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Through discussions of neurons and receptors we learned that action potentials are the same throughout the brain, but are interpreted differently in different areas and receptors. This led us to wonder- “how much of reality are we perceptive to? Only that for which we have receptors?”

 In an article in last weeks New Yorker (Two Heads) similar questions were raised. The article was a profile of Patricia and Paul Churchland, philosophy professors who focus on Neuroscience and the “mind-body problem”. The most interesting point in the article was the idea that even if somehow at this time we were to suddenly come across the answer to what the mind is, perhaps we wouldn’t even know what to make of the answer because neuroscience is not far enough along. This leads me to wonder if we ever really can or will be far enough along- what kind of receptors are required in the human brain to understand the deep inner workings of the brain itself? Do we have those receptors- or will evolution perhaps lead to a development of such receptors? Or will an understanding of mind and consciousness remain in another reality that we are not open to- like high pitches heard by dogs and horses- we know it’s there, but we can’t really perceive it.