Consciousness & The Brain

Consciousness & The Brain

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Consciousness Has an Integrative Function

Some have argued that consciousness is only a side effect of the brain. But from an evolutionary point of view, adaptations are shaped by intense genetic pressures, and those pressures are causal.
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Every experience is a journey in consciousness. . .

THE PODCAST

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1:31:06
#26 — Smell, Taste, and Consciousness with Dr. Stuart Firestein
Dr. Stuart Firestein on olfaction, memory, emotion, and what smell can tell us about how the brain recognizes the world.
 • Bernard Baars
1:23:34
#23 — Global Workspace Theory (GWT) and Prefrontal Cortex: Recent Developments (Baars et al., 2021)
A wide range of experimental and theoretical studies in the field of consciousness emphasize the complex and rapid interactivity of numerous regions and…
 • Bernard Baars and Nat Geld
36:04
#20 — Neural Traffic Flow in the Conscious Brain with Dr. Jay Giedd
At what point do we cross the threshold from being unconscious to being conscious?
 • Bernard Baars and Nat Geld
25:41
#19 — The Sleeping Brain: Better Than a Cup of Coffee
What differentiates conscious and non-conscious states?
 • Bernard Baars and Nat Geld
1:43:27
#18 — Global Workspace Functions, the Brain and Consciousness: Connectivity, Waking, & Sleep
What can sleep tell us about the conscious mind?
 • Bernard Baars and Nat Geld
1:50:53
#17 — Global Workspace Theory: Exploring Evidence for Widespread Integration & Broadcasting of Conscious Signals - Part Two
This episode examines the history of Global Workspace Theory (GWT), how the theory evolved, and some of the core hypotheses it generates.
 • Bernard Baars and Nat Geld
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Consciousness Has an Integrative Function
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Consciousness & The Brain
Consciousness & The Brain
Consciousness is a fundamental scientific question of life. Together, we will gain a deeper understanding of some of the most definitive evidence in medical science about cortical connectivity and the complexities of the living brain. Welcome!

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Intentions Are Expectations About Ourselves
Goal frames constrain conscious contents, often without becoming conscious contents.
 • Bernard Baars
The Tip-of-the-Tongue State as a Goal Frame
How intentions search for conscious contents
 • Bernard Baars
How Learning Changes Experience
Consciousness, adaptation, and the frames that make the familiar new
 • Bernard Baars
19:26
Build-a-Brain II — The Functional Matrix
Mini-Course #5 🧠 | A more anatomically realistic tour of the neural traffic and specialized divisions of our brain and body | Baars & Geld
 • Bernard Baars
11:35
Build-a-Brain I — A Vertical Tour
Watch now Mini-Course #4 🧠 | 🪞Just like your face, the internal core of your brain is vertically symmetrical. A guided tour of your brain’s…
 • Bernard Baars
19:25
What Is Consciousness? How Science Defines the Undefinable.
Mini-Course #3 🔬: From Galileo's thermometer to EEG brain waves — learn how science tackles concepts it can't yet fully explain & what that means for…
 • Bernard Baars and Nat Geld
History of Brain-Based Devices and Cognitive Robots with Neurorobotics Expert Jeff Krichmar
In this video, Jeff discusses how an overarching theory of the brain—Neural Darwinism—was tested using a series of increasingly complex brain-based…
 • Bernard Baars
What is the difference between waking and deep sleep?
Sleep is an interesting aspect of behavior that may give us a window on the difference between conscious and non-conscious processes in the brain…
 • Bernard Baars
Surprise! Dreams are conscious.
Subjectively falling asleep and waking up refreshed eight hours later is something of an illusion. From "The Developing Brain & Consciousness…
 • Bernard Baars
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“Everything begins with consciousness… and nothing is worth anything except through it.” ~ Camus

Consciousness & The Brain

Consciousness is a fundamental scientific question of life. Together, we will gain a deeper understanding of some of the most definitive evidence in medical science about cortical connectivity and the complexities of the living brain. Welcome!
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