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> 2) is clearly bogus - we know that biological brains don't work that way. But the brain entire is not consciousness (it's probably in the prefrontal cortex).
by lawpoop 11y ago
> 2) is clearly bogus - we know that biological brains don't work that way.
But the brain entire is not consciousness (it's probably in the prefrontal cortex). Some parts of the brain, such as heartbeat, object tracking, etc, are obviously not integrated into consciousness.
It's not one big component, but it at least has to integrate all the components of consciousness (again, not all the brain functions), or else we wouldn't have the apparent sensation that "I" am an indivisible whole. By "I", I mean my consciousness, my will and personality, not my body, which is obviously made up of parts, including the brain and its parts.
It might be an illusion, but that doesn't mean that that illusion is not worthy of study, since it is probably the main thing that defines the human experience.
- sgt101 11y ago>But the brain entire is not consciousness (it's probably in the prefrontal cortex). Some parts of the brain, such as heartbeat, object tracking, etc, are obviously not integrated into consciousness. So only mammals are conscious? Sucks to not be an Eagle I guess! Beware zombie Dinosaurs! Sometimes I have distinctly non integrated experiences, like when I speak and the sentences flow from me containing grammatically correct concepts in logical order, and I didn't have anything to do with it, but there it is an argument that "I" made.
- lawpoop 11y agoI think other animals, such as certain birds (crows, parrots), might be conscious, maybe octopuses, but that's just my pet theory. To be sure, we'd need a definition of what consciousness is exactly (more than "I'm pretty sure I am conscious, and other people, too") , and probably really good brain scan technology, far better than what we have now.
- explorer666 11y agoI like this definition I've heard from Sam Harris (paraphrasing): An entity is conscious if there is something that it's like to be that entity.
- improv32 11y agoAre you totally sure that you're an indivisible whole? http://www.meltingasphalt.com/neurons-gone-wild/ http://www.meltingasphalt.com/neurons-gone-wild/
- lawpoop 11y agoNo, I'm obviously not in an objective sense, but my _subjective experience_ is that I am. That subjective experience is what we're interested in studying. That's what people are referring to when they say they are conscious.