3
The Human Brain
A Guided Tour
In this chapter, I would like to invite you to a guided tour through the human
brain. Atfirst sight, a survey of brain anatomy is an odd topic for a book about
the interpretation of the New Testament. Why do we need such an introduc-
tion? Some branches of cognitive science, such as artificial intelligence, can be
pursued without knowledge about the human brain. In the study of human
cognitive functioning, however, the data and knowledge amassed by decades
of neuroimaging studies and other brain research cannot be ignored. In
current cognitive science research, any serious approach to memory, empathy,
emotions, or out-of-body experiences—to mention only some topics that are
central interests of this book—has to take information about brain structures
and functioning into account. In subsequent chapters of this book, we will
refer to different areas of the human brain and their functions. This is
unavoidable since in contemporary cognitive science it is standard practice
to examine the relationship between cognitive processes and brain structures.
For example, in the study of memory processes or in the neuroscientific study
of religious experiences, understanding the contribution of different parts of
the brain is essential for appreciating the respective cognitive models of these
phenomena. Below we will undertake a short survey of brain anatomy and ask
some important questions about using knowledge about the brain in the study
of cognition.
3.1 BRAIN AND MIND: SAME OR DIFFERENT?Are mind and brain the same thing, two aspects of the same thing, or two
different things? More practically, can we hope to understand the mind fully
only by studying the brain, can we understand it at least partly, or does a better
knowledge of the brain leave us without any better understanding of the mind?