What Was the Neuronus Student Conference Like?

Regarding recent events, I had the pleasure of attending the 3rd Neuronus student conference. First off, I found the atmosphere much more welcoming than what I remember from seminars at the Faculty of Physics. There, audience questions often feel like critical remarks rather than constructive feedback, creating a somewhat awkward competitive vibe.

In contrast, this conference gathered biologists, biotechnologists, chemists, psychologists, and scientists from various fields. Here, discussions flowed freely without stress, allowing valuable insights to be shared without the worry of sounding uninformed.

What Is Ramachandran’s Philosophy of Qualia?

After these two days, I’ve developed so many scientific interests that I could write about them for months. I’ll start with something that happened just two days before the conference.

While preparing a seminar on eye-tracking methods for reading eye movements, I came across the philosophy of Ramachandran. Notably, he is an American neurobiologist of Indian descent who has made significant contributions to theories of vision and consciousness.

Let’s begin with an age-old issue in consciousness theory—the qualia problem. In brief, qualia refer to properties experienced in isolation from the entities possessing them.

According to Chalmers (1995), this “hard problem” of subjective experience is fundamentally distinct from explaining the brain’s observable functions and behaviors. For instance, we can explain how a bat uses echolocation to perceive its surroundings, including the brain processes involved. However, we still don’t know how the bat subjectively experiences this.

Science can’t describe what it’s like to see something red or feel the effects of alcohol. As someone fascinated by human vision, this topic intrigued me since qualia intersect with theories of visual processing.

How Do Materialists and Dualists Differ on Qualia?

In the philosophical realm of cognition, people generally fall into two camps—those who support and those who oppose qualia. Specifically, supporters argue that the qualia issue remains elusive in vision studies.

There’s a sizable group (often called “mysterians”) who believe this phenomenon isn’t within the scope of scientific study. According to McGinn (1989), this “mysterian” position holds that human cognitive capacities may be permanently closed to grasping the link between mind and brain, not that the link itself is unnatural.

On the other hand, opponents of qualia demand scientific evidence. Instead, they require proof that these experiences can’t be described scientifically—using the language of modern science. They suggest that pointing to brain structures responsible for subjective experiences could address the qualia problem.

What Is Ramachandran’s Own Theory of Qualia?

Ramachandran has a different view. In particular, he proposes that cortical brain structures generate and manage qualia. These experiences are crucial for perception, filling in gaps from sensory input.

According to Ramachandran and Hirstein (1997), qualia function to bind fragmented, incomplete sensory data into a stable, coherent conscious percept. Since the brain often receives incomplete information, leading to fragmented perceptions of reality, qualia help create a coherent picture.

For example, the sensation of seeing red might extend into the retina’s blind spot. This occurs even though there should be no vision there.

Qualia also aid in decision-making and conscious actions. Moreover, their generation is primarily linked to the limbic system—the amygdala and the front of the cingulate gyrus.

However, this theory is still unproven scientifically, and there’s no official research confirming the significance of qualia. Maybe I can contribute to this for my doctorate! Another reason to think the world needs me.

What Was My First Sexology Conference Like?

Back to the conference in Krakow, there were essentially two conferences going on. There, I unexpectedly found a student sexology conference in the next building.

I attended and heard about various phenomena, some familiar to me—like feeders, positive pedophilia, and asphyxiophilia. Indeed, some topics were completely new.

One presentation on the concept of insanity caught my interest. In fact, it reminded me of my consideration four years ago to specialize in psychology.

I was almost leaning towards forensic psychology due to its fascination, much like psychometry. Even now, I find myself more interested in discussing criminal law than dinner plans!

Watching different programs, especially those with legal themes, always surprises me. I am surprised by how small changes in crime conditions can drastically affect sentences. A court expert’s opinion on a perpetrator’s sanity during a crime can lead to a 25-year prison sentence or release.

So, insanity has both psychological and criminal dimensions. Meanwhile, the psychological aspect is complex and, like much of psychology, isn’t straightforward.

The criminal dimension is defined in Article 31 of the Penal Code. Essentially, it states that a person won’t be held responsible for a crime. This is true if they couldn’t recognize the act’s significance or control their behavior due to mental illness, mental retardation, or other mental disturbances.

Mental illness and mental retardation are assessed through psychiatric evaluations. However, the category of “other mental disturbances” is intriguing. It’s a broad category that could include many factors.

Alcohol-induced conditions alone come in four forms, which is quite astonishing. These conditions have exculpatory power, even in cases of murder. Being open about my history of alcoholism, I researched and learned about these concepts.

What Are the Popular Alcohol-Induced Conditions?

1.Delirium Tremens is also known as white fever. It is a state of consciousness disturbance characterized by delusions and hallucinations, triggered by sudden alcohol withdrawal. It lasts up to a week, and seizures can occur, with some cases being fatal.

Typically, symptoms include confusion, hallucinations, and restlessness. Treatment involves psychiatric care with benzodiazepines, like diazepam. It’s the most common alcoholic psychosis, affecting around 5% of addicts within 72 hours of abstaining from alcohol.

2.Alcoholic Amnesia, or Hallucinosis: This acute or chronic mental illness accompanies alcohol addiction. Patients often experience auditory hallucinations, paranoia, and disturbing thoughts. As a result, treatment requires medication.

3.Dipsomania, or Binge Drinking: This cycle involves periods of abstaining from alcohol followed by intense binges. Unfortunately, it’s virtually incurable.

4.Korsakoff’s Disease: This disease impairs recent memory and reasoning. Consequently, patients experience memory gaps filled with fabrications.

Furthermore, it’s often linked to alcohol and other substances. Treatment involves medication and vitamin B supplementation.

It’s also worth noting that these conditions excuse criminal liability only once in a lifetime. Committing an offense under the same influence multiple times is treated like an act by a healthy individual.

*) According to Jellinek’s classification:

1.Alpha Alcoholism: Controlled drinking for relaxation.

2.Beta Alcoholism: Physical changes due to alcohol consumption.

3.Gamma Alcoholism: Physical and mental dependence, personality disorders.

4.Delta Alcoholism: Other forms of alcoholism.

5.Epsilon Alcoholism: Periodic binge drinking, like dipsomania.