Who is Phillip Lentz from Galatea 2.2 and what is their importance?

Phillip Lentz is a cognitive neuroscientist working at the Center for the Study of Advanced Sciences. He is currently working in the field of connectionism. Connectionism is the idea that consciousness arises out of the ability to recursively change, elaborate and modify connections to varying weights. He is married to a woman named Audrey and has a daughter that rarely speaks to him.

His wife has a cardiovascular accident several years prior that leaves her unable to remember faces, names and even simple tasks. His daughter blames him even though there is nothing that he can do about it. He bears the weight of the blame and has developed a reputation for being irascible and generally mean and critical. He is working on his research in order to find ways to restore brain functioning.

Lentz is very good at manipulating others and manages to get Richard hooked into the project of building a machine that can sit for the literature exam. The real test is observing how Richard learns to share himself with the computer. He is also a mentor/father figure for Richard. He is often able to push Richard just enough for him to be able to move past a particular obstacle that he is struggling with. This fact also means that Lentz is often the recipient of Richard's anger and frustration.