Science News

How long is a severed head conscious for? 

According to a recent wave of books on developments in neuroscience, just about everything we thought we knew about ourselves is wrong. From the actions and reactions of chemicals in our brains to the decisions we tell ourselves are made rationally, the influence of "cognitive bias" goes deep.

NEUROSCIENCE: http://www.scoop.it/t/science-news?tag=neuroscience

A blog introduction to consciousness as a field of study - its importance, ethical implications, philosophical arguments and scientific research.

The viewer doesn‟t see the world; he is part of a world process.

If this demotion of free will is correct – and that’s a big if – then rights violations aren’t caused by people who decide to violate them. They are instead caused by their brains. This is a depressing idea because it implies that we can’t do much about rights violations, short of clinical or chemical interventions in the brain. It also implies that we can’t hold violators responsible for their actions, since it’s their brains rather than their conscious volition that is the real cause of those actions.

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The question I wish to raise here is whether we can teleport our soul, and, specifically, how best we might do it. I’ll suggest that we may be able to get near-complete soul teleportation into the movie (or video game) experience, and we can do so with some fairly simple upgrades to the 3D-glasses we already wear in movies.

Neuroscientists are developing tests that could clarify whether vegetative patients retain any awareness.

Using eye-tracking devices, Bodur and his colleauges investigated how location influences choices for products as varied as vitamins, meal replacement bars, and energy drinks. They found that consumers would increase their visual focus on the central option in a product display area in the final five seconds of the decision-making process – and that was the point at which they determined which option to choose. It turns out that the process is a subconscious one. When asked how they had come to decide on what product to buy, consumers did not accurately recall their choice process. What’s more, they were not aware of any conscious visual focus on one area of the display over another.

You don't need to deliberate to be thoughtful, says commentator Alva Noë. In fact, it's better if you don't. We are at our most intelligent when we let the world guide us. And we can do this because we are expert at many things we take for granted.

Does the conception of social relations promoted by social networking sites blind us to the reality of social class and conflict between classes?

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Consciousness is not a simple state that is either on or off. Studies with anesthesia showed patients responding to commands or communicating, but later having no memory of doing so.

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I’m going to be demonstrating how working together with your brain, instead of fighting against it, is the surest way to mental health and a better experience of your existence. Let’s start with asking the question, “What is really listening?”

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