The Mystery of Consciousness

What to know

The Mind, the Self, and the Brain Consciousness is the very prerequisite for our ability to experience the world, think, feel, and know that we exist. Yet it remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in both neuroscience and philosophy. For what is consciousness? How does it arise? And how can a piece of biological tissue give rise to a sense of self? Psychologist and Associate Professor of Neuroscience Kristian Sandbergfrom Aarhus University and a Ph. D. in philosophy Morten Grønborg This afternoon, they will grapple with these questions from their respective perspectives. Together, they will explore what modern brain research can actually tell us about consciousness, and how philosophy challenges our notions of the mind, the self, and reality It is a conversation about the inner life of human beings, about the boundary between the measurable and the experienced, and about why consciousness remains a mystery—even in an age when we can map the brain in unprecedented detail.