Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

What I enjoyed most about this week’s topic is the deviation from the conventional definition of “art” as an external manifestation. Unlike the previous weeks, the intersection of neuroscience + art focus more on art as a state of being.

In Mark Cohen’s lecture, he describes how the human mind is quick to adapt to a world created by inverting goggles. What is most incredible however, is the ability for people to adjust immediately after taking them off, and again immediately adapt when they put the goggles back on after long periods of time.  While he jests about the government requiring chaperones to make sure the subjects wouldn’t hurt themselves, more extensive experiments could definitely be ethically questionable. However, I think Cohen’s experiment just scratches the surface of what the human mind is capable of and further research would definitely be valuable to medicine and human progress as a whole.

More on Inverting Goggles by BBC

Many psychologists mentioned in this week’s lecture focus on consciousness. Jung is one such psychologist, emphasizing the importance of the collective unconscious, stating that the archetypes establishing the underlying psyche are responsible for dictating human behavior. I believe Jung’s analysis to be outdated in that while a person’s actions can be categorized, these partitions have minimal practical use. However, I believe his positive approach to consciousness is still relevant. Creativity as a byproduct of the unconscious is undeniable, and I think exploring the depths of this creativity would be fascinating to both artists and scientists.

Elaboration on Jung's archetypes (building blocks of collective unconscious)

Research psychologist Lobsang Rapgay applies his spiritual background in Buddhism to patients with anxiety, finding that attentiveness can be improved with meditation. In his work, the art form of medication has been used as a medication for the mind. Furthermore, I think that Rapgay has bridged two cultures through his solution: the Western culture which focuses on perception, and the Eastern culture which emphasizes relaxation. I think it would benefit science to deviate from the medical trends of the past century: doctors should explore treatments from different cultures, treatments that may not necessarily depend on hard science.

Research Psychologist Lapsang Rapgay

Lin, Judy. "Neuroscientist Helps Pave Way for Dalai Lama's Visit." Neuroscientist Helps Pave Way for Dalai Lama's Visit. 24 Feb. 2011. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/lopsang-rapgay-192875>.  

  

Chen, Alex. "Research Psychologist Lobsang Rapgay Applies His Experience as Former Buddhist Monk to His Work in Cognitive Science." Daily Bruin. 3 May 2011. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://dailybruin.com/2011/05/03/research_psychologist_lobsang_rapgay_applies_his_experience_as_former_buddhist_monk_to_his_work_in_c/>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience Pt. 2." YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2012. Web. 18 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=285&v=TFv4owX3MZo>.  

 Jung, C. G. Modern Man in Search of a Soul. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1933. Print.

"Carl Jung - Collective Unconscious." Carl Jung - Collective Unconscious. Web. 18 May 2015.