Allegedly Stathis wrote: *If consciousness supervenes on neurochemistry then the brain will be different if the conscious state is different. Demonstrating that there is a change in consciousness without a change in the brain, or a change in the brain not explained by the physics, would be evidence of supernatural processes.*
I would not call it 'supernatural', rather: beyond our presently known/knowable. Are you so sure that (your?) neurochemistry is "all we can have"? The demonstration you refer to would only show that our view is partial and whatever we call consciousness is something different from what's going on indeed. Explained by physics? I consider "physix" the ingenious explanation of the figments we perceive - at the level of such explanatory thinking. It changed from time-period to time-period and is likely to change further in the future. Agnostically yours John Mikes On Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 2:11 AM, Stathis Papaioannou <stath...@gmail.com>wrote: > > > > On 24 October 2013 07:46, Craig Weinberg <whatsons...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> >> http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-10-neural-brain-harder-disrupt-aware.html >> >> We consciously perceive just a small part of the information processed in >>> the brain – but which information in the brain remains unconscious and >>> which reaches our consciousness remains a mystery. However, neuroscientists >>> Natalia Zaretskaya and Andreas Bartels from the Centre for Integrative >>> Neuroscience (CIN) at the University of Tübingen have now come one step >>> closer to answering this question. >>> >>> Their research, published in *Current Biology*, used a well-known >>> visual illusion known as 'binocular rivalry' as a technique to make visual >>> images invisible. Eyes usually both see the same image – binocular rivalry >>> happens when each eye is shown an entirely different image. Our brains >>> cannot then decide between the alternatives, and our perception switches >>> back and forth between the images in a matter of seconds. The two images >>> are 'rivals' for our attention, and every few seconds they take turns to >>> enter our consciousness. >>> >>> Using this approach the two scientists used a moving and a static >>> picture to cause perceptual alternations in their test subjects' minds. >>> Simultaneously they applied magnetic pulses to disturb brain processing in >>> a 'motion <http://medicalxpress.com/tags/motion/> area' that >>> specifically processes visual >>> motion<http://medicalxpress.com/tags/visual+motion/>. >>> The effect was unexpected: 'zapping' activity in the motion area did not >>> have any effect on how long the moving image was perceived – instead, the >>> amount of time the static image was perceived grew longer. >>> >>> So 'zapping' the motion area while the mind was unconsciously processing >>> motion meant that it took longer for it to become conscious of the moving >>> image. When the moving image was being perceived, however, zapping had no >>> effect. >>> This result suggests that there is a substantial difference between >>> conscious and unconscious motion representation in the >>> brain<http://medicalxpress.com/tags/brain/>. >>> Whenever motion is unconscious, its neural representation can easily be >>> disturbed, making it difficult for it to gain the upper hand in the >>> rivalry. However, once it becomes conscious it apparently becomes more >>> resistant to disturbance, so that introducing noise has no effect. >>> Therefore, one correlate of conscious neural codes may be a more stable and >>> noise-resistant representation of the outside world, which raises the >>> question of how this neural stability is achieved. >> >> >> Indeed. It is almost as if consciousness is actually trying to make sense >> *on purpose* ;) Could it be that consciousness is actually *conscious???* >> > > If consciousness supervenes on neurochemistry then the brain will be > different if the conscious state is different. Demonstrating that there is > a change in consciousness without a change in the brain, or a change in the > brain not explained by the physics, would be evidence of supernatural > processes. > > > -- > Stathis Papaioannou > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
