The Physiological /Neurological explanation of consciousness is nothing more than that has been stated in philosophy, adding strength to the ditctum’The more you seem to know the less you know’.
The problems cited in the article are the questions raised in Philosophy and answers have been attempted.
The problem is one of Perception.
Do we see/perceive things because we have senses or we are aware of the senses because objects are there?
How do we perceive things at the very first instance?
Do we perceive because of the qualities of objects?
This may not be true for if you peel away all the qualities of objects one by one nothing remains.
Then what is it we perceive?
Again what we perceive is subject to change in which case how do we recognize it the same as such at different points of Time?
Consciousness as has been rightly observed is more than awareness.
Indian Philosophy states thus.
We have sense organs,eyes,ears,nose,tongue and skin.
We also have five organs of awareness(loose translation of Gnana,which really means Knowledge), namely the sense of seeing ( as distinct from eyes),hearing,smelling,tasting and touching.
We also have mind which is the activity of the brain,
Intellect which distinguishes between correct and the incorrect , between Right and Wrong.
We also have Chitta that guides Intellect.
Beyond is ‘ I’ or Ahankaara..
Self or Atman is the embodiment of Being, Chitt and Bliss.
The Universal Chit is present is present in every being and is reflected as individual Chit in the individual because we are conditioned by Space and Time.
Henri Bergson calls the Chit as ‘elan vital’
Rene Descates calls it proof for the existence of the Self.
Spinoza calls is Substance, defining it as’ that which does not need the existence of anything or which does not need the conception of anything else in order to be conceived’
Mimasa of Indian Philosophy calls it the Karma or action reaction cycle and Kant as categorical Imperative.
Consciousness is an attribute of Reality;Reality is not conditioned by it.
The difference between Mind and Matter is one of degree not of kind.All things are made up of vibrations,lesser the vibrations grosser the object becomes; greater , it becomes subtle or mind.( Miamsa and Buddhism)
Story:
The young women had survived the car crash, after a fashion. In the five months since parts of her brain had been crushed, she could open her eyes but didn’t respond to sights, sounds or jabs. In the jargon of neurology, she was judged to be in a persistent vegetative state. In crueler everyday language, she was a vegetable.
So picture the astonishment of British and Belgian scientists as they scanned her brain using a kind of MRI that detects blood flow to active parts of the brain. When they recited sentences, the parts involved in language lit up. When they asked her to imagine visiting the rooms of her house, the parts involved in navigating space and recognizing places ramped up. And when they asked her to imagine playing tennis, the regions that trigger motion joined in. Indeed, her scans were barely different from those of healthy volunteers. The woman, it appears, had glimmerings of consciousness.
Try to comprehend what it is like to be that woman. Do you appreciate the words and caresses of your distraught family while racked with frustration at your inability to reassure them that they are getting through? Or do you drift in a haze, springing to life with a concrete thought when a voice prods you, only to slip back into blankness? If we could experience this existence, would we prefer it to death? And if these questions have answers, would they change our policies toward unresponsive patients–making the Terri Schiavo case look like child’s play?
The report of this unusual case last September was just the latest shock from a bracing new field, the science of consciousness. Questions once confined to theological speculations and late-night dorm-room bull sessions are now at the forefront of cognitive neuroscience. With some problems, a modicum of consensus has taken shape. With others, the puzzlement is so deep that they may never be resolved. Some of our deepest convictions about what it means to be human have been shaken.
You must be logged in to post a comment.