Neuroscience vs Advaita Vedanta – The SOURCE of Consciousness

Summary

This script delves into the enduring mystery of consciousness, exploring both neuroscience's quest to understand the brain's role and the philosophical theories attempting to explain it. It contrasts materialist views that attribute consciousness to brain activity with the Advaita Vedanta perspective, which sees consciousness as a fundamental, non-material reality. The script highlights the limitations of scientific methods in capturing the essence of consciousness and suggests self-inquiry as a path to understanding one's true nature.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Neuroscience is exploring the brain's 100 billion neurons to understand how they produce mental functions but has yet to explain the origin of consciousness.
• 🔬 Historically, the understanding of the brain's role in consciousness has evolved from Aristotle's radiator theory to modern sophisticated theories.
• 🤖 The script contrasts the brain's ability to produce mental functions with the unique conscious experiences of a human, which a robot cannot replicate.
• 🌐 Current theories suggest that consciousness arises from a decentralized or distributed network in the brain, rather than a single localized source.
• 🌌 Bernard Baars' Global Workspace Theory posits that consciousness emerges from the interaction of neurons in a global workspace.
• 🏆 Francis Crick and his collaborator proposed that synchronized activity in the claustrum leads to consciousness.
• 📊 Giulio Tononi's Integrated Information Theory suggests that consciousness is a result of highly integrated information in the brain's cortex.
• 🔍 Michael Gazzaniga's Attention Schema Theory explains consciousness as a simplified model created by the brain's attention to neuronal interactions.
• 🏵 Robert Penrose, a physicist, believes in quantum effects within microtubules as the source of consciousness, differing from conventional physical laws.
• 🧘‍♂️ Advaita Vedanta, an ancient Indian philosophy, considers consciousness as a fundamental, non-material reality, contrasting with the materialist theories of neuroscience.
• 🔍 Vedanta emphasizes the role of the observer or the conscious self, which is distinct from the brain's neural activity, in experiencing thoughts and emotions.
• 🌌 The script highlights the 'hard problem of consciousness' identified by David Chalmers, which questions why physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experiences.
• 💡 It concludes that while scientific and philosophical theories have limitations, Advaita Vedanta offers a method of self-inquiry based on one's own conscious experience to understand the true nature of consciousness.

Q & A

How has the understanding of the brain's role in consciousness evolved over time?

Initially, ancient thinkers like Aristotle viewed the brain as a cooling system for blood. Later, Descartes proposed the pineal gland as a link between the physical and immaterial realms. By the 19th century, the impact of brain injuries on mental faculties was recognized, and today, neuroscience explores the intricate networks of neurons responsible for cognitive functions.

What is the current state of neuroscientific research on consciousness?

Neuroscience has made significant strides, with technologies like EEG, fMRI, and PET scans providing detailed insights into neural activity. However, despite these advances, a comprehensive explanation of how the brain produces consciousness remains elusive.

What is the Global Workspace Theory proposed by Bernard Baars?

The Global Workspace Theory suggests that consciousness emerges from the interaction of neurons within a decentralized network that functions like a screen projecting various images and ideas.

How did Francis Crick's later research contribute to the study of consciousness?

Francis Crick, known for discovering the structure of DNA, later theorized with a researcher that consciousness arises from the synchronization of neurons in the claustrum, a part of the brain.

What is the Integrated Information Theory by Giulio Tononi?

Integrated Information Theory posits that consciousness is a result of highly integrated information within the brain's cerebral cortex.

What does the Attention Schema Theory by Michael Gazzaniga propose about the nature of consciousness?

The Attention Schema Theory suggests that consciousness is a simplified model or representation created by filtering the interactions of neurons throughout the brain by the faculty of attention.

What is the unique perspective of Robert Penrose on consciousness?

Robert Penrose, a Nobel laureate in physics, believes that consciousness is the result of quantum effects occurring in microtubules within cells, and cannot be explained by ordinary physical and mathematical laws.

How does Advaita Vedanta view the relationship between the brain and consciousness?

Advaita Vedanta considers consciousness as a fundamental, non-material reality. It posits that while the brain produces mental activities, the awareness or consciousness by which these activities are known is the observer or the true self (atma), which is the presence of the fundamental reality, brahman.

