Consciousness, Brain and God
Routledge eBooks January 12, 2018 DOI: 10.4324/9781315181936-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that consciousness is a multifaceted concept requiring careful distinction, and examines changing assumptions about mind-brain relations. The chapter considers Francis Crick's critique of religion grounded in consciousness science and explores theological views of God as a mind or centre of consciousness, along with immortality and disembodied consciousness. It notes growing scientific interest in how consciousness arises in the brain and why it evolved. |
Abstract
This chapter considers what is meant by consciousness, distinguishing the various things that are meant by the term and looking at changing assumptions about the relationship between mind and brain. It examines the critique of religion mounted by Francis Crick on the basis of the scientific study of consciousness. The chapter concerns the theological insight that God can be understood in some sense as a mind, rather like a human mind, or as a centre of consciousness. It focuses on immortality, which raises the possibility of a survival of some kind of disembodied consciousness. Brain scientists have become intensely interested in how consciousness arises within the physical structure of the brain. Within evolutionary thinking, attention is being given to how and why consciousness evolved. Consciousness is one of the most distinctive things about human beings, and is currently the focus of an extraordinary amount of multi-disciplinary interest.