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Consciousness: Still a Mystery JOHN HICK

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Consciousness: Still a Mystery JOHN HICK S16_MASTER-Features-Dpts_PostPrintHicksCorrex 12/19/07 1:13 PM Page 30 Consciousness: Still a Mystery JOHN HICK he human brain, with its estimated work on some highly specialized area of brain research and hundred billion nerve cells, is the most are not particularly interested in the philosophical issue, complex object in the universe known to as they see it, of the relationship between brain and T us. During the last fifty or so years, the consciousness. For it does not make any practical difference study of the brain has proliferated into a range of to them whether consciousness is identical with, or caused neurosciences—neurobiology now embraces neuro- by,or only correlated with brain activity.But those who physiology, neuroendocrinology, neuropharacognetics, do concern themselves with this fundamental question neuropharmacology, psychometrics, producing neuro- distinguish between the easy problem and the hard technologies and connecting with the growing problem. The easy problem—easy in principle—is to neurogenetic industry, leading to neuroeconomics trace precisely what is going on in the brain when and neuroethics. someone is consciously perceiving, thinking, willing, Research has made tremendous advances in map- experiencing some emotion, creating a work of art, etc. ping the functions of different areas of the brain.This has The hard problem is to find out what consciousness been made possible by the electroencephalogram (EEG) actually is and how it is caused—assuming, as they mostly and more recently by positron-emission tomography do, that it is somehow caused—by cerebral activity.This, (PET), single photon emission computer tomography says Steven Rose [Director of the Brain and Behavior (SPECT), and yet other methods of scan. All this, and Research Group at the Open University,UK], is “science’s other procedures, has revealed a great deal—though last frontier” (From Brains to Consciousness; Penguin, 1999). what is unknown remains vastly greater than what is thus far known.The agreed large-scale finding is that of the MIND-BRAIN IDENTITY four lobes of the cerebrum: the occipital lobe is concerned with visual processing; the parietal lobe with Mind-brain identity is the theory that consciousness movement, orientation, calculation, and certain kinds simply is neural activity. A particular episode of conscious of recognition; the temporal lobe with sound, thinking, and the particular electrochemical processes speech, comprehension, and some aspects of memory; taking place in the brain at the same time are not two and the frontal lobes with thinking, conceptualizing, distinct processes, one physical and the other nonphysical, and planning. but are one and the same physical event. This is the Given the accepted principle that every moment of materialist account of our mental life as a transient series consciousness has its neural correlates, the crucial question of electrical discharges and chemical changes in the grey BRAINPAINT BRAVE_NEURO_WORLD? arises,Which produces which? Most neurophysiologists matter inside our heads. 30 SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2007 • # 16 • SHIFT: AT THE FRONTIERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS S16_MASTER-Features-Dpts_PostPrintHicksCorrex 12/19/07 1:13 PM Page 31 BrainPaint software takes information communicated directly from the brain via EEG biofeedback technology and creates visible real-time fractal images that correspond to different states of being. Studies are under way at UCLA to determine the effect of this enhanced feedback loop on the brain’s capacity to self-organize. For more information visit www.brainpaint.com or BRAINPAINT www.consciouscreativity.org. SHIFT: AT THE FRONTIERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS • # 16 • SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2007 31 S16_MASTER-Features-Dpts_PostPrintHicksCorrex 12/19/07 1:13 PM Page 32 This position is encouraged by the fact that it is Developing this, Churchland says: possible to trace, with increasing precision, the neural correlates of conscious episodes. Indeed today we all— The argument is deeply suspect, in that it assumes whatever our other differences—take it for granted that our faculty of inner observation or introspection that for every change taking place in consciousness reveals things as they really are in their innermost there is a corresponding change taking place in some nature.This assumption is suspect because we already area of the brain. So long as we stick to observed know that our other forms of observation—sight, correlations, without engaging in further speculations hearing, touch, and so on—do no such thing.The ...we are on solid common ground. The danger, red surface of an apple does not look like a matrix however, that pervades much of the literature