PHIL 0460 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Proprioception, Endorphins, Vitalism
Document Summary
The spicy taste of a chili pepper is as a rule accompanied by the activation of c-fibers" vanilloid receptors in the brain. The high one gets after an exhausting run is as a rule accompanied by the release of endorphins in the brain. Episodes of conscious attention seem as a rule to be accompanied by a certain frequency of neural firings in the brain. Proprioception is the perception of the relative position of one"s own limbs. It turns out that a viral infection of the spinal cord can cause one to lose proprioception entirely. Korsakoff syndrome is a condition caused by a vitamin. B1 deficiency, which in extreme cases can lead to the inability to form new long-term memories. A parallel from the history of biology: vitalism. The properties we have as physical things are properties we share with almost every other type of physical thing.
