- What is consciousness from the point of view of neuroscience? Does it make us human? And do animals have consciousness? And when we dream, is this also a manifestation of our consciousness?

- I believe that consciousness has different depths and intensities, like a lamp with a dimmer. For example, a rat is conscious, but not like a cat or dog. They, in turn, cannot possess the same consciousness as primates. Another example: the fetus in the womb is also conscious, but not as much as a full-term baby, and so on. A dream is also a peculiar form of consciousness, but already without the participation of information from our senses.

The theory of different intensities of consciousness is just a godsend for science. After all, it is quite possible to say: “Let's not perceive consciousness as something magical, but try to measure it!”

- However, consciousness in the view of an ordinary person is something completely intangible. We know something about some brain functions - where memory is stored, how signals are transmitted. But where is the mind hiding physically in the brain?

- In general, for many scientists, consciousness is a problematic issue. Its key features are subjective. I absolutely do not know what you are experiencing right now. I can’t “crack” your consciousness in order to perceive the world in the way you do. No need to look for some magic parts of the brain. And when you say: “where is the memory stored”, this is not entirely correct, because there are no special cells. There are groups of brain cells that work together for a very short amount of time.

When you throw a stone into a pond, circles circle in the water. Similar phenomena occur in the brain, where the diameter of the "circles" corresponds to the depth of consciousness, and the "stone" is any strong sensory impulse coming from outside. “Stone Size” is the number of bonds and associations that cause an object or event. “The power with which the stone is cast” is the power of sensation.

I think that scientists can begin to explore consciousness - but here we must admit that our capabilities are rather modest, and understand that we probably will not establish cause-effect relationships. I can’t tell you how a sense of happiness is born from electrical signals in brain cells and chemicals. How one turns into another is a mystery.

  • Phenomena in the brain are like circles on water from an abandoned stone
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“Suppose I decide to bend my finger.” The signal enters my brain, the muscles do physical work. Where is the thought in all this? Does she appear in advance? Or is her place somewhere in the process?

- Scientist Benjamin Libet (American neuroscientist in the field of human consciousness, researcher at the physiological department of the University of California at San Francisco. - RT ) once conducted an experiment, and I repeated it. So, electrodes are installed on a person’s head that record brain activity. You need to press the button when you want. What is curious: a person has not yet managed to do this, but brain activity has already changed. It turns out that changes in the brain occur in advance.

“The brain decides before you.”

- Yes, and it is interesting. Your brain is you. So the words "he decided for you" imply a kind of dualism, which is wrong. I see this as two sides of the same coin: something can be expressed either from the position of the brain, or from the position of one’s own sensations. Both that, and another are lawful, and cannot happen at the same time. Another question, what is the medal itself?

  • Susan Greenfield
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- And yet, if you know what the frontal lobe and both hemispheres are responsible for, why can't we “see” the thought?

- Because the brain does not work as a collection of small brains. Yes, his sites specialize in different things, but they work like instruments that sound in the orchestra or the ingredients that make up the dish. That is, not in isolation from each other, but together and in concert. So, for example, vision is provided by about thirty different parts of the brain. Each section is multitasking, such as a violin. No need to try to reduce everything to any one gene, a part of the brain or transmitter, because with this approach, something certainly falls out.

- That is, we won’t see the thought, even if we create some incredible devices for this?

- You can observe the work of the brain by scanning it. True, erroneous conclusions are often made based on these studies. Seeing light spots in a particular part of the brain, they conclude that there is a center responsible for something, but this is not so.

- Many people will say that the main thing is the soul, and we will never see it, because it is invisible ...

- Let's deal with the terms. The brain is a physical object, something tangible. Reason, in my understanding, is the personalization of the brain, thanks to which it adapts to various circumstances. And there is also consciousness in which there is subconsciousness and self-awareness. All of the above is part of the living brain, originates in it.

And there is an immortal soul. I consider it as something separate. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between the brain, mind, consciousness and soul. Each of these terms is an interesting topic that deserves discussion, but it is not worth putting an equal sign between them.

- About love and other feelings they say that it's all hormones - dopamine or serotonin. Can one explain what love is, having studied only its biology?

- This is not an explanation, but a description. It's like saying that a chair is a piece of furniture. When you fall in love, you can see a surge of dopamine or endorphins. But this vision will not give an explanation of the subjective feeling of love.

- To what extent has the human brain been studied today?

- There was such a mythical creature - hydra. You chop off her head - in this place seven new ones grow. So it is with the brain: the more you learn, the more the unknown is revealed.

See the full version of the interview on the RTD website.