PART II
By Diotima
1. Functional processes of human cognition
The functioning of the human brain cann
ot be understood as a mere aggregation of isolated processes, but as a dynamic integration of multiple levels of activity. Perception, memory, emotion, and decision-making do not operate independently; they form a unified experiential field within which conscious presence in the world emerges.
Perception is not a passive reflection of external reality, but an active interpretive process. The brain predicts, completes, and reconstructs experience in order to generate coherent meaning. Memory, likewise, is not simple storage, but a reconstruction of the past in the present, shaped by emotion, context, and expectation.
Emotion regulates cognition by assigning value and significance to experience. Decision-making is therefore not a purely rational operation, but the outcome of a complex interaction between cognitive and affective factors. The human brain thinks, feels, and decides as an integrated whole.
2. Consciousness as a dynamic process
Contemporary neuroscience and philosophy increasingly reject the view of consciousness as a static entity or a localized brain function. Consciousness is approached as a continuously evolving process—a flow of experience that connects body, brain, and environment.
There is no single “center” of consciousness, but rather networks of neural activity that synchronize and desynchronize, producing experiential unity. Temporality is fundamental: the present is always meaningful in relation to the past and the anticipation of the future. Human consciousness is thus inherently historical.
3. Neural plasticity and personal identity
Neural plasticity stands among the most decisive findings of modern neuroscience. The brain is not a fixed organ, but a system continuously reshaped by experience, learning, and interaction with the world.
This insight carries profound philosophical implications. Personal identity cannot be conceived as an immutable essence, but as a dynamic formation. The self unfolds over time without dissolving into mere fluidity. Continuity of identity resides not in immobility, but in meaningful transformation.
4. The human brain and artificial intelligence
The comparison between the human brain and artificial intelligence reveals limits rather than equivalences. Despite the remarkable capacity of AI to process data and simulate cognitive functions, human cognition cannot be reduced to computation.
AI lacks lived experience, self-awareness, and moral responsibility. It does not understand the meaning of its actions, nor does it bear existential weight. The human brain, by contrast, is inseparable from embodied experience, mortality, and responsibility toward others.
5. Philosophical synthesis: freedom and responsibility
Understanding the brain does not negate freedom; it deepens our grasp of its conditions. The brain does not mechanically determine the subject, but enables action, judgment, and responsibility. Human freedom is not absolute independence, but an embodied and meaningful capacity.
The study of the human brain, therefore, concerns not only biology, but the fundamental question of what it means to be human in a world where artificial intelligence increasingly reshapes the boundaries of knowledge and action.