed: 2007-09-12 16:33:26 subjects: - cog-psy - cog-psy - comp-neuro-sci - neuro-physio succeeds: ~ suggestions: ~ sword_depositor: ~ sword_slug: ~ thesistype: ~ title: The Neurons In The Brain Cannot Implement Symbolic Systems type: preprint userid: 511 volume: ~