Page - 133 - in Cyborg Mind - What Brain–Computer and Mind–Cyberspace Interfaces Mean for Cyberneuroethics

Cyberneuroethics • 133 In this context, and even though some scientists view the concept of con- sciousness with scepticism, it has recently become a research subject in psychology and neuroscience where biological, neuronal and psychological aspects of consciousness are investigated. These studies examine conscious- ness by asking people to report on their experiences such as: ‘Did you notice anything when I did that?’ They highlight aspects of subliminal percep- tion, blind-sight, denial of impairment, the effects of psychoactive drugs and spiritual or meditative techniques. Consciousness is further studied in medicine by examining a patient’s response to stimuli according to a scale encompassing full alertness and comprehension to disorientation, delirium, loss of movement and loss of meaningful communication.140 But practical issues arise when considering the consciousness of severely ill, comatose or even anesthetised patients, as well as the manner in which conditions associated with impaired conscious- ness should be treated.141 In this regard, a number of characteristics have been proposed as being necessary for the concept of consciousness to be experienced in a person, namely: – A state of awareness of being awake: a person needs to be aroused, alert or vigilant and needs to be aware that he or she exists. – Experience and attention: a person needs to be able to experience one moment leading to another. – Having a sense of volition supported by a mind: this includes free will, beliefs, fears, hopes, intentions, expectations and desires.142 Neuroscientists have also investigated the perceptions inside the brain of the conscious individual. In this way, Greenfield suggested that an appropriate theory of the way in which physical brains may trigger certain subjective experiences would need to include the following questions: – Can the theory describe how consciousness relates to the body as the boundary of self? In other words, if consciousness is generated in the brain, a credible theory should be able to account for the way in which individuals experience their bodies as the boundaries of themselves. This is important in a far more networked society where the dangers of feeling part of a greater collective, which breaches the limits of a person’s sense of individuality, may exist.143 – Can the theory explain how different neuronal applications, such as drugs, may produce different states of consciousness?144 – How can the theory be verified? As yet, there are no objective ways of assessing the transcendent component of consciousness. Indeed, it is very This open access edition has been made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license thanks to the support of Knowledge Unlatched. Not for resale.