Mind, Brain, and Consciousness

Conversations about the intersection of philosophy and neurology.

by Jacob Sage, M.D.

Consciousness, Artificial Intelligence, and Automatic Transmissions

If you have had automatic transmission troubles, you may know why computers will never be conscious. Read More

The Difference Between Being Awake and Being Conscious

Do you wake up, unconscious? Read More

Can Physics Help Us Understand Consciousness?

The reason that many of us have trouble coming to grips with the notion that our consciousness is nothing more than the functioning of our brain is related to our underlying dualism. Read More

Levels of Consciousness

To understand the nature of consciousness, it is necessary to forego the notion that we are either conscious or unconscious. Some consciousness "stuff" does not suddenly get added to our other brain functions, and we are conscious. Rather, consciousness emerges gradually from the "mindlessness of a slug". Read More

Mind, Brain and Consciousness

Ask yourself, is the functioning brain identical to the mind? If your answer is no, you are a closet dualist. You believe that brain and mind are made of different kinds of stuff. Such a stance will make it hard for you to understand the nature of consciousness. It will make the mental aspects of our lives mysterious and unknowable. Read More