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Detecting Consciousness

11/27/2017

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The latest development in research of brain injuries by Christof Koch of the Allan Institute For Brain Science in Seattle, is the development of a method to measure consciousness ”A measurement value derived by researchers enabling them to establish a critical threshold, the minimum degree of complex brain activity supporting consciousness”. This very exiting and important development enables to measure the level of consciousness in patients who are in a vegetable state because of permanent brain damage due to accidents or mental conditions.
 
Findings show that the level of consciousness varies from patient to patient. Some show none, others show different levels of brain activity indicating consciousness. Patients with a high complexity cortical response may experience something yet are unable to communicate with the world and their loved ones. The capability to measure consciousness is, according to Dr Koch “a milestone in untangling the ancient mind-body problem”. This finally settles clearly that consciousness (awareness) is definitely a brain function, closely related to the integrity of the material brain and when the brain is damaged its function is impaired. (Source: Scientific American magazine article Nov. 20,’17)
 
The proposal that consciousness is a so-called supernatural function is a notion that is totally speculative and without evidence. It is a belief that many philosophers and Theists hold and that’s fine as long as we realize what reality shows is, since consciousness needs a living  material brain, that when this brain is damaged, it is impaired. We can only conclude that if the brain is dead, consciousness is also dead.
 
We can observe and measure the impairment of consciousness and awareness in Alzheimer’s as well as brain injured patients. We can now measure it with our technical equipment. That’s reality. It begs the question, if there is a conversion of consciousness upon death, to enjoy an aware afterlife, are all memories that make up the awareness of oneself restored to the level before the onset of dementia or accident and returned to what age and what level? What about the people born with mental deficiencies or mentally disturbed people? Do babies grow up in heaven since consciousness and awareness develop when the brain develops and that did not happen before they died or do they stay babies? There are no reasonable answers. The existence of an afterlife seems logically untenable.
The latest development in research of brain injuries by Christof Koch of the Allan Institute For Brain Science in Seattle, is the development of a method to measure consciousness ”A measurement value derived by researchers enabling them to establish a critical threshold, the minimum degree of complex brain activity supporting consciousness”. This very exiting and important development enables to measure the level of consciousness in patients who are in a vegetable state because of permanent brain damage due to accidents or mental conditions.
 
Findings show that the level of consciousness varies from patient to patient. Some show none, others show different levels of brain activity indicating consciousness. Patients with a high complexity cortical response may experience something yet are unable to communicate with the world and their loved ones. The capability to measure consciousness is, according to Dr Koch “a milestone in untangling the ancient mind-body problem”. This finally settles clearly that consciousness (awareness) is definitely a brain function, closely related to the integrity of the material brain and when the brain is damaged its function is impaired. (Source: Scientific American magazine article Nov. 20,’17)
 
The proposal that consciousness is a so-called supernatural function is a notion that is totally speculative and without evidence. It is a belief that many philosophers and Theists hold and that’s fine as long as we realize what reality shows is, since consciousness needs a living  material brain, that when this brain is damaged, it is impaired. We can only conclude that if the brain is dead, consciousness is also dead.
 
We can observe and measure the impairment of consciousness and awareness in Alzheimer’s as well as brain injured patients. We can now measure it with our technical equipment. That’s reality. It begs the question, if there is a conversion of consciousness upon death, to enjoy an aware afterlife, are all memories that make up the awareness of oneself restored to the level before the onset of dementia or accident and returned to what age and what level? What about the people born with mental deficiencies or mentally disturbed people? Do babies grow up in heaven since consciousness and awareness develop when the brain develops and that did not happen before they died or do they stay babies? There are no reasonable answers. The existence of an afterlife seems logically untenable.

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