Pat Churchland in the 1980s wrote a book called Neurophilosophy, which I think is a lovely term. And when you think about the sort of things that philosophers have been concerned about, not least the mind and consciousness, it will make sense. ((Reached The Apex)) Anyone studying the brain should also tackle those big questions. And the philosopher John Searle said, to say that you’re working on the brain, but that you’re not interested in consciousness is a bit like saying you work on the stomach, but you’re not interested in digestion. Really, the very central issues, like individuality, the mind, the level of consciousness are central issues and themes in philosophy, and I’m surprised that sadly they’re very rarely the central themes in neuroscience.

Return to Index