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We are both less than we thought and so much more than we could have imagined. Patricia S. Churchland – Touching a Nerve: The Self as Brain

Posted on | November 8, 2013 | No Comments

“Deep resistance to knowledge that betokens a change in a whole way of thinking has a long history.” Patricia S. Churchland – Touching a Nerve: The Self as Brain Churchland As a former artist I have long resisted the idea that any artist’s creation could be anything less than the spirit-given honor of being able to see and interpret what others do not. The artistic process, however one comes to it, involves a very personal dialogue with deep emotion and very personal sensory perceptions. The understanding that this communion is completely different from others’ experience made it that much more compelling and special. Later in life as I studied neurobiology and psychology, I began to understand that neural synaptic process was both created by my experience and perceptions but in turn colors my new experiences and perceptions. In this way, talents (if we can call them that) develop in each of us and are filtered, blended, and refined. For so long these two concepts of artistic expression and reaffirmed neural biological processes were such conflicts for me. With scientific awareness, I was no longer an artist but a collector of experiences that over time became more focused and delineated, giving my hands the iterative experiences of drawing and brushwork. This revelation creates an existential crisis for this artist but I know intellectually that it is true and factual. Patricia Churchland has written a very powerful book that examines the real science and ethical considerations of The Self as The Brain. She explains in language both comforting and scientific that we have misled and been misled by mythology that pulls a curtain to hide our fears and incomplete knowledge. Like Galileo, she reports the real facts to people who may not want to hear them. These ideas, revolutionary in so many facets of human society, seem to say: we are both less than we thought and so much more than we could have imagined. Churchland says, let’s stop pretending. Let’s stop believing that thoughts and behavior are unrelated to that which we already know. Free will is an opportunity to make choices based both on what we know and leaps of faith based on others experiences. Free will is about making considered choices. I found that Churchland’s well-presented information explains issues surrounding immigration, economic psychology, and tribal warfare. As soon as we stop pretending, we begin to see the wiring that constitutes how others reason. This is important work for people involved in conflict resolution. Shawn M. Nichols PhD(c)
Category: Relationships, Working Environment Concerns
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