Until recently, most neuroscientists did not regard consciousness as a suitable topic for scientific investigation. This reluctance was based on certain philosophical mistakes, primarily the mistake of supposing that the subjectivity of consciousness made it beyond the reach of an objective science. Once we see that consciousness is a biological phenomenon like any other, then it can be investigated neurobiologically. Consciousness is entirely caused by neurobiological processes and is realized in brain structures. The essential trait of consciousness that we need to explain is unified qualitative subjectivity. Consciousness thus differs from other biological phenomena in that it has a subjective or first-person ontology, but this subjective ontology does not prevent us from having an epistemically objective science of consciousness. We need to overcome the philosophical tradition that treats the mental and the physical as two distinct metaphysical realms. Two common approaches to consciousness are those that adopt the building block model, according to which any conscious field is made of its various parts, and the unified field model, according to which we should try to explain the unified character of subjective states of consciousness. These two approaches are discussed and reasons are given for preferring the unified field theory to the building block model. Some relevant research on consciousness involves the subjects of blindsight, the split-brain experiments, binocular rivalry, and gestalt switching.
Hadi hivi karibuni, wanasayansi wengi wa neva hawakuona fahamu kuwa jambo linalofaa kuchunguzwa kisayansi. Hatua hiyo ya kutokubaliana ilitokana na makosa fulani ya kifalsafa, hasa ile ya kudhani kwamba hali ya kipekee ya ufahamu ilifanya iwe nje ya uwezo wa sayansi ya kimakusudi. Mara tu tunapoona kwamba ufahamu ni jambo la kibiolojia kama jingine lolote, basi unaweza kuchunguzwa kwa neurobiolojia. Ujuzi husababishwa kabisa na michakato ya neurobiolojia na hutambuliwa katika miundo ya ubongo. Sifa muhimu ya ufahamu ambayo tunahitaji kueleza ni umoja wa ubora subjectivity. Ujuzi ni tofauti na matukio mengine ya kibiolojia katika kwamba ina ontolojia ya mtu binafsi au ya mtu wa kwanza, lakini ontolojia hii ya mtu binafsi haituzuia kuwa na sayansi ya epistemically ya dhamira. Tunahitaji kushinda utamaduni wa kifalsafa ambao unashughulikia akili na mwili kama ulimwengu mbili tofauti za kimetaphysical. Njia mbili za kawaida za ufahamu ni zile zinazopitisha mfano wa block ya ujenzi, kulingana na ambayo uwanja wowote wa ufahamu umefanywa na sehemu zake mbalimbali, na mfano wa uwanja wa umoja, kulingana na ambayo tunapaswa kujaribu kuelezea tabia ya umoja wa hali ya ufahamu. Mbinu hizi mbili ni kujadiliwa na sababu ni kutolewa kwa kupendelea umoja uwanja nadharia ya muundo block mfano. Baadhi ya utafiti unaohusiana na ufahamu unahusisha masomo ya upofu, majaribio ya ubongo uliogawanyika, ushindani wa binocular, na kubadilisha gestalt.