Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Reply to comment

biophile's picture

The I Box as a physical structure?

Can we really think of the I Box as a physical structure? I mean, it certainly depends on the interactions between different neural pathways... But does that mean that this "I Box" is a set of neural connections itself? Personally, I didn't envision the I box as a particular set of nerves, or even as a box in a box controlling other boxes like some gene inhibitor does on a cellular level. Rather, perhaps the I box is a property of the neural pathways of the brain. I don't think that a person's individuality or soul can ever be pointed out in a CAT scan; it just might be a complex form of organization of senses and memory and self that comes about as a result of many simpler interactions among the different parts of the brain. I don't think that the self can ever be reduced to the mere physical structures of the brain, as there are so many interactions and so many factors that complicate the system. It may be impossible to ever boil it down. So, that's the bottom line of my post I guess: the self (I-box) may not be a mere collection of physical structures; it might be an emergent property of those structures.

Reply

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
10 + 1 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.