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Scientists have found that even after surgery to separate the hemispheres of the brain, patients are able to integrate information from both hemispheres.
The question of the origin of human consciousness has always been the subject of lively discussions. Recently, Denyse O'Leary, working on the book "The Human Soul: what neuroscience shows us about the brain, mind, and the difference between them", stated that claims about the "evolution" of human consciousness are not supported by convincing evidence. According to her, human consciousness includes a unique ability for abstract thinking, logic, language use, mathematics, and many other characteristic human actions.
However, biologist P. Z. Myers does not agree with this opinion. He believes that the human mind is a product of the Darwinian "ladder" of evolution. In his opinion, all the changes in human biology were due to random genetic mutations and natural selection.
An interesting point in this discussion concerns studies of patients who have undergone surgery to separate the hemispheres of the brain. This operation, which cuts the corpus colosum connecting the two hemispheres of the brain, is performed in patients with severe seizures. Studies have shown that even after such an operation, patients are able to integrate information from both hemispheres, despite their surgical separation.
Yair Pinto of the University of Amsterdam called this ability to integrate information independently of the brain "a single conscious agent with shared perception." This casts doubt on claims that the human ability to integrate information could have "evolved" through material Darwinian mechanisms.
Thus, the debate about the origin and evolution of human consciousness continues, and it seems that the final word in this discussion has not yet been said.
The question of the origin of human consciousness has always been the subject of lively discussions. Recently, Denyse O'Leary, working on the book "The Human Soul: what neuroscience shows us about the brain, mind, and the difference between them", stated that claims about the "evolution" of human consciousness are not supported by convincing evidence. According to her, human consciousness includes a unique ability for abstract thinking, logic, language use, mathematics, and many other characteristic human actions.
However, biologist P. Z. Myers does not agree with this opinion. He believes that the human mind is a product of the Darwinian "ladder" of evolution. In his opinion, all the changes in human biology were due to random genetic mutations and natural selection.
An interesting point in this discussion concerns studies of patients who have undergone surgery to separate the hemispheres of the brain. This operation, which cuts the corpus colosum connecting the two hemispheres of the brain, is performed in patients with severe seizures. Studies have shown that even after such an operation, patients are able to integrate information from both hemispheres, despite their surgical separation.
Yair Pinto of the University of Amsterdam called this ability to integrate information independently of the brain "a single conscious agent with shared perception." This casts doubt on claims that the human ability to integrate information could have "evolved" through material Darwinian mechanisms.
Thus, the debate about the origin and evolution of human consciousness continues, and it seems that the final word in this discussion has not yet been said.
