Oliver Sacks has been writing great stuff for popular consumption on the many peculiarities and mysteries of behavior caused by (coming from?) the brain. The latest New Yorker magazine has a fascinating article by him on musicophilia (a suddenly arising musical passion), and also apparently new mysteries of Near Death Experiences. The article is not online but an audio conversation with Oliver Sacks on musicophilia is available here.
These types of things highlight even more profoundly the dichotomy between the physical state of the brain and consciousness. Are we seeing dualism here?? Naw, we must eschew supernaturalism, say the sensible ones, like the Churchlands and many, née most, others in the scientific communities.
-
Here it is, Feb 16, 2010, two and a half years after I wrote the above, and my opinion now is that although dualism is out the window, the mystery only deepens on how the brain and mind interact in the human being that somehow emerged out of the incomprehensible vastness of this universe so totally incompatible with any kind of organic life as it exists here on earth.
1 comment
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link: http://mcseavey.org/blog/2007/07/22/sacks-and-the-brain/trackback/