Modern Wisdom #551 - Patrick House - How Much Do We Actually Know About Consciousness?
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Nov 12, 2022 In this engaging conversation, neuroscientist Patrick House dives deep into the mysteries of consciousness and free will. He challenges our understanding by discussing how brain modifications can change aspects of the self without altering identity. House also explores the fascinating behaviors of animals that can sleep half of their brain and the complex relationship between consciousness and time. He emphasizes that most theories on consciousness remain unsatisfactory, raising thought-provoking questions on our perception and the future of neuroscience.
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Confabulated Laughter
- A teenage girl with epilepsy laughed during brain stimulation, confabulating reasons for her laughter.
- This highlights the difficulty of relying on self-reporting in consciousness research.
Split-Brain Consciousness
- Split-brain patients demonstrate that consciousness can exist even with a severed corpus callosum.
- This challenges the notion that a unified brain is necessary for consciousness.
Jonathan's Brain
- Jonathan, a neuroscientist, had 20 billion neurons removed but experienced minimal changes in consciousness.
- This suggests that a significant portion of the brain might not be directly involved in conscious experience.
