this is the post in which I bear my soul to the world.


the soul refers to an intangible self-awareness capable of rationality and morality. attempts to identify its neural correlates began at the time of the ancient greeks and continue today. in my expert opinion, as a student of perception and cognitive science and a lover of brains and big words, I think the soul (or mind, whatever you want to call it) activates a network of regions associated with executive function, memory, emotion and perception. possibly cardiovascular and respiratory functions, but that's a matter of opinion.


which means that my soul resides in my prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus and other limbic structures and the various temporal, occipital and parietal cortical regions associated with primary and higher-level auditory, visual and somatosensory perception (respectively). also my brainstem, since I don't expect my soul to survive the worms that will feast on the rest of me.


here it is. don't I have a pretty soul? photogenic, I'd say.