Is the brain necessary for consciousness?

These people don't have no brains, they have a smaller brain. Humans have existed with much smaller brains before, including the Hobbits of Flores Island in Indonesia. We still need a brain for consciousness.

Wellwisher's idea that the water is doing the thinking is complete lunacy.

 

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...or do we just need a brain to be aware of consciousness? (Conscious of consciousness)

 

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My cat seems conscious.

 

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No, the brain is necessary to create this illusion.

 

Yes. All the people you list have brains.

 

There are plenty of brainless devices that can analyze / recognize specific input from their environment and respond purposefully to it. "That's not the ___ I told you to ___ , you stupid car."

 

I'd say 'yes', a brain or some system functionally equivalent to a brain.

If true, that's a fascinating anomaly that neuroscientists need to look at much more closely. What I'd be interested in knowing is the neural density of the brain tissue. Does this person possess a reasonably normal neural network in terms of its complexity, except that was forced to develop under pressure and hence occupies a smaller space?

Smaller brain cells with about 1/10 their normal mass could account for that. Of course, if they just "calculated" the mass of the tissue based on its volume presumably, as opposed to actually weighing it, they don't really know that it isn't more massive than normal brain tissue per unit volume.

I agree that it needs to be further investigated. I'm guessing that they can't really do that with any means besides non-invasive brain-scans, until these individuals die and hopefully leave their bodies to science. What really needs to happen is a detailed histological examination of the brain tissue through a microscope.

We don't really know that these individuals are practically brainless, that still remains to be determined. What we do know through non-invasive imaging is that the brain tissue in these individuals occupies a much smaller volume than the brains of normal individuals. I'm willing to bet that there is a dramatic histological difference between the brain tissue in the small number of reasonably normal-behaving individuals and the majority with severe cognitive defects. I'm predicting that a reasonably complete brain still exists in these individuals, except that it's been dramatically distorted during development.

Yes, but I'm skeptical about whether it really happens. I've witnessed a number of deaths and never observed it. If it does happen, I'd be willing to bet that there's enough brain function left to support the lucidity.

 

The mind is a function of the brain. Consciousness is also a function of the brain. _Sci-Forums U.

 

I hear the train a comin', it's rolling 'round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when
I'm stuck in Woo Woo prison, and time keeps draggin' on
But that train keeps a rollin' on down to San Antone

Apologies to Johnny Cash

https://genius-com.cdn.ampproject.o...us.com/Johnny-cash-folsom-prison-blues-lyrics

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I agree with the following as well as some similar Posts.

Read-Only Post 3

Captain Kremmen Post 4

Balerion Post 6

BTW: Note the following
Kittamaru

The above is only true in the sense that we only use a small portion at any given small time interval.

See my Post 18

From Bee w/Straw Post 23

Yes & your cat has a brain.

 

If not a function of your brain, where do you expect it to be?

Perhaps in your big toe or floating somewhere external to your body?​

 

If not a function of your brain, where do you expect it to be?

Perhaps in your big toe or floating somewhere external to your body?​

 

Sorry about the double Post.

 

One of the reasons I (an atheist) do not believe in some here-after existence is due to the the loss of function (death) of my brain.

 

My guess is the elusive soul

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It must be conscious, else how could it elude detection so successfully?

 

Is being non existent a clue?

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yes

 

The plastic bottles of water I was trying to drink went lunatic on me

I'm thinking it didn't want me to drink it

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It seems that a soul can fill a cavity where the brain should be , but the soul can be use to a physical brain in which to manifest . Therefore when the brain is damaged , this damage distorts the mind .

Interesting