Most Theories of Consciousness Are Worse Than Wrong – The Atlantic

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When I talk to other scientists about the study of consciousness, very often the first thing I’m asked to explain is why the topic is worth scientific attention. I argue that it’s not just a topic for philosophers or poets, and it’s not just a matter of opinion or belief. We can actually build rational theories of consciousness, theories that have explanatory power and that can be tested experimentally. And it’s crucial knowledge. Consciousness has a specific, practical impact on brain function. If you want to understand how the brain works, you need to understand that part of the machine. No neuroscientist, and no expert in artificial intelligence, should scoff at consciousness.” (excerpt)

They play to our intuitions, but don’t actually explain anything.

Source: Most Theories of Consciousness Are Worse Than Wrong – The Atlantic

A Guide for the Perplexed: Mapping the Meaning of Life and the Four Levels of Being

How to harness the uniquely human power of “consciousness recoiling upon itself.” “Never to get lost is not to live, not to know how to g

Source: www.brainpickings.org

See on Scoop.it – educational implications

Interview with Professor Mark Solms – YouTube

Interview with Professor Mark Solms, Chair of the IPA Research Committee

 

Neuroscientists (namely Mark Solms) have put the study of the mind back in the study of the brain, says Solms: “What neuropsychoanalysis is all about is this: How does the actual stuff of being a person relate to the tissue and physiology and anatomy and chemistry of the brain?” Psychoanalysis has insightful, provocative theories about emotions, unconscious thoughts and the nature of the mind. Neurobiology has the ability to test these ideas with powerful tools and experimental rigor. Together, the two fields might finally answer the most elusive question of them all: How is it that dreams, fantasies, memories and feelings — the subjective self — emerge from a hunk of flesh? 

Source: www.youtube.com

A number of videos in a YouTube playlist.