Neuroscience in Art

This week's topic of neuroscience is one that offers limitless boundaries.  As Frazzetto and Anker mentioned, this field of study dives into an area that appeals to the curiosity of much of society.  It is a study that deals with the identity of the individual which includes consciousness, and emotions.  I thought that this weeks topic was extremely interesting simply because although knowledge of the brain has grown exponentially over the course of history, questions about its functionality continue to arise.



One topic that was heavily talked about this week has to do with consciousness.  Carl Jung, in his work titled The Spiritual Problem of the Modern Man states that consciousness is a virtue that allows individuals that are spiritually invested in it to enjoy a lifestyle superior to those who are not.  He goes on to say that although staying conscious is important, being unconscious can lead to creativity.  Carl  believes that the modern man who is heavily aware of the present is far from average stating that he sits on a mountain nearly touching heaven.  This idea of consciousness vs unconsciousness shows how the brain functions and presents the idea that it can be trained to function more efficiently.




An additional but similar area of neuroscience is present in Sigmund Freud's studies of dreams.  In On Dreams, Freud talks about how dreams are sort of an alternate language that mind speaks in.  He talks about how, although brains have relative content, the content and importance is shifted.  This work is closely related to Jung's work on conscious.  Freud draws parallels between one's consciousness and the content of their dreams.  As one can see in the works of Freud and Jung, neuroscience is a broad topic that will most likely never cease.





Works:

Bell, Vaughan. Anesthesia May Leave Patients Consciousness. Digital image. Discover. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/01/04/surgical-anesthetics-may-leave-patients-conscious-and-show-more-precisely-what-consciousness-is/#.VzjWDZErLIU>.

Bouma, Ryan. What Is Neuroscience. Digital image. McGill. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016. <https://www.mcgill.ca/neuroscience/neuroscience>.

Freud, Sigmund. On Dreams. New York: Norton, 1952. Print.

Jung, Carl. "The Spiritual Problem of the Modern Man." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016. <file:///C:/Users/Brian/Downloads/50653831-C-G-Jung-The-Spiritual-Problem-of-Modern-Man-1928.pdf>.

Jung, Carl. "The Spiritual Problem of the Modern Man." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016. <file:///C:/Users/Brian/Downloads/50653831-C-G-Jung-The-Spiritual-Problem-of-Modern-Man-1928.pdf>.

"Neuroculture." Perspectives. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016. <file:///C:/Users/Brian/Downloads/Neuroculture.pdf>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience + Art." Desma 9. 15 May 2016. Lecture.

"Vienna and Art Design." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/vienna/sexuality/sigmund-freud.html>.