Abstract
This contribution to the science of consciousness aims at comparing how two different theories can explain the emergence of different qualia experiences, meta-awareness, meta-cognition, the placebo effect, out-of-body experiences, cognitive therapy and meditation-induced brain changes, etc. The first theory postulated that qualia experiences derive from specific neural patterns, the second one, that qualia experiences derive from the interaction of a proto-consciousness with the brain’s neural activity. From this comparison it will be possible to judge which one seems to better explain the different qualia experiences and to offer a more promising research agenda.
Highlights
Consciousness, mind, the whole psyche, and soul have been one of the most relevant and puzzling problems since the origin of philosophy and psychology
It is important to point out that both theories have in common the fact that every Q experience is correlated to a specific and unique neural signature, elicited by the spatial–temporal patterns of brain activity which can be recorded with tradi‐ tional means, for example, fMRI, EEG, MEG
3 Is it possible to detect non-Q PC effects? 4 Which is the origin and nature of PC? Regardless of what the PC is made of, it must exert a physical action on the brain, both for the realization of Qs based on the monitoring of cognitive activities like mind-wandering, metaawareness, and by a process of interpretation of their specific neural correlates and for the Qs that involve a modification of brain activity
Summary
Consciousness, mind, the whole psyche, and soul have been one of the most relevant and puzzling problems since the origin of philosophy and psychology. It is important to point out that both theories have in common the fact that every Q experience is correlated to a specific and unique neural signature, elicited by the spatial–temporal patterns of brain activity which can be recorded with tradi‐ tional means, for example, fMRI, EEG, MEG.
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