Scientists may have finally solved the mystery of consciousness – and the discovery is alarming

Our ancient (and some might say naive) notions of human nature have long held to three tenets. The first is that we are the creators of our own choices and actions. We are not puppets, but responsible free agents, able to chart our own way in the world. The second is that humans are special beings, different from other animals. Third, we assume that, at least most of the time, our perceptions accurately represent the world as it is.

The scientific study of consciousness challenges all three of these beliefs. Accept our free will. No one should be surprised to discover that mothers’ brains change during pregnancy. The idea that our moods and behaviors are caused by hormones has become the new normal. But the idea that our thoughts and actions are a direct result of brain activity can also cause anxiety. If “my brain made me do it”, in what sense am I in control?

Much of Dr. Crick’s research seems to suggest that the brain is a kind of machine, and we simply follow its instructions. One laboratory is creating models of brain circuits for each cell, as if they were made up of a gigantic arrangement of tiny Lego pieces. Another team has constructed a complete map of the fruit fly brain, providing proof of concept that one day we can do the same with our own complex circuits. Crick’s research on Alzheimer’s disease is a solemn reminder that our cognitive abilities depend on a fully healthy and functioning brain, and when our brains malfunction, so do we.

The fact that much of the above research is based on studies of birds, rats, and flies, beyond the need to protect humans from experimental health risks, limits the idea that humans are fundamentally different from other animals. It also suggests that we don’t accept it. Seriously now. We study animal brains because they tell us things about the human brain. But if the distance between humans and other animals is shrinking, does that mean we should value human life less or respect the lives of other creatures more? What does it mean? Either way, the species hierarchy in which we have constructed our moral world is problematic.

Perhaps most disturbing is the idea that we don’t even perceive the world as it really is. We have known for centuries that how the world appears to us is determined by our senses, not by the things themselves. For example, the green color of grass is produced by our visual system. However, recent research has gone further. Our brains don’t just (sometimes literally) color our perceptions, they actually construct them. The brain is not a passive receptor of perception, but rather a “predictive machine” that sees what it should see and hear what it wants to hear.