Friday, December 30, 2016

The problem of consciousness

The question of how consciousness comes about has perplexed mankind for ages. Most of those with a science background assume that it arises due to special features of the brain such as high complexity, computing power etc. If this were true then perhaps computers of the distant might start to show this property also. This view suggests that there is no survival after death.

However another school of thought holds that consciousness resides elsewhere (with the soul or spirit) and that the brain is only a kind of filter. Survival after death is therefore possible.

Consider then this story about a man who lives with most of his brain missing... as reported by Science Alert. At first I thought this must be fake news! First described in The Lancet (a well-known medical publication) in 2007, link provided in article.
"A French man who lives a relatively normal, healthy life - despite missing 90 percent of his brain - is causing scientists to rethink what it is from a biological perspective that makes us conscious."