The callosotomized consciousness

Jens Theisen, modified 4 Years ago at 9/15/19 4:33 AM
Created 4 Years ago at 9/15/19 4:30 AM

The callosotomized consciousness

Posts: 23 Join Date: 9/12/19 Recent Posts
Most people have likely heard about the callosotomy, where the main connection of the two brain halves are severed.

The amazing thing is that they appear to have a "split consciousness": Images presented only in a way that reaches only the hemisphere that doesn't have tha language center (which is highly lateralized in most people), can not be verbalized, but still "recognized".

People who have been shown a picture of Hitler "only to the right hemisphere" (the details are more complicated) could "give a thumbs down" with their left hand but not the right hand, and also couldn't say the name because the language is lateralized in the wrong hemisphere.

Bizarre, right? How can you be split this way, when you are really one person? I feels counter-intuitive.

I never understood this until I got to know ideas about consciousness from meditation and Buddhism, now it feels much more plausible:

All our thoughts and sensation simply arise in consciousness. There is no "self" as an atomic, separate thing, apart from simply the collection of all those things that appear, so the paradox is seen through when looked at "Buddhistically".

I think that's an awesome realization, and probably helps with understand how these people "must feel like".

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