What is the concept of 'brahman' in Advaita Vedanta?

Brahman in Advaita Vedanta is described as the infinite, intelligent fabric of existence, which is the fundamental reality that gives rise to both the physical universe and consciousness.

How does the method of self-inquiry in Advaita Vedanta differ from scientific methods?

Self-inquiry in Advaita Vedanta is based on introspection and one's own conscious experience, rather than external observation or speculation. It aims to discover the true nature of consciousness from within, unlike scientific methods that rely on observable phenomena.

What is the 'hard problem of consciousness' as described by David Chalmers?

The 'hard problem of consciousness' refers to the challenge of explaining why and how physical processing in the brain gives rise to subjective experiences, which is considered an insurmountable obstacle for neuroscientists using conventional scientific methods.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 The Quest for Consciousness in Neuroscience

This paragraph delves into the ongoing quest of neuroscience to unravel the mysteries of the human brain. It highlights the intricate network of neurons responsible for our cognitive abilities and emphasizes that consciousness is more than just the sum of our biological parts. The script also touches on the historical perspectives of brain function, from Aristotle's view of the brain as a radiator to Descartes' concept of the pineal gland as a link between the physical and immaterial. It outlines the advancements in brain imaging and the challenges faced in understanding how the brain produces consciousness, which remains elusive despite sophisticated theories.

05:08

🤖 The Divergence of Consciousness and Machine

The second paragraph contrasts the concept of consciousness with the capabilities of a hypothetical human-like robot. It posits that while a robot can analyze the chemical composition of a mango, it cannot experience the sweetness or aroma as a human does. The paragraph explores various theories proposed by neuroscientists to explain the emergence of consciousness, including the Global Workspace Theory, the synchronization of neurons in the claustrum, Integrated Information Theory, the Attention Schema Theory, and the quantum effects within microtubules. It acknowledges the speculative nature of these theories and their difficulty in verification.

10:15

🌐 The Materialist View vs. Vedantic Understanding

This paragraph examines the materialist or physicalist perspective that attributes the origin of consciousness to the brain and its neurons. It contrasts this with the spiritual teachings of Advaita Vedanta, which posits consciousness as a fundamental, non-material reality. The script discusses the historical development of neuroscience and its limitations in addressing the 'hard problem of consciousness,' and how Vedanta offers a different approach by focusing on the observer of mental activities. It also touches on the challenges that modern physicalist theories pose to spiritual teachings about the true self.

15:21

🕉️ Advaita Vedanta's Perspective on Consciousness

The fourth paragraph provides an in-depth look at the Advaita Vedanta view of consciousness as the observer and the fundamental reality known as brahman. It explains how brahman is the underlying reality that gives rise to both the physical universe and consciousness. The script distinguishes between the scientific study of the brain's neural networks and the Vedantic exploration of the conscious self, which is the aware subject behind all mental activities. It also introduces the concept of atma, the true self that is the presence of consciousness within each individual.

20:26

🔍 The Limitations of Scientific Inquiry in Understanding Consciousness

This paragraph discusses the inherent limitations of scientific methods in studying consciousness. It explains that consciousness is a private experience and cannot be observed or measured with scientific instruments. The script introduces the concept of 'neural correlates of consciousness' as the focus of neuroscience and acknowledges the problem of subjective experience that cannot be accessed by external observers. It also presents the idea of panpsychism as an alternative view, suggesting that consciousness might be a fundamental aspect of the universe, alongside matter and energy.

25:34

💭 Philosophical Theories and the Hard Problem of Consciousness

The final paragraph explores various philosophical approaches to the 'hard problem of consciousness,' including idealism, neutral monism, and panpsychism. It discusses the challenges these theories face in providing a satisfactory solution and contrasts them with the teachings of Advaita Vedanta. The script concludes by emphasizing the unique value of Vedanta's self-inquiry method, which is based on personal conscious experience rather than external observation or speculation.

