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Why would we ever expect qualia to be based on specific and static combinations of neurons? The belief that particular parts of the brain perform specific func
by joe_the_user 5y ago
Why would we ever expect qualia to be based on specific and static combinations of neurons?
The belief that particular parts of the brain perform specific functions goes back a long way. One big factor is the commonness of brain injuries during WWI allowed scientists to draw conclusion like "damage in this region results in inability to do this" and that level of understanding has to various extents gone forward since how the brain really works is actually extremely mysterious.
Keep in mind that the scientist could seem localize a function to a group of neurons at a given moment. But you're right, that sort of thinking is too simple.
Luria goes into this question of localization in The Working Brain (a book that's now quite old). Overall, neuroscience has been trying to understand the brain for a long time and not doing very well.
- unishark 5y agoWhen multiple regions are actually needed to work together to support a function as a network, then this shows up in the lesion and injury data also. There's also a lot of data from surgeries to address severe seizures. There's some difficulties, such as if the brainstem is also involved in a function, then it's hard to tell because when the brainstem is damaged you're usually too dead to test the function. But I think if you started studying the brain without any prejudices about localization of function, you'd still end up finding a huge amount of it.