Part 3 - The Open Questions In Neuroscience

Mental phenomena are nothing but phenomena of the physical brain, says Patricia Churchland. It's "an illusion of the brain" to think that we have a "nonphysical soul that does our feeling." But how the brain creates constructs of itself and things in the world remains a major puzzle. For instance, how does a brain "habitually represent goals, plans and projects -- things that don't yet exist?" And what about the huge amount of spontaneous activity in the brain that occurs while we're resting? We don't understand how the "organization of a motor response is achieved," nor how these responses are integrated across sensory systems together with memory. Churchland anticipates a fundamental shift in looking at the brain that will merge philosophical and neurobiological issues.

From the MIT "Expand Your Mind: Getting a Grasp on Consciousness" conference.

This is Part 3 of 3.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Neuroscience
• Philosophy
• Neurophilosophy
• Eliminativism
• Consciousness

[1simonmatthews]

Long way to go yet...

[litsyt]

Many a time 'practising scientists' (in bio/medical-science in particular?) tense to tell you how much is known & are quick to tell his/her theories/opinions about this & that while leaving behind the other half of the story - the uncertainties. Astonished people then tense to swallow them all until they are falsified or harm being done. Learning that there are so much to be found out always gives one a sense of liberation & would help people maintain a healthy skepticism towards all claims.

[DragonflyGirl09]

@Mthooz Now I do! Thanks... a very interesting series.

xx

[Mthooz]

@miceech indeed it is the job of a philosopher (or of philosophy as a discipline)... to introduce people to the frontiers of the universe where we are confronted by mystery, where answers and knowledge lie still yet to be acquired or possessed by humankind!

I'm sorry but some one has to set the agenda for scientific research - Who knows what would happen if we left that job to the scientists! They might turn into philosophers! o.O *shudders at that thought*!!

[Mthooz]

Hope you got up to this part DF!!

xx

[miceech]

As a neuroscientist, I'm sorry but I don't think this lecture said much of anything but then I guess that is the job of a philosopher

[Enuvrack]

This really helped me understand a lot about myself and basically how I am able to know anything. Thanks Lenny.

[robotaholic]

wow the scale of those problems seems impossible- and she sums them up well - I think there has to be a fundamental change (paradigm shift- excuse me it's so cliche- lol) because we can't solve half of those problems with the current mechanisms/explanations/method­ologies for sure- This is one of the best lectures I've seen by her-

[Rybot9000]

"Real magic, the magic that can be done, is not real magic." - Dan Dennett

[cardellacole1]

not to internalise them is to loose reconciliation or the polarisation of oposits the cherabim or seraphin or should i say alpha and beta waves are damaged threw non use atrophy