Reflections on Searle's Chinese Room Argument

The Strong Al Thesis argues that a computing machine, while simulating some intelligent behaviour with the help o f an algorithm running on it, actually shows intelligent behaviour. According to this thesis, there is no essential distinction between a natural phenomenon and a simulation o f that phenomenon. John Searle, an American philosopher, strongly opposed this view. He put forward an intuitively appealing argument known as the Chinese Room argument. In this article, the author reflects upon Searie's Chinese Room argument and suggests that a deeper understanding o f the nature o f the human consciousness is required to settle the dispute.