Consciousness - Constructing Reality

[SomethingToPonder]

Hi all, Now im new to the biology section as it is definitely not my specialty, However i read something in New-scientist today , The issue was dated 18.05.13. And it was to do with consciousness , A special edition. Now there are many many parts to this issue however i Found this part most interesting and thought i would share it with you all and find out your thoughts on the subject.

here is a direct quote
"Why did you pick that outfit to wear this morning? What made you do your to-do list in that order today? In fact how did you even end up in that job?
You may think you know the reasons but they could be a work of fiction. That bizarre conclusion has emerged from studies of people who have had an extreme form of brain surgery- The complete severing of the thick bundle of nerves connecting the two hemispheres of the brain- In an attempt to cure their epilepsy.
Such people usually seem fine, but tasks that criss cross-talk between the hemispheres can catch them out. In one test, People had different images shown to each eye,and had to point to a similar image with the hand on the same side as the eye. When one person saw a snow scene with his left eye, he chose picture of a snow shovel with his left hand.But when asked to explain his choice he had a problem.His left left eye' and hand's actions were under the control of his right brain, as each brain hemisphere control's the opposite side of the body. But language is is controlled by the left brain which could not access the snowy image "seen" by the right brain. So the subject invented a reason that had nothing to do with the snow: The shovel was for cleaning out a chicken coup he said, As a chicken was the last thing image seen by his left brain.
Such findings have led to the "interpretative brain theory" which says that the brain makes up narratives about our actions to help us make sense of the words, Any of us can be tempted into this sort of confabulation. In one study, people who have never had brain surgery were told to choose a picture from a selection, Then tricked into thinking they had picked another. when asked for their reasoning, their explanations were convincing-and yet had to be entirely imaginary. Who knows how often our consciousness plays these sorts of tricks on us. - Clair wilson.

I find this very intriguing, How often are we tricked into thinking we have logical reasoning for something?And when we are, does this mean that much of our choices could be complete fabrication?

[EdEarl]

Much brain research has been and is being done. Moreover, some people contend the research is incorrect on spiritual grounds. Here are some scientific videos. If you want spiritual reasons you will have to do the research...or someone else here may provide.

 

Edited May 25, 2013 by EdEarl

[SomethingToPonder]

Much brain research has been and is being done. Moreover, some people contend the research is incorrect on spiritual grounds. Here are some scientific videos. If you want spiritual reasons you will have to do the research...or someone else here may provide.

 

Thanks for the links, Im just watching them now. however im not after spiritual reasons at all, Definitely scientific. i just thought it was a really interesting article. Thanks for the links again, Il let you know what i think.

 

Are these to do with consciousness btw ?

[EdEarl]

Are these to do with consciousness? I believe there is no consciousness consensus currently; although, I think there is consensus it occurs in the cortex, and that many parts of the brain send signals to the cortex. I am not able to answer your question.

[SomethingToPonder]

Are these to do with consciousness? I believe there is no consciousness consensus currently; although, I think there is consensus it occurs in the cortex, and that many parts of the brain send signals to the cortex. I am not able to answer your question.

No i dont think there is a consensus on consciousness at the moment, I was meaning are any of the links to do with the discussion of consciousness.

I have just finished watching the jedd hawkings video and he sounds brilliant, I really like his way of thinking. Yes i agree i reckon that is how the brain works, However we have much much more to learn, I wonder what that man has discovered by now, I'll bet it he has made some significant progress in the field.

[EdEarl]

I found this video by a neuroscientist about consciousness.

 

[Ringer]

The problem with any consciousness discussion is that fact that no one has a strict definition for what consciousness is. Many of the definitions are clearly circular or so vague that they are meaningless. To say that choice is meaningless because it's made before you are strictly aware is fallacious because it assumes a separate entity for awareness. Your brain, i.e. you, made the decision.

[MM6]

You should google neuroscience and free will. There is a good amount of research supporting the rather new hypothesis that we don't have free will, as we have conventionally thought of it. Our brain makes actions and decisions fractions of second before we are aware of the decision needing to be made. It seems our consciousness is an overlay on these unconscious decisions, which relates to this "cognitive narrative" explaination you cited.

