Originally Posted by Sageous
Agent Smith:
A couple of nit-picky things:
No, you don't. Science has known for years that the "Right-Brain/Left Brain" theory is not valid, though it still thrives in pop culture. For what it's worth, even the Right-Brain/Left-Brain folks never assumed that thoughts were created independently in each side. Conscious thoughts are single operations created by your mind -- there is no teamwork going on inside your head, unless, as you note, there is something very wrong with you.
I don't believe this at all.. Ever hear of alien hand syndrome? You can have a hemisphere control a hand... but its impossible for it to form thoughts? I'd just disagree with this. You can argue against how far the separation goes, but its quite clear there are parts of the brain with independent functions that overlap. I'm not arguing for two separate consciousnesses, but rather two different parts of the brain that are likely to perform similar functions. I guess you could call it two (or more) different subconscious processes with the ability to conflict... Even for all of us, there is a conflict between emotions and logic, which is literally the left brain / right brain dichotomy...
Philosophically true. but biologically your brain is operating as a single unit, tapping all of its sections as needed -- usually more than one section at a time. Aside from the sections that operate the autonomic systems, there are no independent sections -- hell. psychologists and holistic medicine practitioners would even argue that those primitive autonomic sections are also tapped by the thinking consciousness, and can influence thought, and vise-versa.
Well, I'd say that the only job of your conscious is to tie everything together. It really just serves to combine the different functions into a high level and usable form. I don't think there is much more to it than that.. There is obviously a lot of communication between different parts of the brain, but they do serve different functions.
Speaking for the drivers out there who do pay attention and regularly dodge drivers who think they don't need to pay conscious attention as they propel 2 tons of steel down public roads: Please, please, please pay attention! You might believe that your body is taking care of everything, but there are many, many decisions to be made in driving that transcend the trained automatic motor functions you mention. Why do you think pretty much every government has made cell phone use while driving illegal? That you haven't decorated a tree during one of your daydreams yet does not make you right -- it makes you very very lucky. I have a brother who manged to drive for almost ten years insisting that his car "drove itself," until it drove itself into a ditch at very high speed. Please pay attention!
Well, some times I can't help it. My safe driving aside, its still an automated function that I'm literally not consciously involved in..
A much better example, I think, but again, your unconscious mind simply took some time to locate a file that you consciously requested earlier -- there really was no independent decision by some other part of your physical brain to help out.
Well I can't really disagree. If I'm not consciously doing it, my unconscious is doing it. There is obviously some part of your brain that is working to do this, without conscious effort. How complicated it needs to be is irrelevant, I've just been given examples of functions your brain essentially performs without you.
There is a difference between having a list of pros and cons in your head that you must sort through before making a decision or conclusion and having a bipolar disorder where personalities in your mind are arguing comprehensively. I hope you meant the former. If you meant the latter, get help! Internal conflict is an intellectual term, not a physical term -- there truly is only one of you in there...
You've NEVER had a situation where you literally wanted something, but at the same time didn't? I have gone through the pros and cons, but its different than being internally conflicted. Some times its an emotional response versus a logical response. Other times its just two different opinions.
Personally, I think the people who have serious problems are really just "destabilized" and their conscious has less control over their parts. I don't think the mentally ill people physically have any differences than us. I don't think they operate any differently, but rather their controlling portions don't work as effectively.
Do you think they are physically built differently? Do you think the chemical inbalances in their head are creating the thoughts, or just preventing their control over them?
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