The Machine

If memory serves me, the death blow to the doctrine of the immortal soul in the history of philosophy was dealt by English philosopher Gilbert Ryle(1900-1976). Reacting to the mind-body dualism prevalent in Western thought since Descartes(1596-1650), he argued against the presence of "the ghost in the machine" in an age of science. All well and good, a necessary piece of intellectual housekeeping.

In effect, the wonder of Internet allows one an easy access to pictures of the two famous men and, by golly, they even look alike. Or at least share the same twinkly-eyed smile.

To return, I never really paid much attention to Ryle during my studies. The whole notion of an immortal 'mind' struck me as something of a false, even an er... Anglophone problem. It is quite obvious in French that someone can have 'a beautiful soul' i.e. 'être une belle âme'. The soul in effect refers to the individual's relationship wih matters intellectual and moral, how one deals with er... oneself.

In Ryle's defense, he did direct a philosophical journal called "Mind" for a number of years so there is hope for him yet. And if one wanted to say that Socrates was an interesting soul and Aristotle an immortal, I might even agree.

The really overlooked element in this debate is the machine. Again thanks to the wonders of the Internet, one has access to all kinds of interesting information about the brain that philosophy has perhaps neglected. One still teaches Husserl, I am sure, an absolutely tortuous exercise in attempting to capture the true contents of consciousness and nothing to smile about. Let's take the day off.

The British Broadcasting Corporation has an elaborate interactive brain map that pin-points where in the brain various activities happen. Consciousness shows activity in the frontal part of the brain while the command to sleep is linked to the production of melatonin in the occipital part of the brain. I often read in bed at night, and the pillow has to be placed just so in the back of my neck. Now that I know about it, I can vouch that it is true: there is activity and heat in the back of my head as I prepare to fall asleep and on days when I am tired, the back of my head feels prevalent.

The amygdala governs feelings of sadness and depression. The key to feeling good involves turning off activity in this central spot and activating the frontal area - sitting froward in one's mental chair - as it were. That too is an experience I know well.


The temporal lobe, above the ears, is the location for hearing in the cerebrum (outer grey matter) but is also a site for memory formation... an exam headache, for one. Vision is in the back of the head, and if I concentrate as I look out the window, indeed I am 'looking from far'.
I have a hunch that there may be a whole new form of mental exploration ahead. And the implications for healing body and mind are tremendous.


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!