Our consciousness, brain and dreaming

(Once or twice recently I've used this blog like a journal, an aide memoire, to note something that I'd realised, concluded or decided on after a lot of thought. What, after all, does anyone write anything for but that, and in the hope that publishing it might in some way be useful to others? This piece is one more instance of it.)

I am convinced that "consciouness" - the "hard question" - is the sole product of our brain, a material organ of baffling complexity that has a life of its own inside our head - as you might say the human heart or lungs have lives of their own in our body, working over lifetimes with no volition from "us", from whom "we" are.

The evidence is dreams, in which dilemmas, people, incidents, crises and whole worlds exist with a reality that can only be explained by the brain, from its genetic and bio-chemical composition, culture and vast store of the individual's lived experiences and learning, creating a universe it controls and makes sense of in its own way. 

When "we" dream, we often recognise familiar content, maybe a lot, in the brain's story, but it's the brain storytelling. Like any other story we think we invent.

Humans or gods?

If the Universe is infinite, which can never be ruled out, it must contain infinite possibilities, in which case the emergence of oceans or a black hole, like mountains or a galaxy, isn't inexplicable but only an event.

From there to insist the emergence of a leg or of an eye, or of an entire living person, is inexplicable - that it defies the vast mathematical odds against it - ceases to be coherent.

It simply shows people as yet know too little of themselves, or perhaps believe too much in themselves, not that human beings are impossible.

From Lord Heseltine, Patron European Movement UK

Dear Paul,

Yesterday, I told the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester that we must not abandon the shared laws of Europe.

We cannot afford to forget the lessons of history. The rise of fascism across Europe, and even in our own streets, was only stopped by visionaries such as Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman and Winston Churchill, who worked to create a united Europe - an alliance based on cooperation, not empire.

Today, we face new challenges. The economic collapse of 2008, the Covid crisis, and the rise of populism across Europe and America have eroded confidence in governments. As I told BBC Newsnight last night, extremists are back on the march and are using immigration as a scapegoat. Yet the overwhelming majority seeking refuge are simply fleeing persecution and seeking to share in our standards of living.

Britain’s future lies in Europe, not apart from it. Our companies, our defence, our research, and our influence thrive through cooperation. Only together can we tackle global warming, defend freedom, and protect our economy. The young electorate also understands this: less than 20% of those under 50 think leaving Europe was right, and the tide is turning.

The European Movement has always stood for a Britain that is confident, prosperous, and influential within Europe. 

Both your membership and recent donation are making a real difference, Paul, thank you. Together, we’ve kept the flame of European cooperation alive at a time when populism and division threaten it.

History demands action - and this is our moment to act.

With determination,

Lord Heseltine

Patron, European Movement UK

My article just two days after the Brexit vote