2. The human brain

This chapter surveys the brain as a vast network of interconnected regions that together enable perception, learning, memory, reasoning, language, and consciousness. It emphasizes that these functions arise not from a central processor but from millions of criss-crossing connections. The text contrasts this distributed architecture with the apparent unity of human consciousness, arguing that a successful science of consciousness must explain its contents, continuity, and the self. It discusses research linking consciousness to brain function and examines conditions such as synaesthesia, blindsight, stroke damage, and amnesia, illustrating how disruptions in neural networks affect experience and cognition.

Study at a glance

Abstract

‘The human brain’ considers the brain as a vast network of connections from which come our extraordinary abilities: perception, learning, memory, reasoning, language, and somehow or another—consciousness. Different areas deal with vision, hearing, speech, body image, motor control, and forward planning. They are all linked, but this is not done through one central processor, but by millions of criss-crossing connections. By contrast, human consciousness seems to be unified. A successful science of consciousness must therefore explain the contents of consciousness, the continuity of consciousness, and the self who is conscious. Research linking consciousness to brain function is discussed along with conditions such as synaesthesia, blindsight, stroke damage, and amnesia.