Environmental Ethics

Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 88

may suffer from "cortards syndrome". In tunnel vision patients see bright beautiful light at the end of tunnel and is convinced that he is dead and does not exist. According to V.S. Ramchandran, Director, Centre for Brain and Cognition, California such out of body experience can be seen if right parital cortex is stimulated while person is conscious and awake. Francis Crick who was a great biologists of 20th century, discovered double helix, genetic code and did intensive research for 10 years on functions of human brain and then published. "The astonishing hypothesis on human consciousness and neuro-psychiatry". He has established neural correlates of consciousness and discarded metaphysical route to understand it, According to him subjective experiences arise from cerebral processes and ESP (Extra Sensory Perception) etc. are all balony. Uri Geller supposed to possess power to bend spoons etc. from a distance was proved wrong. Geller used to say that bended articles would be found in a particular kitchen whereas the fact is that such one or two articles are always there in every kitchen. Miracles claimed by pseudo-saints like materialising articles from air are all slates of hand and can be performed by ordinary magicians, tricksters. The stories of previous life supposed to be remembered and told with precise details of persons and places by some exceptional children were all found concocted mostly with the objective of usurping property of others. In University of Rajasthan, Jaipur (India) the department of "ParaPsychology" functioned for about 10 years in sixties of last century and its head Dr. Banerjee collected evidence on about 1000 cases. On subsequent scrutiny all were found wrong and Dr. Banerjee was expelled disgracefully.
The fact is that consciousness pretended to be function of soul alone can be very well explained as a function of brain. If the 'Soul' is the repository of consciousness then what happens when brain or part of neuro system is made unconscious by anaesthesia. Soul is not supposed to be affected. Most functions and properties attributed to soul can be explained as functions of brain. Proponents of soul attribute
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