Keywords

💡Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system, which includes the brain, its structure, and function. In the context of the video, neuroscience is central to understanding how the brain, with its intricate network of neurons, facilitates our sensory and cognitive abilities. The script discusses how neuroscience has advanced in mapping brain regions and studying neural activity, yet it acknowledges the limitations of the field in explaining consciousness.

💡Consciousness

Consciousness refers to the quality or state of awareness, or the ability to experience thoughts, emotions, and sensory perceptions. The video script explores the concept of consciousness extensively, questioning how the brain produces it and discussing various theories that attempt to explain its origin. It distinguishes between the neural correlates of consciousness, which can be studied scientifically, and the subjective experience of consciousness, which cannot.

💡Neurons

Neurons are the fundamental units of the nervous system, responsible for transmitting information through electrical and chemical signals. The script mentions that the human brain is composed of about 100 billion neurons and discusses how these neurons are interconnected and communicate to produce mental functions. However, it also highlights that neurons alone do not fully account for the phenomenon of consciousness.

💡Global Workspace Theory

The Global Workspace Theory, as mentioned in the script, is a theory of consciousness proposed by Bernard Baars. It suggests that consciousness emerges from the interaction of neurons within a decentralized network, likened to a 'global workspace' where various mental processes are integrated and made available to other cognitive processes. This theory is one of the many attempts to explain the origin of consciousness.

💡Integrated Information Theory

Integrated Information Theory (IIT), developed by Giulio Tononi, is a mathematical framework for understanding consciousness. According to the script, IIT posits that consciousness arises from the integration of information within the brain. It suggests that the level of consciousness is related to the complexity and integration of informational processes within the neural networks.

💡Advaita Vedanta

Advaita Vedanta is a non-dualistic system of Indian philosophy that asserts the non-difference of the individual self (Atman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman). The video script contrasts the teachings of Advaita Vedanta with modern neuroscience and physicalist theories, emphasizing that Vedanta considers consciousness to be a fundamental, non-material reality that is not produced by the brain but is the observer of mental activities.

💡Atman

Atman, in the context of Advaita Vedanta, is the true self or the essence of an individual, which is identical to Brahman, the ultimate reality. The script explains that Atman, as consciousness, is the observer or witness of all mental activities, and it is through self-inquiry in Vedanta that one can discover the true nature of Atman.

💡Brahman

Brahman, in the script, is described as the infinite, intelligent fabric of existence in Advaita Vedanta. It is the fundamental reality that underlies all existence, including matter, energy, and consciousness. The script contrasts the concept of Brahman with the materialistic view of reality held by neuroscience.

💡Quantum Gravity

Quantum Gravity is a theoretical framework that attempts to reconcile the principles of quantum mechanics with those of general relativity. The script refers to the ideas of Robert Penrose, who suggests that consciousness may be a result of quantum effects occurring within microtubules in cells, thus introducing the concept of quantum gravity into the discussion of consciousness.

💡Self-Inquiry

Self-Inquiry is a method taught by Advaita Vedanta to discover the true nature of one's consciousness. The script explains that self-inquiry involves introspection rather than external observation, as it seeks to understand the subjective experience of consciousness. It is presented as a way to transcend the limitations of scientific methods in understanding consciousness.

💡Panpsychism

Panpsychism is a philosophical view that proposes that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous property of the universe, akin to matter and energy. The script mentions panpsychism as an alternative to physicalism, suggesting that it considers consciousness as an inherent aspect of all matter, which is a different approach from the non-dualistic perspective of Advaita Vedanta.

Highlights

Neuroscience has made significant progress in understanding the brain's 100 billion neurons and their role in mental faculties like sight, speech, and memory.

Despite advances, the exact mechanism of how the brain produces consciousness remains a mystery to modern science.

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle believed the brain functioned as a radiator to cool the blood.

Rene Descartes theorized the pineal gland as the link between the physical body and the immaterial soul.

19th-century doctors and phrenologists observed the impact of brain injuries on personality and mental faculties.

Modern neuroscience uses techniques like EEG, fMRI, and PET scans to study neural activity and brain functions.

Consciousness is more fundamental than mental functions, as it allows for subjective experiences like tasting or smelling.

The Global Workspace Theory by Bernard Bars suggests a decentralized network of neurons where consciousness emerges from their interaction.

