Right on! The brain is not a computer used by a spirit. The brain is the user of the body it has grown up in over the lifetime of the organism.

In his book "Looking For Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain," Professor of neurology Antonio Damasio supports the idea that the mind/consciousness/self (all synonyms for the same phenomena) is generated by the brain:

"The mind exists because there is a body to furnish it with contents. On the other hand, the mind ends up performing practical and useful tasks for the body - controlling the execution of automated responses in relation to the correct target; anticipating and planning novel responses; creating all sorts of circumstances and objects that are beneficial to the body's survival. The images that flow in the mind are reflections of the interaction between the organism and the environment, reflections of how the body's adjustments are faring in the unfolding life state."

"Someone might argue that since the brain provides the most immediate substrates of the mind - neural maps - the critical component to consider in the mind-body problem is the body's brain, not the body-proper. What do we gain by considering the mind in the perspective of the body, as opposed to considering the mind in the perspective of just the brain? The answer is that we gain a rationale for the mind that we would not discover if we considered the mind only in the perspective of the brain. The mind exists for the body, is engaged in telling the story of the body's mulifarious events, and uses that story to optimize the life of the organism. ... The brain's body-furnished, body-minded mind is a servant of the whole body."

"Why do we need the neurobiological level of operations that also includes what we call mind and consciousness? ...in the absence of consciousness in the comprehensive sense of the term - a process that includes both the movie-in-the-brain and the sense of self - we know for certain that life cannot be properly managed. Even temporary suspensions of consciousness entail an inefficient management of life. In effect, even the mere suspension of the self-component of consciousness entails a disruption of life management and returns a human being to a state of dependence comparable to that of a toddler. (This occurs in situations such as akinetic mutism.) It is certain that the conscious-mind level is a necessity for survival."

"But what exactly is the indispensable contribution that the conscious-mind level of biology brings to the organism? ...perhaps the sheer complexity of sensory phenomena at the mental level permits easier integration across modalities, e.g., visual with auditory, visual and auditory with tactile, etc. In addition, the mental level also would permit the integration of actual images of every sensory stripe with pertinent images recalled from memory. Moreover, these abundant integrations would prove fertile ground for image manipulation of information that the neural-map level would not permit. It is likely that in order to enable these new functions, the mind level of operations possesses biological specifications in addition to those present at the "current" neural-map level. That does not mean, however, that the mind level of biological operations is based on a different substance, in the Cartesian sense. The complex, highly integrated images of mental process still can be conceived as biological and physical."

"Now we consider what the sense of self brings to the process. The answer is "orientation." The sense of self introduces, within the mental level of processing, the notion that all the current activities represented in brain and mind pertain to a single organism whose auto-preservation needs are the basic cause of most events currently represented. The sense of self orients the mental planning process toward the satisfaction of those needs. That orientation is only possible because feelings are integral to the cluster of operations that constitutes the sense of self, and because feelings are continuously generating, within the mind, a "concern" for the organism. In brief, without mental images, the organism would not be able to perform in timely fashion the large-scale integration of the information critical for survival, not to mention well-being. Moreover, without a sense of self and without feelings that integrate it, such large-scale mental integrations of information would not be oriented to the problems of life, namely, survival and the achievement of well-being."

"For the time being it is not unreasonable to conceive of the mind as emerging from the cooperation of many brain regions. This occurs when the sheer accumulation of details regarding the state of the body that is mapped in those regions reaches a "critical pitch."

Please excuse me as I'm just getting the hang of how posting works. I would have to do some research to support the statements I've put forth. I'm simply stating what I believe based on what I've read about over time. I'm certainly not an expert or authority on any of this. However, I'd love to locate authortative sources for what I've claimed and, if you desire it and are willing to wait, I'm sure I can find such support.

Your last question is an interesting one. It reminds me of the brain-in-the-vat scenario. Since we couldn't communicate directly with such a brain, it would be difficult to know if the self was still functioning properly if disconnected from it's vocal appartus. If we could find some way to communicate with such a brain, we could probably answer this question definitively.

Awesome! I've heard of these individuals, but have never looked closely at their work. Pribram's holonomic model is fascinating and appears to be promising in understanding how memory works. I will add this to my list of ideas to study.

In regards to your initial statement, I would turn it around to say that the body (in the form of brain organization) manifests the sense of self that we seem to experience. I would also shy away from using the word "spirit" and simply use "self" as a term needing no other modifiers. Like spirit, the self is invisible. But unlike spirit, the self is a product of the brain and, as such, will cease to exist when the brain/body dies. Spirit, like the term soul, also carries with it certain religious connotations that are antithetical to a modern scientific understanding of the world.

For consideration: Just as we have no recollection of existence prior to our birth and the development of long-term memory (and similar to our experience of the time between falling asleep and the advent of dreaming), we will have no sense of existence after we die because the brain that generates this sense dies too.

In addition, because the self (a quality) is generated by a physical entity (the brain), the self is subject to alteration by drugs, alcohol, and other physical substances that may be ingested.

The link appeared to address the subject of memory, which I believe provides a source of input to perception in both the waking and dream states of consciousness.

I believe that the brain generates the mind (synonymous with consciousness, awareness, self, or will). The brain interacts with external stimuli through the senses and the internal repository of experience called memory. Memory is the only source of input for dreams since, when the body is sleeping, the eyes are shut and are not receiving direct sensory input from the external environment.

I believe that the brain generates the self or will as a higher cognitive function, comprised of circuits located in the pre-frontal cortex. This higher cognitive function acts as an integrative processing system permitting the brain to "consciously" control the body (non-autonomically) and carry out deliberative behaviors that go beyond mere instinct.

Another set of circuits in the human brain have also evolved the ability to process language, thereby permitting reflection upon and explanation of behavior before, during and after its execution to achieve some purpose (normally aimed at seeking some type of positive gain or pleasure and/or avoiding negative loss or pain).

A sense of self emerges as the higher cognitive function of the brain integrates various other brain circuits or modules (language, memory, sensory input, motor control, etc.).

The more primitive autonomic functions of the body (such as breathing), as well as instinctual behaviors (such as the fight or flight response to sudden light or loud sound) do not require the use of the higher cognitive integrating center of the brain and are controlled by separate circuits.

The self is an emergent-phenomena generated by a variety of evolved brain circuits and neurotransmitters. Your sense of self is generated by the brain as a type of epiphenomenon. The brain does a variety of other things, but the sense of self is a very important one since it is responsible for the creation of human culture (through goal-oriented behavior) and our ability to interact with others in sophisticated ways (through language expressed in verbal, bodily, or written form).

Thank you for the great link! Lots of food for thought!!

I'm a very new newbie and have a question. I apologize if this information is documented elsewhere, but what is the purpose of "quote," i.e., what purpose does it serve and when is it appropriate to use it? Also, is this the best forum for submitting questions or is there a better one (or one at all)? Thx.

I would like to think (as the brain is often fond of doing) that the "mind" is something the brain "generates" while it's either awake or dreaming. The term mind is also synonymous with "consciousness" and mental "awareness," but only when the brain is not in sleep mode (although you could argue that dreaming is another form of consciousness or awareness, differing only in degree of acuity and source of input, i.e., conscious perception has a higher degree of acuity and derives its input from stimuli outside of the body, while dreaming has a lower degree of acuity and receives input from within the body's internal memory tissue). Agree / Disagree?