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(1/3) Abstract concepts like the mind and consciousness were once seen as distinct from the physical brain. However, Greenfield seeks to understand how these ideas are connected to brain structure. The mind is viewed as the result of adaptive, plastic connections between neurons, reflecting the brain’s ability to rewire itself in response to experiences. This ongoing adaptation personalises the brain, shaping an individual's unique mental landscape. Consciousness, on the other hand, is seen as more fleeting, emerging from large-scale neural assemblies that form and dissolve rapidly. This distinction can be understood as the difference between neural plasticity and neural assemblies. Plasticity refers to long-lasting changes in the brain’s wiring, meaning the mind is shaped by experiences over time. In contrast, neural assemblies, which are associated with consciousness, are transient, coordinating brain activity on a larger scale but only for short periods.
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(2/3) Neurochemicals like dopamine may play a key role in facilitating the coordination of these large-scale assemblies, helping the brain adapt and respond to its environment. Consciousness, then, may have an evolutionary function: to enable adaptation to environmental changes. In species like humans, which have more complex neural assemblies, this could explain deeper levels of consciousness and a higher degree of adaptability. Although distinct, the mind and consciousness appear to be deeply interrelated. The mind, shaped by long-term neural changes, is personalised by experience, while consciousness allows the brain to respond rapidly to its surroundings through the transient coordination of neural assemblies.
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(3/3) Within this framework Greenfield asks where does identity fit in? Mind and consciousness are both closely tied to brain function, but identity—our sense of self—might it emerge from the interaction of the two? Is identity a by product of the mind, shaped by long-term plasticity, or is it tied to the moment-to-moment awareness provided by consciousness? Or could it be something more, a combination of both processes? /cryptosapiens 🧠
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