Francis Crick and his collaborator proposed that synchronized neuronal activity in the claustrum gives rise to consciousness.

Giulio Tononi's Integrated Information Theory posits that consciousness arises from the integration of information in the brain's cortex.

Michael Gaziano's Attention Schema Theory links consciousness to the brain's faculty of attention creating a representation of mental activities.

Robert Penrose suggests quantum effects in microtubules as the basis for consciousness, differing from conventional physical laws.

Advaita Vedanta considers consciousness as a non-material fundamental reality, contrasting with materialist neuroscience theories.

Brahman in Advaita Vedanta is described as the infinite, intelligent fabric of existence, underlying all reality including consciousness.

Atma, or the true self in Advaita Vedanta, represents the presence of Brahman's consciousness within individuals.

Advaita Vedanta's self-inquiry method offers a way to discover the true nature of consciousness beyond scientific limitations.

David Chalmers' concept of 'the hard problem of consciousness' highlights the difficulty of observing consciousness through physical means.

Chalmers proposes panpsychism, considering consciousness as a fundamental reality alongside matter and energy.

Advaita Vedanta differs from panpsychism by asserting one fundamental reality, brahman, of which matter and consciousness are manifestations.

The video discusses various philosophical approaches to consciousness, emphasizing the limitations of scientific methods in this domain.

Transcripts

For several decades now, neuroscience  has been probing deeper and deeper into  

the human brain to understand its mysteries.  Today, researchers are discovering how huge,  

intricate networks of brain cells called neurons  are responsible for your ability to see, hear,  

speak, and remember. Eventually, they will  discover exactly how your brain can produce  

all the functions of your mind. But the fact is, you are more than  

your brain and its neurons. You're more  than the sum of your biological parts,  

all the cells, tissues, and organs that make  up your body. You are a conscious being who  

is aware of yourself and of the world  around you. Because of consciousness,  

you can experience the sweetness of a mango or  the fragrance of a rose. Because of consciousness,  

you have a rich inner life with an amazing  range of emotions. Because of consciousness,  

you can even observe or witness all the activities  of your mind, including your emotions. So,  

in addition to producing mental faculties, how  does your brain produce consciousness itself?  

Well, in recent times, neuroscientists  have developed a number of sophisticated  

theories that attempt to explain this. We'll  review some of their theories shortly. So far,  

none of them has successfully explained how  your brain produces consciousness, and such an  

explanation seems unlikely in the near future. In ancient times, no one considered our brains to  

be somehow involved in activities like thinking  and feeling. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle,  

thought that our brains were radiators that cooled  the blood circulating through our bodies. In the  

17th century, the French philosopher, Rene  Descartes, thought that the pineal gland,  

which is located deep inside the brain, was the  crucial link that connected our machine-like  

material bodies to our immaterial conscious  souls. By the 19th century, doctors who treated  

patients with brain injuries understood quite well  that such injuries could dramatically affect a  

person's personality, emotions, and other mental  faculties. Around the same time, practitioners  

of phrenology or craniology made wild claims  that our mental traits could be identified by  

the size and location of bumps on our heads. Since those times, neuroscience has made huge  

strides in understanding the brain and its 100  billion neurons. Particular regions of the brain  

involved in sight, speech, memory, balance,  and so on are being methodically explored  

and mapped out in great detail. Brain tissue is  microscopically studied to see how neurons are  

interconnected with each other. The electrical  signals that neurons use to communicate are  

measured, either by directly probing the brain,  or indirectly, using EEG instruments and magnetic  

stimulation. More recently, functional MRI  and PET scans are being used to create highly  

defined images of neural activity throughout the  brain. In the future, new technologies might make  

it possible to measure the neural activity  in your brain accurately that your innermost  

thoughts and feelings can be decoded. On the other hand, detecting thoughts and emotions  

in your brain is not the same as detecting  consciousness. Your brain and its neurons generate  

crucial mental functions like wakefulness,  alertness, and attention, but consciousness  

itself is even more fundamental. How is that so? Consider this. Suppose a  

human-like robot has sophisticated sensors in  its nose and tongue that can perform detailed  

chemical analysis of anything placed in its mouth.  The robot could identify each of the specific  

chemicals responsible for the taste and smell of  a ripe mango, but the robot wouldn't experience  

the sweetness and aroma of a mango like you would.  That kind of conscious experience can take place  

in your brain, but not in the electronic  brain of a robot. So, in the next section,  

we'll explore how conscious experience, like the  sweetness of a mango, can arise in your brain.  

