PSYC 215 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Pineal Gland, Roger Wolcott Sperry, Qualia
29 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
• What is consciousness?
• Which statement are you more comfortable with?
• 1) “I have a brain”
• 2) “I am a brain”
• Self awareness? (awake vs sleeping; coma)
• But isnt this just another expression for consciousness?
• Having the capability of thought?
• But what are the defining features of thought?
• Ability to adapt to the environment?
• Self-monitoring?
• Having emotions (“qualia”)?
• Does this mean that our “non-emotional” thoughts are not conscious?
• Questions
• Does non-human consciousness exist, and if so how can it be recognized?
• How does consciousness relate to language?
• Can consciousness be understood in a way that doesn't require a dualistic
distinction between mental and physical states or properties? How does a hunk
of meat give rise to consciousness?
• Can it ever be possible for computing machines like computers or robots to be
conscious?
• A definition: “Consciousness is an emergent property of cerebral activity.. And is an
integral component of the brain process that functions as an essential constituent action
and exerts a directive holistic form of control over the flow pattern of cerebral excitation”
- Roger Sperry 1969
• ??
• Consciousness is something that is true of the brain, and it involves the control or
production of voluntary actions, and it exerts control over individual mental
processes
• This definition captures some intuitions about what must be true of
consciousness, but doesnt provide any insight into what really drives
consciousness
• In other words- consciousness is defined by what it must involve, not by
how is accomplishes the operations that define it.. Underscores our near
complete lack of understanding (can’t even frame the problem)!
• What is it?
• It involves the brain and awareness…
• The state of being aware of an external object, or something within
oneself Perception and cognition?
• This is more testable…
• Let’s focus on this
• The quality or state of being aware, characterized by sensation and
emotion? The feeling of awareness? ‘Qualia’ (raw feels) - what it feels like
to feel pain or to see red
• More philosophical
• Is consciousness a direct consequence of the physical brain?
• Descartes- no; mind (immaterial; thought) and body (material; sensation) are 2
different things
• Possible to doubt existence of a body or physical existence- could all be a
dream- but cannot doubt existence of your mind
• “I think therefore I am”
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