 

Fascinating.

Edited June 8, 2013 by MM6

[SomethingToPonder]

You should google neuroscience and free will. There is a good amount of research supporting the rather new hypothesis that we don't have free will, as we have conventionally thought of it. Our brain makes actions and decisions fractions of second before we are aware of the decision needing to be made. It seems our consciousness is an overlay on these unconscious decisions, which relates to this "cognitive narrative" explanation you cited.

 

Fascinating.

 

yes it really is, I have to admit it took me quite some time to fully grasp it all, I was thinking about it in bed for about 2 nights and kept going over loads of different hypothesis.

If our brains are still technically us then would it not be fair to say that we are still making the decisions?

our whole understanding of things is changing and it really is fascinating to see how far we'r getting,100 years from now we will probably look back and say things like "remember when we thought we were advanced and we didn't even know how a brain worked."

 

Do you have any links to any of the research you were referring too, I would love to give it a read.

cheers mate

STP

[SamBridge]

Are these to do with consciousness? I believe there is no consciousness consensus currently; although, I think there is consensus it occurs in the cortex, and that many parts of the brain send signals to the cortex. I am not able to answer your question.

There is sort of a consensus actually, one of the biology or chemistry experts around here mentioned it in another topic I saw that I can't seem to find, I hope they see this request.

[EdEarl]

There is sort of a consensus actually, one of the biology or chemistry experts around here mentioned it in another topic I saw that I can't seem to find, I hope they see this request.

I suspect that scientists do more or less agree on the subject of consciousness. But, there are many who believe consciousness is something spiritual that cannot be modeled in silicon and software. Perhaps it is more accurate to say there are several consensus.

[MM6]

 

yes it really is, I have to admit it took me quite some time to fully grasp it all, I was thinking about it in bed for about 2 nights and kept going over loads of different hypothesis.

If our brains are still technically us then would it not be fair to say that we are still making the decisions?

our whole understanding of things is changing and it really is fascinating to see how far we'r getting,100 years from now we will probably look back and say things like "remember when we thought we were advanced and we didn't even know how a brain worked."

 

Do you have any links to any of the research you were referring too, I would love to give it a read.

cheers mate

STP

 

Hey STP,

 

My reply is late, but here's a good summary article: Neuroscience vs Philosophy: Taking Aim at Free Will.

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110831/full/477023a.html

 

It's still our brain/us, so yes we are responsible for our decisions, but what irks people is that we may not be aware of our decision-making at the time it's made, like digesting today's breakfast and then commenting that you decided to make your digestive system do that.

[SomethingToPonder]

Hey STP,

 

My reply is late, but here's a good summary article: Neuroscience vs Philosophy: Taking Aim at Free Will.

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110831/full/477023a.html

 

It's still our brain/us, so yes we are responsible for our decisions, but what irks people is that we may not be aware of our decision-making at the time it's made, like digesting today's breakfast and then commenting that you decided to make your digestive system do that.

Hi mate, No problem at all. Talking about free will, I was reading about a fungus the other week, It effects ants only at the moment however we all know it could develop, To humans, Unlikely, but it could without a doubt.

It takes over their central nervous system and their brain, And controls them completely. Here's how it works.

First of all an nt gets stuck on a spore when it walks accross it, due to some sticky feature.

It then ruptures a hole in the ants underside using some sort of pressure. thus injecting it with the fungal bacteria.

Then after a week or so it has complete control over the ant, It forces it to stray from the colony, Something ants never do, And climb a tree, Then onto a leaf.

it then roots the ant in its spot on the leaf and does not allow it to move and somehow sticks it there.

Then while the ant is alive, A "stem" grows out from its head where it then "blossoms" and sends fungal spores into the air where it repeats its cycle.

 

Strange ehh, the ant has no free will, almost like a zombie. The new game for playstation, The last of us, was based partly on this fungus. The developers were in talk with the scientists who discovered the fungus to get ideas for the game.

 

Thanks for your links mate il be sure to check it out.