The Self
A good indicator of how busy I’ve been lately is that I have fallen a few issues behind on my Scientific American magazine subscription. While frantically trying to catch up before the arrival of the December issue, I came across a very interesting article called The Neurobiology of the Self.
What was especially interesting about this article was that separated “The Self” from basic consciousness, suggesting that the connection of an event to the self may occur independently. For example, when our brain gives a command for a particular motion, two signals are sent. One controls the actual movement by signaling the proper area of the brain, and the other goes to the region of the brain that monitors the movement and would apply the ensuing sensations to the Self.
Separating the concept of “consciousness” into two separate entities – one part that receives sensations and another that recognizes their impact on the Self – leaves a larger portion of the field up to philosophers. Most activities of the brain are not completely understood and are, at best, triangulated to specific regions. Thus, scientists now can only define a new “center” for the process leaving a lot of room for speculation on what the Self really is.
Paul Michael Smith
Nov 22, 04:42
I recently read an amazing book on the “self”. The book was called “The Saturated Self: Dilemmas of Identity in Contemporary Life” by Gergen. You should look it up.
Thame
Nov 22, 06:59
Will do, I’m always on the lookout for suggestions…thanks a bunch!
Rob Comber
Nov 23, 04:41
Its difficult to imagine the concept of “self” as seperate from “consciousness”. Really asking a fundamental question about what self is?! I understand it as an integration of narrative, perspective and agecny, at least half of which is directly related to consciousness (being as how we can only construct ‘stories’ of our selves in conscious language). Must look up the article though!