We Are All Connected Islands

Most people can locate where they are in their body, tap your forehead / brow just where there's a dip and about 2cms inside is where you are. It's not, but that's where we think we are, it's certainly where I'd put myself like some Numskull living inside this body called Mike Riversdale.

Neuroscientists believe that consciousness, sometimes referred to as qualia, is located in multiple areas of the brain, including the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and claustrum: 

• Cerebral cortex
  The surface of the brain contains sensory, motor, and association areas that are thought to be essential for consciousness. The frontal cortex is involved in detecting new things, while higher-level sensory regions provide ongoing representation.
  [source: Study sheds light on where conscious experience resides in the brain]
• Thalamus
  Located in the middle of the brain, the thalamus is thought to be related to consciousness. The interaction between the thalamus and cortical regions, called the thalamocortical loop, is considered important for consciousness.
  [source: Where Does Consciousness Reside in the Brain? New Discovery Helps Pinpoint Its Location]
• Claustrum
  Located underneath the brain's cortex, the claustrum exchanges signals with much of the cortex. Francis Crick postulated that the claustrum is the seat of consciousness, but researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine believe it acts more like a router that coordinates networks in the cortex
  [source: Brain Area Thought to Impart Consciousness, Behaves Instead Like an Internet Router]

We are all over the brain, we are inside the brain, we are of the brain. It's a great mystery not just what consciousness actually is but also where it's located. In these times of hearing "AI" in every other sentence it's probably key to understand what we mean by consciousness, otherwise it's just the Chinese Room.

We are perfect examples of micro replicating the macro. You can say you know where in your body you are located but you are not a distinct area floating in a void, you are connected and intertwined with the wider society. It flows out, you are your household, you are your street, you are your community, you are the world, it is all connected. It goes both ways of course, the world, community, street, and household are you - without you they are not the same, and may not even exist. 

Except, when we are asked where we are, it's 2cm inside the forehead, living on an island of shifting emotions, ideas, feelings, and desires.

Keen to learn more:

• Never Alone
• Daniel Dennett
• The Astounding Improbable You
• Stories and how they 'are' your life
• Everything Is Absurd!