Ordered Minds with Disordered Brains: from Evidence to Insight

A neuropsychiatrist and a biologist present evidence for mental lucidity under neurological challenge. A systems philosopher speculates what it might mean.

In this Study Day we will consider evidence for mental clarity under a range of challenging neurological conditions, and reflect on what it might mean. The mainstream view is that all mental activity is a by-product of brain activity. This view is in tension with empirical evidence that suggests normal or near normal mental functioning can persist even under conditions where neurological integrity is severely compromised.

We will bring together a range of experts to present evidence for the return of mental lucidity to patients with significantly degenerative brain disorders, the continuity of clear awareness despite cardiac arrest (which leads to cessation of all electrical activity in the brain), normal mental capacity despite very abnormal brain development (e.g. severe hydranencephaly), and the persistence of normal mental capacity in persons with degenerative brain disorders. We will reflect on the possibilities this evidence creates for new theories about the nature of consciousness and its potential persistence beyond ordinary life.

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