What is Consciousness? What is Its Purpose?
One of the most important decisions we make very early in life is to determine whether we live in a friendly or a hostile universe. Albert Einstein said it, and many wondered why a man of his caliber would call that the most important decision we make.
Each year, tens of thousands of papers are published in the field on neuroscience alone. Our knowledge and our understanding of how the human mind and the universe work is expanding at an astounding rate. For instance, some studies have found that there’s a legitimate form of double or split consciousness taking place in our brains which occurs when the connection between hemispheres is broken. When both hemispheres are connected they work together to create the perception of a singular individual.
Our universe is inherently probabilistic and things within it cannot be predicted with 100% certainty. This does not mean that science cannot make accurate estimates as to what is more or less likely. The mathematics and statistics of quantum physics reveal that the seemingly random oscillations that make up our reality are still profoundly consistent patterns. Many of our modern technologies would not have been possible if we had not deciphered much of the intricate and unique behavior of quantum mechanics.
What is the current scientific assessment regarding what brings about our consciousness? Consciousness is not simply inside out brain; it is generally considered to be an emergent phenomenon. This means that it happens when enough activity happens in the brain. In a way that can be compared to how music emerges from a record player. The music is not contained anywhere inside the record player and it is only when the mechanisms are activated in a certain way that it produces music. We cannot physically locate consciousness in one area of the brain, yet when billions of neurons communicate with each other, the combination of this activity creates the phenomenon of consciousness.
The brain has a remarkable ability for changing itself. This is called neuroplasticity and it continues to take place throughout our entire lives. This shapes and reshapes the hardware of our consciousness in the simplest ways. For instance, going back in history 300 years ago we would find that the behaviors and habits that we routinely engage in today would have been deemed selfish and morally corrupt. Why? Find out now.