Me, Myself and I

I believed for some time that while chemical reactions can explain how we gather and process information, the actual "consciousness" ("soul", if you will) exists in another, separate part of the brain.

In his article (click on the title), Dr. Jacob Sage describes this perceived separation of mind and brain as "dualist". As a neurosurgeon, he considers the consciousness equal to the brain: It gathers, processes and stores information. That is all YOU are, and that is all YOU need to be to function as you do.

The concept that humans are nothing more than biological creatures is not novel; but beliefs that humans are more than animals because we think progressively and temper our reflexes with logic, survive to this day. Religion, philosophy and modern individualistic values affirm and reaffirm these concepts. But at the same time, Copernicus finds the geocentric model incorrect; Freud proclaims humans nothing but products of genetics and environments; Nietzsche declares God dead...

A heliocentric solar system does not make people any more or less important than they were before the discovery; Freud's insight does not eliminate free will; the existence (or lack thereof) of a deity should not diminish the value of moral behavior; and having a "conscious brain" does not make minds any less human. If your mind is your brain, your brain is your mind; whatever you call it,"it" is still YOU.