William Lycan's response as a functionalist seems to be one of the most interesting responses to Searle's paper.   However, it also appears to be one of the most empty.  Lycan's reaction as a functionalist appears to be very similar to the systems reply.  In response to Searle's paper, both the systems reply and Lycan's functionalist response claim that while the individual person locked in the room does not understand the story, the system as a whole does understand the story.  Lycan basically writes a logical response to Searle's paper with empty arguments.  He also fails to back up his claim that a system other than a human brain is capable of understanding.

Both Searle and Lycan agree that individual objects within a system cannot be considered thinking.  In other words, both Searle and Lycan believe that in the example of the Chinese...