Post Description

Britain's leading female neuroscientist gives a personal view of what it is about their brains that makes humans think, act and feel the way they do, in a new series. Professor Susan Greenfield, Director of the Royal Institution and Professor of Pharmacology at Oxford University, explores the grand themes emerging from the latest brain research. 'Why do we think the way we do, what makes us who we are? Our hopes, our fears, our thoughts, our dreams are all somehow hidden away inside our heads.' Susan explains why she believes all aspects of human experience will eventually be explained in terms of the physical processes of the brain. 'I'm convinced there isn't a single aspect of our lives that doesn't reside in the sludgy mass of our brain cells.'


The Final Mystery

How do our brains generate consciousness? We take it for granted that the brain makes being alive feel the way it does, but there's no reason why it should. The brain is made of the same biological ingredients as the rest of the body, and yet somehow it manages to generate the indescribable phenomenon of consciousness. Consciousness is far more than just being able to imagine; it's a whole extra dimension.

Professor Greenfield explains why she believes that the existence of a private world of experiences and feelings is actually more extraordinary than the fact that living things evolved at all. She explores how we are finally taking the first steps towards understanding. 

~49 minuten, Engels gesproken, geen ondertiteling.