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The Brain is Like a Tree and
Consciousness is a Another Matter

There is great importance to sourcing information from reputable sources. It is easy to make up anything. I could say that Planet X will fall from the sky next Sunday. Never mind science. But a scientist would quickly say that all the planets in the solar system would be perturbed long before the planet made its appearance. It is easy to say that the end of the world is coming, but despite many protections over the centuries it has not occurred. By turning to science we can have some solid evidence to base our ideas.

For example, brain science has added another dimension to philosophy. While not answering questions such as the nature of conscious it has given us insight to perception, and certain brain processes. The brain seems to be interface between the outer world and ourselves. What I mean by ourselves here, is this thing some people call the "soul" experiences the flow of time and events in our life. Since the brain is matter, that is made from atoms, and chemicals at a higher level, the atoms and chemicals have no consciousness.at the top of the tree, different from others and leading the way so very high.

Top of the Tree

At the top of the brain there is our true self that governs what we do. Within the branches of the brain there are departments which attend to various function. Some of these functions propose what to do next moment to moment. If there is a conflict between departments, then it must be resolved. The resolution is carried out by a function at a higher level.

Thus there are hierarchies within the brain. Some brain cells are at higher positions than others. There are about 100 billion synapses within the brain that connect brain cells together. A brain cell or neuron fires when enough pulses enter

the neuron though dendrites. The neuron "counts" how many pulses enter from the dendrites and how fast the pulses occur. Thus a busy input will allow a neuron to fire quicker. The effect is like that voting takes place in the brain. The more inputs and the quicker they occur produces a voting effect. Thus something that is important will trigger more brain cells.

Top of the Tree

One might ask how we know these things when the human brain is so delicate and fragile. Historically giant squids were studied as they had larger brain cells and associative tissue. The large size afforded the probing of the electrical and chemical properties of neuro tissue of giant squids. The larger neurons allowed the probing and chemical and analysis using the equipment available at the time. The connecting nerves and synapses are also much larger than their human equivalents. The scientific discovery of the workings of brain tissue that would not be obtained otherwise.

If enough of the right brain cells are triggered, an emotion may be generated. There are different emotions at different levels of the brain. As the base of the brain, base emotions can be generated. One prominent emotion of this type is fear. Fear is generated at the base of the brain.

This should not be confused with supporting functions such as breathing, sleeping and blood circulation functions. In general the more primitive parts of the brain are carried out at lower levels. As the brain evolved it added layers. The top layers are located in the frontal cortex behind the forehead.

In the middle level of the brain, we find maxillary functions in the behavior of mammals. The instincts such as sex and child care reside in this region. This area is the middle of the tree where there are the most branches.

There are also higher emotions such as joy and the pleasure we get from doing good things for others. These feelings and the associative logic occur near the top of the tree. At the top of the tree there are fewer branches but more power. The departments near the top of the brain, have the power to make compromises and resolve conflicts at lower levels.

The ground is solid and keeps the tree from falling. Yet it is primitive. The upper levels of the tree must allow outlets for the lower levels. Thus instincts of sex, fighting, eating and sleep must be given due credence. If we feel like fighting, the upper levels must make decisions. If its a physical fight pending, can we talk our way out of it, or run fast enough to avoid pain.

Top of the Tree

As we perceive though our senses, we dream of reality. It is not any ordinary dream. We share this dream with others which is a big difference from what we ordinarily call a dream. As we see earth and water, we can also understand the correlation between the what we see and what we feel. The water feels wet and cool. The mud feels sticky and dry ground feels solid. We can hear our splashes in the water, and smell the aromas of the forest.

Out senses work in concert in our dream of reality. There is cause and effect. If we leave our coat in the car, it is still there (most likely) the next day. There is a consistency about the reality dream. The reality dream interfaces with the hierarchy of the brain. We not only feel reality, but we can think about what we think and do. One of the major problem within brain science is consciousness. This mechanism is how we feel reality, and though it is basic to all levels of investigation, little is known about how it works. I find the best understanding of consciousness is through Buddhism. In Buddhism there are different sects. But the idea of self is more clearly defined in the more modern sects that include contemporary ideas such as science. The idea that the world exists and we observe the world instead of being part of the world seems to make more sense to me.