Will scientific research ever locate a particular  network of neurons in the brain that are  

responsible for consciousness itself? Decades  ago, some researchers considered this idea,  

but ongoing studies have completely ruled out  the notion that consciousness arises from a  

single, localized source in the brain. All current  theories suggest that the source of consciousness  

is decentralized or distributed. Those theories  are highly speculative and extremely difficult  

to verify. They're also quite complicated,  at least for me. Yet, it's really important  

to understand their basic ideas, so let me give  you a quick overview of the main theories.  

Bernard Bars describes the origin of consciousness  in the brain through his Global Workspace Theory.  

By global workspace, he means a decentralized  network of neurons that functions like a screen,  

a screen onto which various images and ideas  are projected. According to Bars, consciousness  

emerges from the interaction of  neurons in that global workspace.  

Francis Crick received a Nobel Prize for  discovering the structure of DNA. Later  

in his career, he collaborated with a researcher  who considers consciousness to be a fundamental  

property of complex neural networks. Together,  they theorized that, in a part of the brain known  

as the claustrum, neurons become synchronized  with each other, and their synchronous  

activity gives rise to consciousness. Giulio Tononi developed a mathematical model  

of consciousness called Integrated  Information Theory. He claims that  

consciousness is nothing but highly integrated  information. According to Tononi, the enormous  

integration of information in the brain's powerful  cerebral cortex gives rise to consciousness.  

According to the Attention Schema Theory of  Michael Gaziano, when the interactions of neurons  

throughout the brain are filtered by the faculty  of attention, a simplified model or representation  

is created. For Gaziano, that representation  or schema is responsible for consciousness.  

Finally, Robert Penrose is a Nobel Laureat  in physics who believes that consciousness  

cannot be explained through ordinary  physical and mathematical laws. So,  

he postulates the existence of quantum gravity,  and concludes that consciousness is the result of  

quantum effects which are thought to occur  in the microtubules found inside cells.  

Ok, that's enough. As I said, all these theories  are highly speculative, and none of them are even  

close to being verified. Yet, they are taken quite  seriously by many neuroscientists. Other theories  

have been proposed by Western philosophers.  Some of them suggest that consciousness is an  

epiphenomenon or side effect, a side effect of  human evolution. When vertebrates evolved into  

human beings with huge brains, consciousness  might have naturally emerged, perhaps by one of  

the neuroscience theories we've just seen.  Other philosophers, like Daniel Dennet,  

try to minimize the significance or  role of consciousness. They claim that,  

feeling like a conscious being who enjoys the  sweetness of a mango is simply an illusion.  

What you wrongly consider to be subjective,  conscious experience is actually produced by  

your brain like all other mental activities. If you don't completely understand all these  

theories, that's perfectly ok. I don't either.  Among scientists and academics, each of these  

theories has many supporters, and probably just as  many critics. But for us, what's important is that  

all these theories share a crucial feature. They  all attribute the origin of consciousness to the  

brain and its neurons. Such theories are called  materialist or physicalist. They're physicalist  

because they accept the existence of matter and  energy alone, but they reject the existence of any  

kind of non-material, non-physical reality. In Advaita Vedanta, consciousness is a  

non-material, non-physical fundamental  reality. Fortunately, you don't have to  

be a neuroscientist or philosopher to understand  it properly, as we'll see in the next section.  

