[Wittrs] Re: Current Brain Research: Causal Model?
- From: "BruceD" <blroadies@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: wittrsamr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:29:10 -0000
--- In Wittrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "SWM" <SWMirsky@...> wrote:
> ...whether certain aspects of the human system, in whole or in
aggregate,
> are the aspects responsible for the consciousness of that system.
As far as I can tell, please correct me if I'm mistaken, no one on this
List denies that the human system is "responsible" for consciousness.
Where we differ is in detailing this responsibility.
Stuart, I think I understand you to say this: While it is true that
descriptions of our mental life are uniquely different from descriptions
of brain functioning, our mental life, broken down into sensations,
feelings, thoughts, pains, etc. stand in a causal relationship with
neuron firing. That is, neuron(s) fire and we think, feel, something.
The strong evidence for this is the correlation between certain sets of
fibers and pain, etc. The fMRI lights up and the subject report a mental
event. X fiber causes Y. A correlation is taken to be a strong
hypothesis for a cause. The belief is that in time we can specify the
causal chain terminating in the mental event.
I've asked this before. For the sake of discussion hypothesize the
causal steps: I prick you with a pin and you grimace with pain, say
"ouch." Of course, I'm most interested in HOW the brain activity emerges
as an experience you are having and expressing.
bruce
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