Strong AI is refuted because syntax is insufficient for semantics.
Where the heck does that come from? What do you mean by "strong AI is refuted", "syntax is insufficient for semantics", and how does the former follow from the latter?
"What do you mean by "strong AI is refuted""
The strong AI hypothesis is that consciousness is the software running on the hardware of the brain. Therefore one does not need to know or understand how brains actually work to construct a living conscious mind. Thus any system that implements the right computer program with the right inputs and outputs has cognition in exactly the same literal sense that human beings have understanding, thought and memory. It was the belief of strong AI proponents such as Marvin Minski at MIT and others tha...
Recent article in The New Yorker:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/11/ibm-brain-simulation-compass.html
Here is the research report from IBM, with the simple title "10^14":
http://www.modha.org/blog/SC12/RJ10502.pdf
It's nothing like a real brain simulation, of course, but illustrates that hardware to do this is getting very close.
There is likely to be quite a long overhang between the hardware and the software...