Nicholas Humphrey. Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness (2011)

'Consciousness seems otherworldly, but is created by the brain, probably to monitor brain responses. It evolved as it gives life meaning and enjoyment and so encourages us to live. We value our pure being, the enchanted external world that our brains create and our essentially private souls.' My notes on the book.

Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness

Nicholas Humphrey (2011)

 

In a paragraph

Consciousness seems otherworldly, but is created by the brain, probably to monitor brain responses.  It evolved as it gives life meaning and enjoyment and so encourages us to live.  We value our pure being, the enchanted external world that our brains create and our essentially private souls.  

Key points

  • Our coming-to each morning is magical. What would a non-conscious Andromedan scientist make of it?  If she is non-conscious, would she even be interested?
  • Seeming impossible is not the same as being impossible. The brain creates something seemingly otherworldly, an ipsundrum. This can be compared with a built Penrose Triangle, a Gregundrum.
  • Consciousness may have evolved from monitoring responses and from feedback loops, sentition.
  • A philosophical zombie is impossible, but instead posit a psychological zombie without conscious circuits.
  • Consciousness makes life more worth living. We enjoy and put value on pure conscious being, on the world and on our souls.
  • Non-humans probably make less of consciousness and probably dwell less on death.
  • We have a will to exist and take pleasure in pure being. I feel therefore I am.
  • We create an enchanted world and sprinkle with magical dust. My Favourite Things. We project phenomenal qualities on to things, so they glow with bright colours and significance and we feel alive in a fascinating world.
  • But all the beauty is created by me. I am the enchanter.
  • Experience is private, which is extraordinary, unique in the world. This essential singularity It arises as it is a monitoring of own brain.  When it comes to consciousness, every man is an island entire of himself. The private core self extends to the whole ego.
  • We live in a soul niche. The magical interiority of the human minds is central to our individual and social worlds.  This comes from our biology plus cultural evolution. Morality does not deny individuality but extrapolates it. We have an instinctive view of our worth.
  • Death is terrible for souls. We attempt to deal with by living for the present, disindividuating, and denying the finality of death

 

Comments 

A thought-provoking and rather beautiful discussion that sees consciousness as having evolved to motivate us by being attractive and meaningful.  Consciousness is seen as a monitoring of reactions, with its otherworldly character a brain-created illusion.  Our brains make the world seem to us as an enchanted place and make us value our private inner worlds. Although the book starts with a suggestion about the nature of consciousness, its larger theme is the value of consciousness.  In style it is literary and passionate rather than thorough and dry, which makes it an enjoyable and worthwhile read.