is to treat of molecules reflecting photons at certain critical wave- correlation as being the same as identity. For while lengths, but that is what it is.The sound of a flute there is an immense body of evidence for consciousness- does not sound like a sinusoidal compression wave brain correlation, to suppose that any accumulation train in the atmosphere, but that is what it is.The of this, however exten- warmth of the summer sive, is proof of their air does not feel like identity is a simple the mean kinetic logical error. energy of millions of Some neuroscientists, tiny molecules, but such as Andrew New- that is what it is. If berg [author of Why one’s pains and hopes God Won’t Go Away: and beliefs do not Brain Science and the introspectively seem Biology of Belief] and like electrochemical V. S. Ramachandran states in a neural [Director of the Center network, that may for Brain and Cognition be only because our at the University of faculty of introspec- California, San Diego], tion, like our other speculate, very inter- senses, is not suffi- estingly, beyond the ciently penetrating to accepted common ground. reveal such hidden So do many contem- BRAINPAINT details (Matter and porary philosophers of Consciousness, p.15). mind. For them it is important to set aside the testimony of introspection, in which the flow of consciousness of This is a systematic begging of the question. In our which we are directly aware seems to be different in ordinary introspective experience we see a red-colored nature from the physical changes known to be taking place apple, that is, the visual field of which we are conscious at the same time in the brain.This appeal to the ordinary contains the red-colored shape that we call an apple.Our visu- experience of us all is dismissed as “the primitive al awareness does not profess to tell us anything about the psychological taxonomy of ordinary language” apple’s inner atomic or chemical structure. Ignorance of (Paul Churchland in Matter and Consciousness; MIT Press, this does not affect the character of the qualia, the content 1988), concerning which Churchland says,“We cannot of our field of consciousness.Our direct awareness of this at expect that folk psychology represents anything more a given moment is incorrigible, or infallible. It cannot be than one stage in the historical development of our mistaken,although any inferences we may make from it can. self-understanding, a stage the neurosciences may help And so the fact that, physically,the redness of the surface of us to transcend.” the apple is (as Churchland correctly says) a matrix of 32 SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2007 • # 16 • SHIFT: AT THE FRONTIERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS S16_MASTER-Features-Dpts_PostPrintHicksCorrex 12/19/07 1:13 PM Page 33 molecules reflecting photons at certain critical wavelengths and,with instruments registering its electrical activity,is tracing does not in any way render introspection “deeply suspect”— the successive coordinated firings of the neurons correlated and the same with his other examples. Introspection is with the patient’s reports of what is going on in her mind. awareness of the content of our consciousness, and this Suppose,for example,she is visualizing a mountain scene with content remains the same whether we are aware or ignorant a blue lake in the foreground and pine trees beyond it of modern physics.If we are knowledgeable about it,we can growing in a green swathe up the lower slopes of a mountain introspect that awareness too. range.Does it really make sense to say that the electrochemical activity that the surgeon is monitoring with his instruments, THE IDENTITY THEORY taking place in the grey matter that he can see in front of him and can touch, literally is that visualized mountain scene The basic problem is that not even the most complete account which forms the content of the patient’s consciousness? of brain function reaches the actual conscious experience It makes sense,whether true or not,to say that the brain activity with which it is associated. As Thomas Nagel argued in his causes the conscious experience. It makes sense, again famous 1974 article “What whether true or not,to say Is It Like to Be a Bat?” that there could be no (Philosophical Review,1974), conscious experience with- when we know all there out that brain activity. is to know about the But does it make sense bat’s anatomy, physiology, to say that the brain mode of location by sound activity literally is, iden- rather than sight, etc., we tically,the visualized scene still—assuming that they occupying the patient’s have some level of con- consciousness? To me, that sciousness—do not know is counter-intuitive to the what it is like to be a bat. point of absurdity. The point is often put However, there is more in terms of the law of to be said. For it has identity, namely, that if A become clear in the is identical with B,
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