The rishis of ancient India and the great  Vedantic scholars who followed never even  

imagined that consciousness could be produced  by the human brain. So it's no surprise that  

their teachings never directly addressed  any physicalist theories like those of  

modern neuroscientists and philosophers. But in  today's world, scientific advances have given  

those physicalist theories a lot of traction, a  lot of credibility. As a result, those theories  

can threaten the very foundation of spiritual  teachings that say, your true self, atma,  

is pure consciousness, the light of awareness  that reveals or illumines all the activities  

of your mind. Since this teaching is directly  contradicted by current physicalist theories,  

they should not be ignored or taken lightly. Long ago, teachers of Advaita Vedanta directly  

addressed the opposing views of other schools of  thought, like the dualism accepted by the Sankhyas  

and the nihilism accepted by Buddhists. But  today, the biggest challenge to Vedanta comes,  

not from these ancient schools of thought, but  from modern physicalist theories for the origin of  

consciousness. Fortunately, Vedanta's teachings  are so complete and thorough that they can  

effectively respond to these new challenges. From the perspective of Advaita Vedanta, the basic  

shortcoming of neuroscience is that it's limited  to describing how billions of neurons in your  

brain interact with each other to produce your  thoughts, emotions, and other mental activities.  

Vedanta, on the other hand, goes a step further,  a huge step further, by showing how your thoughts  

and emotions are known to you, how they're  observed by you, how they're witnessed by you.  

That means, in addition to the mental activities  produced by neurons in your brain, there's another  

factor involved. And that factor is you, the  conscious being, the awareful subject who observes  

every mental object produced by your brain. So  we can say that neuroscience describes the brain,  

its neurons, and the mental objects they produce,  whereas Vedanta describes the very consciousness  

by which those mental objects are known. And,  that consciousness is your essential nature,  

because basically, you are a conscious being. In Advaita Vedanta, consciousness is a fundamental  

reality. Whereas science considers matter  and energy alone to be fundamental,  

the rishis of ancient India considered matter and  energy to merely be forms or manifestations of an  

underlying reality that's even more fundamental.  They called that underlying reality brahman and  

described it as satyam jnanam anantam. Satyam means the underlying reality because  

of which everything exists, the so-called fabric  of existence. But brahman is much more than that.  

It's is also jnanam, intelligence, knowledge,  consciousness. Brahman is responsible for the  

intelligent, natural order that governs the  cosmos, a universal order that includes all  

the laws of nature like gravity, momentum,  and so on. Brahman is also responsible for  

the presence of consciousness throughout the  world, including its presence in your own brain,  

as we will discuss shortly. Finally, brahman  is anantam, limitless, boundaryless. Since the  

universe is vast, its source must be more  than vast. Its source must be infinite. So  

in simple English, brahman can be called the  infinite, intelligent fabric of existence.  

Brahman gives existence, not only to the  physical universe, but to you and me as well,  

to our bodies and minds. Brahman is also the  source of our consciousness, and the consciousness  

of all sentient beings. Brahman's presence within  us as consciousness is called atma, the true self.  

And in highly intelligent beings like you and  me, that consciousness becomes manifest as the  

observer or awareful witness of the thoughts  and emotions produced by our brains.  

That consciousness is present in your  experience right now as you watch this video,  

which is a conscious experience. But even though  you already know that you're a conscious being,  

you might not know that your consciousness  is actually the presence of brahman,  

the fundamental reality, the fabric of  existence. Fortunately, you can discover the true  

nature of your consciousness through the powerful  method of self-inquiry that's taught by Advaita  

Vedanta. That method has been discussed in many of  my other videos, so we won't dwell on it here.  

Even though Vedantic self-inquiry can lead to the  discovery the true nature of consciousness, it  

turns out that conventional scientific methods can  never lead to that same discovery. Why not? Well,  

science is based on observation, the observation  of worldly objects and phenomena, like looking at  

the stars with a telescope. But consciousness  can never be found by looking through the  

lens of a telescope or with any other kind of  scientific instrument. It can be found only by  

reversing the direction of your inquiry. Rather  than looking for consciousness in the world,  

you have to look within yourself. You have to  use introspection, not scientific instruments,  

because consciousness belongs to the observer,  not to objects being observed. Let me explain.  

When thoughts and emotions are produced by your  brain, your experience of them is said to be  

private. That means, those experiences are only  available or accessible to you, to you alone.  

No one else can feel what you're feeling right  now. Neuroscientists can study your brain, and one  

day, they might be able to accurately detect your  thoughts and emotions. But they will never be able  

to observe your personal, private experience.  They will never know how it feels to be you.  

