Question: What Is the Biological Basis of Consciousness?

Iain Moal answered on 20 Jun 2010:

Wow, what a question!

There is much mystery surrounding consciousness, but the most likely answer to your question is that consciousness arises from the properties of ‘neural networks’. These are vast networks of interconnected brain cells, which perform computations by exchaning electrical signals. Now, exactly how consciousness arises from the brain is still not understood. The architecture of the brain is very important, and undergoes many changes in the last three months before birth. There is a long way to go before we can truely understand the origin of consciousness.

Right now, there is a project called ‘the blue brain project’, in which scientists are trying to simulate a brain in a computer. It may not work, but perhaps they could end up with a consciouss computer. That is a staggering prospect, and could raise many moral and philosophical questions.