Consciousness: The Road to Reductionism
By Alan J. McComas
Neuroscientific evidence increasingly shows that consciousness is a remarkable but explainable function of a machinelike brain.
This Article From Issue
March-April 2025
Volume 113, Number 2
Page 96
The cathedrals of Chartres and Notre Dame; particle colliders that sift the building blocks of matter and energy from the chaos of smashed atoms; artificial intelligences that in some respects outperform their creators. All of these marvels were conceived by the human brain, a complex structure weighing a mere 1.5 kilograms. But this remarkable organ also gives us something else that we often take for granted—our sense of self.
QUICK TAKE
- The reductionist view argues that consciousness requires no mystical explanation but rather is a function of the brain, an organic machine that we can understand through research.
- Though we seemingly choose our actions, studies show that neural firing occurs prior to awareness and that activity in the brain’s memory areas precedes our knowledge of self.
- The seat of consciousness may not be the cerebral cortex but rather ancient brain areas that manage memories and concepts—areas humans share with other animals.
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