[knotofvipers]

I just really wonder though if we have not taken the idea of the brain as computer too literally and this clouds our thinking on everything at this point.

Think about how much different the concept of IQ is if we don't have computers. With computers we just think of IQ as a type of clock speed of the brain. To get "smarter" people then we just need to do some kind of overclocking.

It seems likely to me we are confusing a model for reality. Even worse that in confusing that particular brain/computer model for reality we tend to confuse all models of reality for reality. Simulation theory on down.