Abstract

The aim of this literature review is to examine how human consciousness relates to the central nervous system. The phenomena of consciousness are diverse and include intentionality, meta-cognition, empathy, and other higher order thought processes. As one shall see, the phenomena of consciousness do not arise from single neural events or specific brain structures, but rather they emerge from a complex interplay within a neural network. The debate about the existence and nature of human consciousness has been underway for centuries with philosophers, such as René Descartes, grappling with the existence of a self. This philosophical background will be summarized below, as it provides an important overview of competing perspectives, namely, dualism, the idea that there is a distinction between mind and body, and epiphenomenalism, the notion that consciousness is a causally inefficacious by-product that is inseparable from the body and the central nervous system, but is entirely inert. This thesis will then argue that, due to limitations with how they address consciousness, neither of these claims seems to capture the essence of the problem and it will provide a philosophical insight to resolve this problem. In addition, some of the current research on the so-called neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) will be described, specifically that of the prefrontal cortex and a mosaic theory called “the Hall of Mirrors.” Finally, in an effort to unite the two fields of study, the philosophical argument regarding the phenomena of consciousness will be recapitulated in light of the results found for neural correlates of consciousness.