In the world of neuroscience, consciousness remains one of the biggest mysteries. For decades, multiple theories have tried to decipher how and why we experience a conscious state, but the answers are limited by the complexity of the human brain and the diversity of approaches.
Recently, a team of European scientists decided to join forces to analyze the panorama from a new perspective: They compared and broke down the main theories about consciousnessrevealing similarities and possible points of convergence.
This initiative, published in the magazine Neuronrepresents a bold step toward understanding the human mind.
Convergence Approach: Breaking Down Theories of the Human Mind
This team of researchers comes from universities in several countries, including Germany, Italy and Estonia. The scientists, who They collaborated under the Human Brain Projectfunded by the European Union between 2013 and 2023, have managed to create an approach that allows data and evidence to be crossed between different theories.
At the end of the research, two important articles have emerged from this joint effort, revealing the possibility of merging certain aspects of previously rival theories.
The Human Brain Project has shown that international collaboration and integration of disciplines can accelerate scientific progress. And, in the case of consciousness, This cooperation seeks to overcome the historical tendency to defend isolated theories and compete to be “the” correct theory. This new path could be fundamental to unraveling the deepest aspects of the brain.
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The researchers took five widely recognized theories of consciousness and focused on their shared elements. Surprisingly, they found that many do not contradict each other in their physical observations; rather, they attempt to explain different aspects of conscious phenomena.
This revelation marks an important change: instead of looking for a single “winning” theory, the team believes that a combination of perspectives could offer a more complete view.
The theories analyzed focus on two basic principles: recurrent processing and information integration. Additionally, some share the idea that the posterior cortex and brain microcircuits play key roles in the development of consciousness.
These similarities at different levels of analysis represent a first step to building a broader theory that integrates the different approaches.
Until now, the field of neuroscience, like others, has been plagued by debates and competitions between theories. With this new methodology, it is expected to reduce theoretical conflictsa breakthrough that many see as crucial to progress in this field.
While there is still a long way to go to fully discover the mechanisms of consciousness, this initiative allows scientists to work together instead of facing each other in endless debates.
Furthermore, when more studies based on this approach are developed, unified explanations could emerge that revolutionize our understanding of the mind.
A breakthrough like this could have profound implications. On a practical level, a unified theory of consciousness could serve as a basis for medical applicationssuch as the treatment of mental disorders or the development of technologies in neuroscience.
On the other hand, in the philosophical field, getting closer to understanding how consciousness arises in the brain touches on fundamental issues about human existence and identity.
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Tags: Curiosities
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