George+Final+Week

Neuroscience is the interesting intersection in studies between psychology and biology. What makes it interesting is that we have been able to determine so much about the mind through these two different approaches. Through psychology we have been able to understand how the mind works as a whole, while through biology we have been able to map out specific areas in the brain and are able to determine their functions. Neuroscience has changed drastically in the past 40 years because of new technological breakthroughs. Before the EEG most of neuroscience was based on logic and observations. It relied heavily on finding people who either had terrible accidents, like Broca's patient or Phineas Gage, or people with genetic disorders, such as William's syndrome. Neuroscientists such as Oliver Sacks relied on people with strange disorders in order to piece together what their disorder meant. Through this method neuroscientists were able to see a brief glimpse of the inner workings of the brain. As technology has advanced in the past 40 or so years with MRIs EEGs and PET scans, more and more of the mysteries of the mind are uncovered every day. As our technology gets better and better, more and more of the brain will be revealed to us. This is not always necessarily a good thing and brings forth a big moral dilemma. If we had a complete understanding of how the brain worked and were able to interpret specific brain activity with conscious or unconscious thought, the mind would no longer be private. If humans were no longer able to have privacy of their own thoughts, then they lose one of the most valuable pieces of their humanity. Even though possible advancements in neuroscience can be misused, it does not mean that no good can come from it. With the advancement of neuroscience and a more complete understanding of the mind, psychologists and physicians will have more effective means of treating, preventing and assisting mental and physical problems.