Consciousness has an insignificant impact on our everyday lives. Most of the human behaviors are guided by the unconscious state of the mind. Most of the brain functions operate under the hidden mode as the conscious state does not reveal what is going on inside the brain. However, there are competing beliefs and thoughts of unconsciousness that are fighting for that single outcome of the conscious behavior ( Eagleman, 2012) . When one has an idea, it means that a single reference has been made from a wide range of brain activities. In layman’s language, it is as if there is another person inside everyone that we do not know of. In the end, not only do genetic factors and the external environment but also biological factors of the subconscious state significantly control the life of people.
In the same regard, conscious thoughts should not be used in making decisions and deciding what actions should be taken. If decisions were to be based on conscious states or mind, nothing would be done. This is because it is consciously impossible to act on something such as hitting a ball. The brain makes the critical decision of hitting the brain through the unconscious mind ( Eagleman, 2012) . Unconscious thoughts act as the engine or propeller in decision making. The concept of the conscious idea is that several signals are recognized by the brain and point towards a single direction. However, the brain would need a lot of unconscious thoughts in order to generate a conscious state. After all, the idea of trusting one’s gut is often believed to be effective. This evidently shows that the unconscious mind knows the correct decision before a conscious state does ( Eagleman, 2012) . In the same way, the fact that we are hard-wired to perform certain tasks even without practice further reveals the workings of the unconscious functions of the brain. Therefore, we are born with instincts and automatic behavior that operates in the subconscious mind.
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Eagleman’s Conclusions
Even though human experiences from the interactions with the external environment play a critical role in human life, we cannot ignore the fact that biology is what underpins everything about mankind and his actions. Understanding the beautiful mystery of how the brain works reveal that there is the existence of a soul. The realization that consciousness is just but a small function of the neurological system illustrates that there is another force that acts inside us without even knowing it. while others would want to identify it as a second being, Eagleman refers to it as a soul ( Eagleman, 2012) . As part of his main ideas, the unconsciousness of rain functions is what determines our everyday lives. The conscious state that human can relate to is but a product of the unknown mechanisms of our subconsciousness. In this regard, mental operations occur incognito. According to Eagleman’s findings, science has over the years provided facts that the brain, mind, and concept of life is more interesting and complicated than we thought. “There is a looming chasm between what your brain knows and what your mind is capable of accessing ( Eagleman, 2012) .” How we operate and behave is not due to our conscious abilities and thoughts but due to numerous brain functions that occur underneath and beyond what we see and know about ( Eagleman, 2012) . Still, there is a lot that has not yet being exploited in understanding the unconsciousness of our life. While undermining the concepts of criminal culpability and free will, the main ideas of the conscious and subconscious states of the brain functions reflect the existence of the soul or mind that people are still not aware of. However, whether or not environmental factors influence the subconscious brain functions is yet to be fully determined.
Personal Reflections
“ We believe that we are seeing the world just fine until it is called to our attention that we are not ( Eagleman, 2012). ” This interesting quote perhaps acts as the guideline of understanding whether the mind or soul indeed exists. The world is not how thought it was. Our unconsciousness is what acts and determines human behavior. However, does the human soul really exist? I will not deny that on numerous occasions, I had the urge from within of doing something that later turned out to be right. Yet, how I came to know that the decision was the correct thing was yet to be understood. In other instances, déjà vu creates a feeling of having known what would happen before it happens. For instance, I correctly knew how to prepare a new meal and had the feeling that I had done it before. Even though I had never prepared such as a meal at any prior occasion, it seemed as though I had done it in another dimension. As people try to understand this concept and what transpires in the brain during such events, Eagleman’s ideas and notions make more sense now that it did before. The validity of his findings and conclusion of the human mind and soul align with reality and almost everyone could relate with what is being talked about. In other words, his concepts can be linked to real-life situations in explaining out of world experiences.
On the other hand, some of his statements often appear contradictory and ill-informed in relation to his main idea of the subconscious nature. For instance, “ You are not perceiving what is out there. You are perceiving whatever your brain tells you ( Eagleman, 2012) . ” Even though we pay little attention to our own experiences, one thing that stands out is that the world around us directly influences how the brain processes things. Eagleman points out that our vision is simply where our eyes direct us to and that without realizing it, we live a life based on what the underlying vision wants us to know. However, if this was the case, it would mean that were born with the knowledge and existence of external factors and objects. Sight only awakens the unconscious knowledge and taps its interpretation. Nonetheless, the vision has to be there already in order to alert the brain for it to interpret what the eyes have seen. In the same way, there are many bits of information and processes that go into the brain. This, therefore, means that what is out there has a significant influence in determining what the brain would tell us.
However, I would love to know whether Eagleman’s concepts are based on religious grounds or defy some of the Cristian paradigms. The existence of the soul reflects some of the Christian perceptions about the spirt. However, is the inner being or person a communication channel from God as Christian believe or is it just an operation from the brain?
Reference
Eagleman, D. (2012). Incognito: the secret lives of the brain [2011]. Vintage, New York .
