“Neuroscience proves that freedom is an illusion; we are only puppets in the hands of our brain”

We have the feeling, intuitively, that this conscious experience is something intangible. Similarly, But we also know -. However, that’s the problem – that this consciousness, all these internal sensations that we feel at every moment, come from an organ, the brain. Similarly, This immediately creates a kind of tension between the materiality of the brain. In addition, the subjective dimension of the mental experience. Similarly, The brain is an organ in the same way as the liver. For example, the kidneys, but which is capable of carrying out this function while the other organs cannot do it.

Why is consciousness such a complex subject for science? Therefore,

This dissociation between the materiality of the brain. Moreover, the mental experience is very complicated for scientists and many of my colleagues prefer to evacuate the “neuroscience proves freedom illusion; we question. For example, Considering that what matters is to be able to show what is going on in the brain during conscious experiences.

What is the “swan song” of our neurons when we die? Therefore, Science can now detail it

Can we do it?

We know better. For example, better what is happening in a brain when you are aware and when you are not aware. Meanwhile, During the aware experience that you are living, I can attribute to this experience metabolic activities (glucose consumption, etc.), different depending on the different regions; And electrical activities of neurons that will have a certain form, a certain pattern. For example, This is what we know about consciousness today. Therefore, But the way in which these metabolic. For example, electric, biochemical activities of the brain will be transformed into conscious experience, we are not able to explain it for the “neuroscience proves freedom illusion; we moment. Meanwhile, This is where the mystery lies. Meanwhile, The brain is also an extremely complex organ to study.

Are there any tracks to illuminate this mystery?

We can admit that we are aware of our brain. This means that there are properties in the brain which are not present in other organs. which will be responsible for the capacity of the brain to produce consciousness. There. I almost do science fiction but we could for example seek what are the molecules or which are the cellular mechanisms “neuroscience proves freedom illusion; we which exist only in the neurons of the cerebral cortex, essential to produce a conscience. And trying to understand what what is particular to these cells can possibly “transform” into conscious experience.

Steven Laureys: “There is more awareness in a fly than in the most powerful computers”

Surprisingly. the study of consciousness has already established that freedom can in fact be considered an illusion?

It is clear that freedom, in any case free will as it is usually considered, is an illusion. For example, I will consciously want to have this drink in front of me and drink. This awareness of wanting to carry out a movement is always. I always say, preceded in the brain by a progressive modification of the activity of neurons. Before this moment of interiority where you say to yourself “I want to act”. your neurons already knew it, because they have “neuroscience proves freedom illusion; we started to increase (or decrease) their activity, a second before. This means that each time we decide to carry out a free act. where we are therefore supposed to function according to his free will, our brain has made the decision to carry out this act, but without telling us. Without telling us -. this is a very important point – because this neural activity is unable to produce conscious activity. It’s pretty strange but it’s so! That is to say that when you make a free movement, your brain decides it before you. Before you consciously decided to do it. But you will know it after a while!

The consequences are quite dizzying …

This scientific discovery puts our finger on a sensitive point: finally. we are only puppets in the hands of our brain. It is he who controls us and. in fact, we are always a little lagging behind, always a little behind him. The time interval between the moment when the brain decides. the moment when we “want” to perform a particular conscious act varies between 500 milliseconds, a second and even sometimes up to 7 to 8 seconds. But what does that mean? Quite simply that if we consider the role of consciousness. in particular the role of the conscious will to act, we must admit that we do not need it. Consciousness actually exists, it is produced by the activity of neurons, but in itself it has no “neuroscience proves freedom illusion; we particular role. Because everything we do in our existence is either determined by environmental constraints. or determined by neural activities that always precede our conscious will to act. We. as a conscious being, be thinking, we lead a life parallel to our brain; This conscious life depends on the brain but with a delay. We are still in jet lag in relation to our brain functioning, whatever we do!

“Too long. we didn’t believe these patients who have experienced imminent death experiences”

Does that mean that we could actually work without our conscience?

Well yes! Some patients who make epilepsy attacks, for example in terms of temporal lobe, are devoid of short -term memory. In other words, they cannot record information; They are therefore not aware of what they do for a certain period. If the mechanisms of the emergence of consciousness are the only ones to “neuroscience proves freedom illusion; we dysfunction during this period. the patient will be able to act almost normally. But retrospectively if he is asked about what he did. he does not remember it because he was not aware when he did. There is even the case of this epileptic doctor. who had been able, in crisis, to conduct consultations and make a diagnosis – correct – of pneumonia of the base of the lung in a patient, while being unconscious. Stunning! And there are many cases of this type!