Posted by Cemarian on Tuesday, January 9, 2007 at 12:13:13 AM
I came across this article earlier today concerning research on one of "Science's greatest riddles" What is the self? and How does the activity of neurons give rise to the sense of being a conscious human being?
I found it extremely interesting! hope you do too!
Re: The Neurology of Self Awareness Comment by spelunky on Monday, January 22, 2007 at 7:28:42 AM
Interesting article. Backs up many of my suspicions; namely, that the "self" that we're conscious of may just be an agglomeration of arbitrary fictions. Author weaves a few old philosophical jumbles- the "problem of other minds", e.g.- and weaves them into modern science's response (reminding me that I have some Biology to brush up on!) Especially salient:
"Neurons in the anterior cingulate will respond to the patient being poked with a needle; they are often referred to as sensory pain neurons. Remarkably, researchers at the University of Toronto have found that some of them will fire equally strongly when the patient watches someone else is poked. I call these "empathy neurons" or "Dalai Lama neurons" for they are, dissolving the barrier between self and others."
I wonder whether another intelligent species, like dolphins, could be conscious of others and themselves in a similar sense as we are?
I wonder if, a hundred years from now, a thousand years from now, when all of these questions are settled, how it will affect man's self-image as a species?
This is a fascinating line of inquiry, though. A friend of mine is doing grad work right now along these lines. I want to investigate it too: there's just so much stuff to learn about out there though!
Re: The Neurology of Self Awareness Comment by flameinthesnow on Monday, January 22, 2007 at 7:42:55 AM
This research is very important, especially to help us understand developmental disorders such as autism. I have a child who experiences autism, and knowing that problems with brain structure such as mirror neurons may be a large part of what makes autism a difficult condition, helps to know what may treat the condition. Teaching my son to imitate others in a systematized way has helped him enormously. I'm hoping that he was able to develop (or is in the process of developing) those "empathy neurons" where he may not have had them available for his use before.
McGill RSS Feeds