Mind and Consciousness: phenomenology, neuroscience y psychotherapy

The XXXIII Meeting of the Group of Neurobioethics held a seminar on Friday, December 14, 2012 to address the theme “Mind and Consciousness: phenomenology, neuroscience and psychotherapy” In collaboration with: STOQ (Science Theology and the Ontological Quest), the Regina Apostolorum Faculty of Philosophy and the Regina Apostolorum Department of Bioethics. In his introduction to the seminar, Dr. Alberto Carrara, LC, explained that the theme is based on two texts: the first, entitled “… and Consciousness? Phenomenology, Psycho-pathology, and Neuroscience” by the first two speakers, Professor Angela Ales Bello and Professor Patricia Manganaro; the second text, “Imagination: care and creativity,” by the third speaker, Dr. Alberto Passerini. Video link of seminar

In her presentation entitled “Consciousness between Phenomenology and Sciences,” Professor Ales Bello stressed the openness of neuroscience to phenomenology, while noting the importance of maintaining the distinction between the competencies and methods of the two fields of study. The bridge between phenomenology and neuroscience is located in a deep analysis of human experiences. This approach can be situated in an anthropology that respects human duality without becoming dualistic in the reductionist sense.  In such anthropology, the human brain is not reduced to the sole source of human nature and its unique properties, but is nonetheless recognized as an authentic “base” of human nature´s expression.

Along the same lines, Professor Manganaro in her presentation entitled “Phenomenology beyond Neuroscience. A post-modern approach to the ´difficult problem´ of consciousness?” clarified that the epistemological problem in question involves the impossibility of explaining consciousness naturalistically. We must remember that the embodied situation of the human being means that in the explanation of the meaning of activity properly human, such as intellectual thought, exclusive reference to biological structures can provide a necessary, but not a sufficient account of these actions.

In the second part of the seminar, Dr. Passerini, in his presentation entitled “The Imaginative Experience, from Neuron to Psychotherapy,” explained a metapsychological tripartite body-mind-spirit anthropological vision that allows for a therapeutic approach that addresses man´s imagination. A deterministic conception of imagination has produced inadequate results, while mental images have shown an important causal role in affecting human behavior. The use of images to trigger complex responses is used in a clinical setting to access restricted areas of conflict and unconscious in order to produce a transformative movement and have therefore proven potentially therapeutic. In addition, knowledge of the neural basis of imaginative stimulation, allows new areas of research for a metapsychology of the image.

In the final presentation entitled “Towards a Tropology of the Mind,” Professor Valeria Chiore stressed the importance of the imaginative process in therapy by considering how the rhetoric figure of tropes may constitute a valid therapeutic system. The movement of the imagination has the ability to produce dynamic change in the subject that calls for further research.

A lively discussion followed the presentations.

Publication of Vulnerability Workshop papers

Some of the papers presented at the Second International Bioethics, Multiculturalism and Religion Workshop and Conference on Human Vulnerability, held in Rome, Italy, October 9-11, 2011, are now published in the bioethics journal Studia Bioethica of the School of Bioethics of the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum.  Studia Bioethica is published every trimester with articles and other contributions on bioethics and ethical analysis of biomedical and biolegal topics. To read the articles which are free, one must register to enter the site.  The complete set of papers will eventually be published in a volume, which is now under the review of publisher Springer.

What is Bioethics and why should Art be associated with it? 

By Yvonne Denbina


As our world changes daily, our technology changes with it by leaps and bounds. How is the human body affected by these technological advances and what effects will our children experience as a result? Is everything beneficial? Shouldn’t we take time and energy to consider pros and cons? Our lives depend on making sure that we safely engineer the components of what we ingest, wear, use and surround ourselves with. Our lives, the lives of others and our future progeny deserve compassion, care, and love in how we implement improvements and technological advances for ourselves and others. Our sciences, laws, religions, social and cultural attitudes should weigh the consideration of ethics in our lives and of those to come. 

Art is the voice and vision of our world. You, Artist, add your vision, write your statement! Make a ripple by creating an image that will be viewed and contemplated by many! Be part of the heartbeat that makes a sound about caring. 

UNESCO Chair Fellow edits journal on science and faith

UNESCO Chair Fellow, Fr. Joseph Tham, recently edited a volume with the Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies on the topic of “Science and Faith.” This yearly journal is published under the Department of Religious Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This publication is dedicated to the thorny question of the relationship between science and faith. While science and religion were one-time partners, they are now perceived as competitors with frequent clashes at the ethical and ideological levels. Looking at the articles contained in this journal, readers will get a glimpse of the immensity and complexity of issues confronting science and faith. The contributions highlight the historical relationship between faith and science, the methodological questions regarding how these two disciplines interact, and whether faith can say something useful to science and vice versa.  Fr. Joseph also contributed an article on “Does Science need Ethics?” in this volume.

The Ethics of Beauty and Human Life

A recent publication of of Studia Bioethica explores the relationship between ethics, bioethics and the aesthetic dimension.  This is an area of interest  of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights.  In this number, there were 11 original contributions in English, Spanish and Italian regarding the complex relationship between the moral and aesthetic dimensions.  One of the articles relates the Bioethics Art Competition organized by the Chair in 2010, with the winners and statements published alongside. It is hoped that this number will contribute to a new area of research in bioethics and human rights.