StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Analysis of Consciousness and Neuroscience Article by Francis Crick and Christof Koch - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
"Analysis of Consciousness and Neuroscience Article by Francis Crick and Christof Koch" paper examines the article which describes current experimental work in the area. The author feels that the article concludes on a different note and it doesn’t accomplish the mission of convincing the readers…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.7% of users find it useful
Analysis of Consciousness and Neuroscience Article by Francis Crick and Christof Koch
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Analysis of Consciousness and Neuroscience Article by Francis Crick and Christof Koch"

The authors present a wide spectrum of thoughts on the issue and describe several experiments that relate to the concept. The manner in which the arguments are presented need to be considered and their objectivity assessed, to make the overall argument worth consideration. The authors seem to have made several sweeping assumptions in order to narrow down the scope of the discussion.

Thus they have been able to offer the reader a wide spectrum of ideas to ponder upon. An example would be the statement that most neuroscientists do not attempt to study consciousness either because it is a philosophical problem or because such a study is premature. Discarding the philosophical aspects of the issue, the article goes on to argue that such a study is not premature. No valid reasons are given for discarding the philosophical aspects, even as there is no dispute about the need to study the issue scientifically in the present time.

I don’t think the issue can be approached purely from a scientific perspective without considering the philosophical aspects. The article dwells on several features and forms of consciousness and introduces the concept of “neuronal correlates of consciousness” or NCC. The force of the argument is substantially reduced by asserting that the assumptions are “tentative” and that “personal decisions” were taken to set aside several topics without further discussion. Further, it goes on to state that a precise definition of consciousness was premature and that it was “not profitable” to make certain arguments.

Such statements in a scientific, or at the very least an objective discussion, dilute its validity. However, visual consciousness, its uses, nature, characteristics, biological explanations, etc, discussed in the works by others in the field are used, with clear references that would guide interested readers to study the subject in detail. The subject of visual consciousness and its relationship with memory are also presented, along with outlines of some experimental results on classical blindsight, the online system, bistable percepts, electrical brain stimulation, the V1 hypothesis, the frontal lobe hypothesis, and gamma oscillations.

These experiments have been described in detail. The correlations sought to be established between studies on animals and the effects on humans are also examined in technical terms. The article does, therefore, succeed in achieving the stated objective of describing current experimental work in the area. Thus the writers have been able to provide me as a reader with a more exhaustive understanding of the topic as well as the magnitude of scientific studies that have been undertaken on it. The article also suggests some directions in which future experimentation should proceed and makes a forceful case for establishing the link between neurons and perception in humans.

The authors, however, go back to a consideration of the philosophical aspects of the issue discarded earlier, the problem of qualia, and then goes on to state that the conclusions based on the philosopher’s tools are valueless! The problem of meaning is also considered along with its complexities and relationship with consciousness. The article does convince the reader that the age-old search for an explanation of consciousness is active and there is a need for a study of NCC, though it does not provide convincing arguments about why the authors think the time is ripe now.

The writers have also managed to give me a new insight into the problem of the neutral correlate of consciousness. There has been a vast multitude of scientific research and debates on the subject. Yet, scientists are grappling the find a definitive solution to the problem. Also, they end the article with the hope that “some of the younger scientists will seriously consider working on this fascinating problem.” This has triggered in me the idea that mere scientific studies are not enough for us to actually understand the phenomenon.

It looks like we need to focus on the philosophical dimension of the problem as well and try to integrate the spiritual aspect into scientific studies. Human consciousness is not just a matter that can be understood by scientific studies without dwelling on the spiritual side of our mind and psyche.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Animal Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Animal Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1539224-animal-behavior
(Animal Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
Animal Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1539224-animal-behavior.
“Animal Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1539224-animal-behavior.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Analysis of Consciousness and Neuroscience Article by Francis Crick and Christof Koch

Elements of Consciousness

The review "Elements of consciousness" focuses on the brief critical analysis of the major elements of consciousness.... Issues like how the presence of consciousness can be assessed in severely ill or comatose people; whether non-human consciousness exists and if so how it can be measured; at what point in fetal development consciousness begins etc are highly debated topics.... In short, Consciousness is the subject of interest in the philosophy of mind, psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, cognitive neuroscience, and artificial intelligence....
6 Pages (1500 words) Book Report/Review

Cognitive Neuroscience

The development of cognitive neuroscience was further enhanced by the need to use the concepts found in neurobiology to the analysis of human behavior and cognition.... Some of the major advancements have been in the field of cognitive neuroscience which has been widely studied and has come to be used in many fields.... Cognitive neuroscience has mainly been used to explain the different aspects of human behavior.... ognitive neuroscience is a concerned with the scientific study of the biological substrates that are known to underlie cognition....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Gottfried Leibniz-Consciousness and Unconsciousness

The paper "Gottfried Leibniz-consciousness and Unconsciousness" looks for discussing with special reference to the contributions made by French philosopher Rene Descartes and eminent eighteenth-century German thinker Gottfried Leibniz while elaborating the same.... ... ... ... Although state of sleep and philosophy of unconsciousness has always been a matter of vital interest for the thinkers and philosophers since ever, yet the issue got particular attention of the discipline of philosophy during 17th and 18th centuries....
10 Pages (2500 words) Research Paper

How is consciousness addressed within the perspective of cognitive neuroscience

Neuroscientists seek to establish the major mechanisms that result to the main aspects that depict awareness such as pain, self-consciousness and visual awareness.... Each human being experiences a level of consciousness but defining how this result has presented numerous challenges.... Overview of consciousness Psychologists and neuroscientists have been trying their best to unravel the complex process that leads to consciousness.... However, neuroscientists have not been able to unravel whether different aspects of consciousness result from similar mechanisms or different ones (Giacino, 2005)....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Egoic Consciousness

crick and Koch (1998, p97-107) highlighted that attention enriched consciousness, although attention is not necessary for it.... (crick F, 1998 cited in Stephen M Kosslyn 2001)The current state of egoic consciousness that is being construed as narcissism can be explained via cognitive dissonance and resultant self-perception theory.... This essay "Egoic consciousness" explores aspects of egoic consciousness, narcissism and potential implications for psychotherapy....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Neuroscience and Identity Theory

The paper "neuroscience and Identity Theory" explores whether psychotherapists inform patients that they are suffering from "chemical imbalances" or from "unresolved developmental traumas".... neuroscience is founded on a philosophy of mind known as identity theory.... The current philosophy of mind, both stimulated and rejuvenated by neuroscience research, is in fast pursuit of a comprehensive mind/brain theory.... neuroscience has a conceptual foundation that is based on an incomplete theory of mind and brain: identity theory....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Cognitive Neuroscience

This coursework "Cognitive neuroscience" aims to disprove this by identifying the different approaches with which cognitive neural science can be used to explain human behavior, and how it can be applied to the understanding of the different ways in which people believe.... Cognitive neuroscience is important as it helps in the creation of an understanding of the neural basis of human behavior.... Some of the major advancements have been in the field of cognitive neuroscience which has been widely studied and has come to be used in many fields....
7 Pages (1750 words) Coursework

Christo Vladimirov Javacheff

This essay "Christo Vladimirov Javacheff" discusses Christo Vladimirov Javacheff work as visually remarkable and frequently controversial as a consequence of its scale, Christo projects undoubtedly contain no deeper meaning than his artistic impact.... ... ... ... The rationale of Christo art is merely to produce works of art or beauty as well as joy and to generate novel ways of observing well-known landscapes....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us