Debunking Ancient Beliefs About Human Nature: The Impact of Scientific Studies on Consciousness

Our ancient (some might say naive) conception of human nature holds on three doctrines. The first is that we are the creators of our choices and actions. We are not puppets, but we are responsible and free people, capable of determining our own path in this world. Second, humans are special and different from other animals. Third, we assume that our perceptions, at least most of the time, accurately represent the world as it really is.

Scientific studies of consciousness have cast doubt on all three of these beliefs. Take away our free will. No one is surprised to learn that a mother’s brain changes during pregnancy. Linking our moods and behavior to hormones has become the new common sense. But the idea that our thoughts and actions are a direct result of brain activity can also be unsettling. If “my mind makes me do it,” in what sense do I have control over myself?

Much of Crick’s research seems to suggest that the brain is a kind of machine and that we simply carry out its commands. A laboratory creates models of brain circuits, cell by cell, as if they were giant arrays of microscopic Lego pieces. Another team has created a complete map of the fruit fly’s brain, proof that we could one day do the same with our own complex circuits. Crick’s research into Alzheimer’s disease is a reminder that our cognitive abilities depend entirely on a healthy, functioning brain, and when the brain is damaged, we are damaged too.

The fact that most of the above research is based on studies of birds, mice, and flies also shows—beyond the need to protect humans from experimental health risks—that we do not accept the idea that humans are fundamentally different from other animals. Serious again. We study animal brains because they tell us a lot about the human brain. But if the gap between humans and animals is narrowing, does this mean we value human life less, or value the lives of other creatures more? In both cases, the species hierarchy on which we build our moral world is disrupted.

Perhaps most troubling is the idea that we don’t see the world as it really is. We have known for centuries that the appearance of the world before us is determined by our senses, not the objects. For example, the green color of grass is created by our visual system. But recent research goes further. Our brains not only color our perceptions (sometimes literally), they also construct them. The brain is not a passive perception receptor, but rather a “prediction machine” that sees what you expect to see, and hears what you want to hear.

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2024-02-24 18:48:46
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