… many neuroscientists, even those not working on such grand issues as the nature of consciousness, art, and love, are committed to a single proposition that is, in fact, tantamount to a Cartesian idea they might be embarrassed to endorse outright. The momentous proposition is this: Every thought, feeling, experience, impression, value, argument, emotion, attitude, inclination, belief, desire, and ambition is in your brain. We may not know how the brain manages this feat, but, so it is said, we are beginning to understand. And this new knowledge — of how the organization of bits of matter inside your head can be your personality, thoughts, understanding, wonderings, religious or sexual impulses — is surely among the most exciting and important in all of science, or so it is claimed.The idea that what goes on in an organ of the body is the sum of experience is about as ridiculous as anything I have ever heard in my life.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Not getting it …
… How Art Reveals the Limits of Neuroscience - The Chronicle Review - The Chronicle of Higher Education.
This is an excellent article, Frank. And the world (or Universe, as some put it) engages with us, and deeply, to our very core. I have thought about this article as I have gone through tough personal times this past 24 hours+.
ReplyDeleteI am listening to Mozart's Jupiter as I write, so am interacting with the content of the article in a yet different way. There is Nirvana, peak experiences, religious experiences, mystical intent, all that, as Mozart interacts with and accentuates essences in mystical way, with a delightful and strong irreverence.