Anonymous Coward: Furthermore, from our current knowledge of the universe I don't think we can possibly know if a computational model is even capable of producing consciousness so it is really only a guess.

Are you sure? No One Knows What Science Doesn't Know ... and in this case I see no reason why a computational model can't produce consciousness. If you simulate a human brain to a sufficient level of detail, it will basically be human, and think exactly the same things as the "original" brain.