Mark Solms - The Hidden Spring Part 1: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness
Jul 28, 2023
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Neuroscientist Mark Solms delves into the mysteries of consciousness, discussing the Free Energy theory, the impact of traumatic brain injuries, the connection between consciousness and feelings, the influence of Freud and Jung, the significance of storytelling in neuropsychology, and the exploration of feelings in neurology and computational neuroscience.
Including subjective experience in the study of the mind is crucial for understanding consciousness and feelings.
Interdisciplinary approaches facilitate innovation and provide insights at the intersections of different fields and ideas.
Feelings are a fundamental aspect of consciousness and have significant implications for decision-making and behavior.
Deep dives
The Importance of Subjectivity and Interdisciplinarity
Mark Sommes highlights the importance of including subjective experience in the study of the mind, noting that psychology must not exclude consciousness and feelings. He emphasizes the significance of interdisciplinary approaches, which allow for innovation and insights at the intersections of different fields and ideas.
The Influence of Change Makers
Sommes acknowledges the influence of change makers like Oliver Sacks, Eric Kandel, and Antonio Damasio. Sacks' work on neurological patients and their subjective experiences provided valuable insights, while Kandel's interest in psychoanalysis resonated with Sommes' exploration of subjective phenomena. Damasio's research played a key role in bringing legitimacy to the study of feelings in neurology and neuropsychology.
Departure 1: Shifting the Focus to Feeling
Sommes departs from the prevalent emphasis on perception in the study of consciousness and instead prioritizes feeling. He argues that feelings are a crucial element in understanding how the brain works, positing that the most fundamental form of consciousness is bodily feeling, and that subjective experiences have significant implications for decision-making and behavior.
Departure 2: Embracing Subjectivity and Integrating Psychoanalysis
Sommes delves into the origins of psychology and explores the history of psychoanalysis to better understand the neglect of subjective experience in the field. He highlights the importance of including subjective phenomena in the study of the mind and integrates psychoanalytic perspectives to fill the gap left by traditional neuropsychology.
Departure 3: Engineering Artificial Consciousness
Sommes collaborates with computational neuroscientist Karl Friston to explore the possibility of engineering artificial consciousness. They seek to create a robot with an extended form of homeostasis, based on the belief that feelings arise from a mechanism akin to homeostatic regulation. Their aim is to demonstrate that feelings can be engineered in an artificial agent, thus enhancing understanding of the causal mechanisms of consciousness.
Part 1 of a 9-part series with the brilliant Mark Solms.
Why does it feel like something to be alive? For one of the boldest thinkers in neuroscience, solving this puzzle has been a lifetime's quest. Now, at last, Mark Solms, who discovered the brain mechanism for dreaming, has arrived at his answer. More than just a philosophical argument, the Free Energy theory will profoundly change how you understand your existence.
The very idea that a breakthrough is possible may seem outrageous. Isn't consciousness intangible, beyond the reach of empirical methods? Yet Solms shows in forensic detail how misguided assumptions have concealed its nature. Only by sticking closely to the medical facts does a way past our obstacles appear. Join him on an extraordinary voyage into the strange realms beyond and learn what we are.
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