To Consciousness

Photosource

Philosophers and scientists have been talking about you and are rather perturbed still with a lot of questions even up to present. Questioning you is just like questioning existence, yet there are a whole lot of fine elements concerning you that merely knowing existence can't just address.

The firing of ions and chemicals such as calcium, sodium, potassium and chloride, are as far and as minute as we could go to explain the decisions we make and the behavior we manifest. Yet, somehow, the idea of chemicals controlling the actions we make seems not to be enough for us to understand you and our being. How can mere chemicals enable our cognitive to have thoughts as basic as 'what do I want to eat right now?' to thoughts as profound as 'why are we even trying to explain consciousness and existence?' Are you simply controlled by these chemicals?

Many scientists have tried to locate in the brain where cognitive processes occur and where decisions are made. Recent discoveries have shown where intentions to act can be stimulated in the brain. Participants reported an urge to move a particular part of their bodies without necessarily enacting them.

...the brain has specific cortical circuits that, when triggered, are associated with sensations that arise in the course of wanting to initiate and then carry out a voluntary action. (Koch, 2009)

I think that this is a very valuable discovery and is a big leap to answering so much of our questions. However, knowing the mechanism of the brain is somehow still not enough to bring us peace  of mind as to why we intend to do such things. I believe that our free will cannot be limited by mere chemicals and stimulation of the brain. Science can answer adequately the how of certain concepts, but it will always be short of response to our why questions.

There's a fishy idea with the thought of disregarding your metaphysical explanation. Some scientists find it uncomfortable to accept the idea of the soul in explaining you and free will. However, I believe that scientific explanations are there to support the metaphysical explanations. They are never and should not be opposing ideas, for they explain concepts at different levels, and are therefore expected to complement each other.

I don't have answers to some of their questions either, but I'm rather happy with both the scientific and metaphysical explanations there are at present.

Just so you know, I thought of you today.

Karen