Brain, Consciousness Will Be Explained

Tufts Philosopher Says Technology Will Help Scientists Uncover Keys To Brain's Inner Workings

Medford/Somerville, Mass. [01.11.01] -- While the decade of the brain is over -- as former President George Bush once dubbed the 1990s -- scientists have not ended their quests to unlock the secrets of perhaps the most complex component of the human body.

   As technology continues to evolve, Tufts' Daniel Dennett says mankind gets ever closer to understanding the connections between the brain and consciousness.

   "We are quite certain that a naturalistic, mechanistic explanation of consciousness is not just possible. It is fast becoming actual," Dennett tells the Boston Globe.

   The Tufts philosophy professor, reports the Globe, may be the most eminent expert to suggest that the brain will even be fully explained. But he is not alone.

   As researchers prepare to invest millions in neuroscience in the coming years, "Dennett and his allies believe the mystery will yield to decades more of probing the brain, using various methods of brain imaging as well as postmortem research," reports the Globe.