Ep. 2: Blindfolded

Summary

This episode explores the intriguing phenomenon of individuals who function normally despite having minimal brain matter. Host Mark Gober interviews various experts in consciousness research to investigate the implications for our understanding of the mind-brain relationship. The discussion challenges traditional views of consciousness and brain functioning, raising profound questions about the nature of reality.

Key takeaways

• 1Dr. Eben Alexander: Neurosurgeon known for his near-death experience claims.
• 2Dr. Dean Radin: Researcher focusing on parapsychology and psi phenomena.
• 3Dr. Bruce Greyson: Psychiatrist and researcher in near-death studies.
• 4'An End to Upside Down Thinking': Mark Gober's book arguing for a consciousness-first perspective.
• 5Rupert Sheldrake: Biologist and author known for his theory of morphic resonance.
• 6Terminal lucidity: Observed phenomenon where dementia patients regain mental clarity shortly before death.

Glossary terms

Source

Transcript excerpt

In episode one, we talked about an open secret. Scientists have no clue how a brain could create consciousness. Again, when I say consciousness, I mean that sense of awareness and experiencing that we all have at this very instant. Larry Dossi, MD, a well-known author and consciousness researcher, summarized what's known as the hard problem of consciousness in one sentence. Currently, there is no known hypothesis that can explain how a brain could, in fact, make consciousness. Bingo. But we know that the brain has some relationship with consciousness. The field of neuroscience has taught us that when you change the brain, your conscious experience changes with it. But remember, just because two things are related doesn't necessarily mean that one causes the other. That's the key point. Today, we're going one step further than that. The brain is a paradox. It's obviously playing a role in how we experience the world around us. Most of neuroscience argues that the brain is creating the consciousness. But on the show, what we're saying instead is that the brain is a vehicle that processes or interprets consciousness from outside the body. The brain is not producing consciousness. Throughout this series, you'll hear us use a bunch of different analogies to explain the relationship between the brain and consciousness. Some are more precise than others, and we aren't claiming that any are perfect, but they are starting points. They all have one key commonality. They help us view consciousness as something that's beyond the brain, and that's the critical point. Let's start with a really basic analogy. Imagine that your brain is an iPhone. You want to access a music file that's not stored on your phone, but rather it's stored on the cloud. Your phone is able to access it. ...

Excerpt from Where Is My Mind?, Aug 15, 2019. Rights remain with the original creators. Hear the full episode at the source.