Even if they can explain how your brain produces  feelings of sadness and perceptions of color,  

they can never know what sadness feels like  to you or what a particular shade of green  

looks like to you. Neuroscience can't observe  your private conscious experience, nor can it  

detect or measure consciousness itself. For this  reason, neuroscience, on its own, cannot discover  

or explain the origin of consciousness. Of course, most neuroscientists are really smart,  

so it's not surprising that at least  some of them acknowledge this problem.  

They admit that they can't directly observe  or study consciousness itself. They accept  

the fact that their research is limited to  the brain's intricate neural networks and the  

mental activities produced by those networks.  Neuroscientists call those mental activities,  

the neural corelates of consciousness. It is  those neural corelates of consciousness that  

they actually study, not consciousness itself. Some researchers who understand the limitations  

of neuroscience try to escape those  limitations to better understand the  

nature of consciousness. We'll discuss their  ideas in the final part of this presentation.  

"The hard problem of consciousness" is  an expression coined by a philosopher  

named David Chalmers. He uses it to describe  the apparently insurmountable obstacles that  

prevent neuroscientists from directly observing  or studying consciousness. Much like in Advaita  

Vedanta, Chalmers differentiates the objective  existence of thoughts and emotions from your  

subjective, conscious experience of them.  He says, "Why should physical processing  

(in your brain) give rise to a rich inner life  at all? It seems unreasonable that it should,  

and yet it does. If any problem qualifies as THE  problem of consciousness, it is this one."  

Having recognized this problem, Chalmers himself  proposes an alternative to the physicalist world  

view, the view that accepts only matter and  energy as being fundamental. Chalmers says that  

consciousness is another fundamental reality  that exists in addition to matter and energy.  

According to this theory, consciousness is a  natural feature or property of the universe,  

along with matter and energy. This theory is  called panpsychism and it's been around for a  

long time. Yet, Chalmers uses it very skillfully  to explain how consciousness might simply be a  

natural property of brain matter that enables it  to produce subjective, conscious experience.  

But, many knowledgeable critics argue that  panpsychism is merely a philosophical concept,  

and not a legitimate scientific theory. They  reject it because it can't experimentally tested  

by scientific methods. As we discussed  before, consciousness itself can't be  

scientifically detected or measured. Panpsychism resembles Advaita Vedanta in  

some ways, but in fact, the two are quite  different. How? Panpsychism is a kind of  

dualism. It accepts two fundamental realities,  the physical reality of matter and energy and the  

non-physical reality of consciousness. Advaita  Vedanta, on the other hand, is a non-dualistic  

teaching. It accepts only one fundamental reality,  brahman. In Advaita Vedanta, matter and energy are  

considered to be simply forms or manifestations  of brahman, and not independent realities.  

In addition to David Chalmers, other modern  philosophers have used a variety of strategies,  

trying to address the hard problem of  consciousness. Some of them have resorted  

to idealism, an ancient philosophy that's  still studied today. Idealism accepts only  

consciousness as a fundamental reality, and  it rejects the reality of matter and energy.  

Other philosophers theorize a single fundamental  reality that's responsible, both for physical  

world of matter and energy, as well as the  non-physical world of consciousness. This theory  

is known as neutral monism. Like panpsychism,  idealism and neutral monism have some similarities  

with Advaita Vedanta, but they also have many  glaring differences. Further, they're not widely  

accepted and have no completely satisfactory  solution to the hard problem of consciousness.  

Ok. This has been a very intense and challenging  discussion. If you're still watching this video,  

you should be congratulated for your patience and  dedication. I actually avoided making this video  

for several years because I was intimidated by  the complexity of the theories we discussed here.  

But after a lot of study, it became clear to me  that none of the theories can really threaten the  

validity of Advaita Vedanta. Why? Because the  scientific and philosophical methods they use  

all suffer from their own limitations. On the  other hand, Advaita Vedanta is free from those  

limitations because it's neither a science nor a  philosophy. It s a powerful method of self-inquiry  

that can lead you to discover your true nature.  And that inquiry is not based on scientific  

observation or philosophical speculation. It's  based on your own conscious experience,