Is the field of Consciousness Studies legitimate? Or is this a fraud?

[Chairman Lmao]

Is the field of "Consciousness Studies" legitimate? Or is this a fraud?

Hi everyone!

First of all, I wasn't entirely sure whether this should be posted here or in General Discussion. If this is the wrong forum,please accept my apologies.

Now to topic: Recently, in our college's science fest, there was a talk titled "Consciousness: The next frontier of Science". It was to be given by a person affiliated to http://www.voicepune.com/" . Now, we have had these people come to our hostel before and try to convince us that evolution is not real and further their own religious agenda. I unfortunately missed the talk (its fun tearing up their arguments). From what I heard from my friends, the talk went as expected- full of pseudo-scientific jibber-jabber and stuff like how numbers aren't real so we shouldn't waste our time studying them:yuck:.

The most interesting part of it all was that the speaker claimed to have an http://www.bvinst.edu/gradstudies/index.html" , again one of the best research institutes in the country.

Now, I wouldn't have cared if this was a philosophy course- but this just looks like bad philosophy in the garb of science. The speaker who gave that talk demonstrated absolutely ZERO knowledge of even the basic concepts of science- he not only denied evolution but outright dismissed mathematics as not worth studying, because "numbers aren't real(his words)"(This is based on second person sources, but how many ways are there of saying evolution is wrong without actually saying it?). Note that this person had already finished his MS Program.

While i would usually dismiss this kind of stuff as pseudo-science, but the presence of so many big names really puzzles me. Also,some of the http://www.bvinst.edu/gradstudies/index.html" seem to actually think this will help them in their careers. So i guess my question is "Consciousness studies" or whatever it is that they teach a legitimate branch of science, or is it some wild speculations of a few people that some misguided students are being made to study?

 

[Angry Citizen]

It is complete and total ********, as I suspect you know. The Bhaktivedanta Institute isn't even a college -- it's properly regarded as a think tank. It openly promotes religious concepts in place of science.

"[...] the Bhaktivedanta Institute which promotes the study of the relationship between science and Vedanta. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami was a pioneer in "advancing the dialogue on synthesis of science and spirituality throughout the world.""

From here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaktisvarupa_Damodar_Swami

 

[feuxfollets]

Well Cognitive Science, which studies mental information and consciousness and stuff, is a real field. There are people in that field trying to figure out neural correlates of consciousness and stuff like that.

Philosophers have studied it for centuries but nothing ever gets done in philosophy anyway.

 

[Chairman Lmao]

It is complete and total ********, as I suspect you know. The Bhaktivedanta Institute isn't even a college -- it's properly regarded as a think tank. It openly promotes religious concepts in place of science.

"[...] the Bhaktivedanta Institute which promotes the study of the relationship between science and Vedanta. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami was a pioneer in "advancing the dialogue on synthesis of science and spirituality throughout the world.""

From here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaktisvarupa_Damodar_Swami

I knew the guy who we met was full of crap- but wasn't sure about the Institute in general, tho.

 

[rezeew]

As a scientist, it is not my place to label any field of study as "fraud" or "legitimate". Every field of study has its own merits and contributions to make to our understanding of the world. That being said, it is important to critically evaluate any claims or theories put forth in the field of Consciousness Studies, just as we would in any other scientific field.

Consciousness Studies is a relatively new field, and as such, there is still much debate and discussion surrounding its legitimacy. Some argue that consciousness is a fundamental aspect of the universe that cannot be reduced to physical or biological processes, and therefore, studying it requires a multidisciplinary approach. Others argue that consciousness is a construct of the brain and can be studied through traditional scientific methods.

While there is certainly room for debate and differing perspectives, it is important for this field to adhere to the principles of scientific inquiry and evidence-based research. This means that claims and theories must be supported by empirical evidence and subjected to rigorous testing and scrutiny. It is also important for researchers in this field to be open to criticism and to continuously evaluate and refine their theories.

As for the speaker who dismissed evolution and mathematics, it is important to remember that one person's beliefs or opinions do not represent the entire field of Consciousness Studies. It is also important to approach any claims with skepticism and to evaluate them based on scientific evidence rather than personal beliefs.

In conclusion, the field of Consciousness Studies is a legitimate area of study, but it is still in its early stages and much more research and critical evaluation is needed. It is important for researchers in this field to adhere to scientific principles and for the wider scientific community to engage in open and critical discussions about the nature of consciousness.