Week 7 Blog Assignment

In this week’s unit, we discussed neuroscience and art. The topic of neuroscience and consciousness and the separation of the mind and body is one that is very fascinating to artists. 

One important point from this week’s discussion was the idea of consciousness. Consciousness itself is defined as the state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings. It is amazing to think that there was a time in which people did not understand enough about the body to know where their own thoughts, feelings, and emotions originated. The philosopher, Aristotle, believed these things to be the responsibility of the heart. This was corrected as technological advancements allowed us to learn more about the brain. Studies of the brain have shown evidence that its structure is partly responsible for certain characteristics of our personalities. Certain areas of our brain control different aspects of our body and behavior.

Greek Philosopher Aristotle

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/world/europe/greece-aristotle-tomb.html

Another point of discussion this week was dreams. We forget most of our dreams although they can at times be very vivid experiences. We know so little about what it means to dream. After studying this week's material, I have come to the conclusion that dreams are the expression of our subconscious mind. When we sleep we are in a relaxed state in which our conscious thoughts are minimized and therefore our subconscious thoughts, feelings, or emotions, can invoke what we experience as dreams.

This topic is important when it comes to art because it deals with the source of our creativity. The brain is the source of our creativity. The way that we think and behave as determined by our mind is what ultimately determines what we can physically produce. There have been entire movements in the world of art dedicated to the idea of dreams. It is fascinating to think about our consciousness and where our thoughts and ideas come from.

Brain

https://slate.com/technology/2016/03/how-big-is-the-brain-who-knows-even-our-best-efforts-to-calculate-its-capacity-are-flawed-and-meaningless.html

References

“Dreams.” Wed MD, 2019, https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/dreaming-overview. Accessed 14 May 2021.

“Dreams: When Your Unconscious Speaks up | Carl Jung.” YouTube, Personal Power, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMY2C-k6nnI. Accessed 2021.

“Greek Archaeologist Says He Has Found Aristotle’s Tomb.” The New York Times, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/world/europe/greece-aristotle-tomb.html. Accessed 2020.

“Greek Archaeologist Says He Has Found Aristotle’s Tomb.” The New York Times, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/world/europe/greece-aristotle-tomb.html. Accessed 2020.

“How Much Can Your Brain Actually Process? Don’t Ask.” Slate, 2016, https://slate.com/technology/2016/03/how-big-is-the-brain-who-knows-even-our-best-efforts-to-calculate-its-capacity-are-flawed-and-meaningless.html. Accessed 2020.