14.5 Consciousness
591
of coding of the brain is contained within our DNA. Even the general structure of
language (coded in the Broca area) is on our DNA, such as the subject, verb, and
object elements of a simple thought made into a sentence. Much of this information
is in the programming of the neurons, i.e. how they are initially connected. But we
are endowed with a cerebral cortex capable of storing life experience, stories, and
principles, and of creating new ideas through the analysis of what we have learned. 13
By being able to logically think about our condition and environment, we survive
better. Curiosity comes from the advantage learning gives us.
14.5 Consciousness
Humans and other animals with adaptive brains are aware of themselves and their
environment in a form called consciousness. It is clear that our conscious brain
activity is only a small part of our total brain activity. The human brain is set
up to perform automated tasks, to subliminally analyze deferred problems and
anxieties, and to process a large amount of input data, without conscious thought.
Some fraction of this processing is done by primitive and pre-programmed neural
networks. Some of these networks are responsible for the activity of our bodily
functions, communicating with organs through the parasympathetic nervous system.
The basic structure of the autonomous networks are largely genetically coded.
Others subconscious networks contain learned programs, such as the melodies
of songs. Chewing, walking, and even singing, once initiated, require little higherlevel computation. Rather, a programmed sequence of neural firings is initiated in
the cerebellum, and then normally left to ‘run’ on its own. Pattern recognition and
some more sophisticated analyses are done in designated areas of the cerebrum, but
also largely subconsciously. 14
However, when analysis of urgent new information from sensors is required, or a
problem has been set up but not yet solved, 15 then each of these inputs and programs
are allowed to alert the conscious network. They are weighed according to whether
they urgently require attention. Those with the highest weight are sent to our
conscious network, and we become aware of them. 16 Thus, ‘consciousness’ is the
activity of a particular network within the brain that makes decisions on new actions
13 It is humbling to realize that the human genome information plus the information in our brain can
be transmitted over a visible light beam in about 10 s, and that all of human knowledge transmits
in about 20 min.
14 For example, our ability to recognize human faces of particular individuals we know is done
subconsciously. In fact, each distinctive feature of a face triggers a particular cell in the neuronal
complex called the fusiform-face area in the ventral visual processing stream of the temporal lobe.
15 Pointers to pending programs are stored in an ‘anxiety’ center within the subconscious network.
These anxiety-center problems vie for conscious attention.
16 The ‘ah ha’ moment is the time when the subconscious network devoted to solving a problem
has succeeded, and then informed the conscious network. People who cannot describe how they
591
of coding of the brain is contained within our DNA. Even the general structure of
language (coded in the Broca area) is on our DNA, such as the subject, verb, and
object elements of a simple thought made into a sentence. Much of this information
is in the programming of the neurons, i.e. how they are initially connected. But we
are endowed with a cerebral cortex capable of storing life experience, stories, and
principles, and of creating new ideas through the analysis of what we have learned. 13
By being able to logically think about our condition and environment, we survive
better. Curiosity comes from the advantage learning gives us.
14.5 Consciousness
Humans and other animals with adaptive brains are aware of themselves and their
environment in a form called consciousness. It is clear that our conscious brain
activity is only a small part of our total brain activity. The human brain is set
up to perform automated tasks, to subliminally analyze deferred problems and
anxieties, and to process a large amount of input data, without conscious thought.
Some fraction of this processing is done by primitive and pre-programmed neural
networks. Some of these networks are responsible for the activity of our bodily
functions, communicating with organs through the parasympathetic nervous system.
The basic structure of the autonomous networks are largely genetically coded.
Others subconscious networks contain learned programs, such as the melodies
of songs. Chewing, walking, and even singing, once initiated, require little higherlevel computation. Rather, a programmed sequence of neural firings is initiated in
the cerebellum, and then normally left to ‘run’ on its own. Pattern recognition and
some more sophisticated analyses are done in designated areas of the cerebrum, but
also largely subconsciously. 14
However, when analysis of urgent new information from sensors is required, or a
problem has been set up but not yet solved, 15 then each of these inputs and programs
are allowed to alert the conscious network. They are weighed according to whether
they urgently require attention. Those with the highest weight are sent to our
conscious network, and we become aware of them. 16 Thus, ‘consciousness’ is the
activity of a particular network within the brain that makes decisions on new actions
13 It is humbling to realize that the human genome information plus the information in our brain can
be transmitted over a visible light beam in about 10 s, and that all of human knowledge transmits
in about 20 min.
14 For example, our ability to recognize human faces of particular individuals we know is done
subconsciously. In fact, each distinctive feature of a face triggers a particular cell in the neuronal
complex called the fusiform-face area in the ventral visual processing stream of the temporal lobe.
15 Pointers to pending programs are stored in an ‘anxiety’ center within the subconscious network.
These anxiety-center problems vie for conscious attention.
16 The ‘ah ha’ moment is the time when the subconscious network devoted to solving a problem
has succeeded, and then informed the conscious network. People who cannot describe how they