Are the brain and the mind the same thing? Posted on October 3rd, 2011 by

Hopefully over the next two days of listening to various lectures about neuroscience at the 47th Nobel Conference myself and others will be able to answer that question… maybe? The human brain is incredibly complex, just probing the surface of the fascinating subject of neuroscience reveals how we may never know what the human brain is capable of, and, alas, whether the brain and the mind are separate entities or the same thing. Kind of like whether the chicken or the egg came first.. Anyways, that’s one of the best things about the Nobel Conference that I’ve noticed over the last four years at Gustavus: these conferences are meant to get people thinking about possibilities, not just presenting solutions to problems or answers to questions, but inspiring US to do some thinking for ourselves and come to our own conclusions; or not! In one of my English classes this semester we’ve learned that inconclusiveness is something that comes up in literature ALL the time! Even when a story has ended there’s still a possibility that it could keep going. The same is true with the sciences.. even though a lot has been figured out in the last century, and decade for that matter, there is always room to make more discoveries and explore new areas. Which is why I’m sure the Nobel Conference will be a part of the Gustavus tradition as long as we’re around :)

 

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