Notes on Some Fundamental Questions in the Humanities Based on Progresses in Brain Research.

Scientific progress may help us make breakthroughs in understanding the essence of human nature. The rapid and strong development of brain research in recent decades may indeed play such a role. Since ancient times, human beings have committed themselves to thinking about questions concerning the essence of human beings. This has gradually culminated in a number of common questions in the humanities, especially in philosophy. Recent development in the neurosciences is causing a re-thinking or reawakening of these classic humanity questions, and even constitutes a challenge to the traditional answers of these questions. As scientists, we would like to sincerely share with our colleagues in the humanities our new view points and we also welcome their responses. In order to focus the discussion, we would like to present our points concerning three important issues in the humanity sciences: (I) The essence of the human mind, ( TJ ) the conscious and unconscious brain, and ( UJ ) and the question of whether we have free will. Our fundamental viewpoints are: the body-mind dualism should be explained by brain-monism; a major part of the brain's working is unconscious mind/will; and free will in the common psychological sense does not exist. These view points may seem to be intense, but our goal is purely about the pursuit of truth, because that is the sole norm that scientists should pursue and follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]