http://bigthink.com/think-tank/consciousness-the-black-hole-of-neuroscience
On the topic of consciousness, there's a real problem with how to physically explain exactly how it works because of the fact we don't understand how the physical brain works yet. We perceive it as neurons firing and chaining together. This is not always the case, there have been studies on active brains that show that quite often, one part of the brain will fire and dissipate, then as a result of that firing another part completely unrelated to that part will fire even though there is no physical connection to them. That is the problem that scientists face, why does that other part fire. I found this read bringing light to me on the actual history of consciousness. While I know a bit about it myself, the history was not in my understanding. I had thought that ancient societies had known about it. I guess I'm wrong since it was only ever created during the Reformation Era.
It's interesting that this article is introduced with a quote from Rene Descartes, a French mathematician from the seventeenth century. He is also the man referred to as the father of modern philosophy and is counted among the great thinkers of his time. By beginning with a quote from such a well-known author, especially one so renowned as Descartes, the author immediately establishes credibility. What really interested me about this article is that it mentions that problems from a third-person point of view are simpler than problems from a first-person point of view. I would have thought that it would be the other way around; why do our own experiences come less naturally to us than the experiences of others? This is definitely a very interesting article.
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