RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Emergence of free will and consciousness in humans: implications for doctor-patient interactions
JF Postgraduate Medical Journal
JO Postgrad Med J
FD The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
SP 354
OP 356
DO 10.1136/postgradmedj-2018-135634
VO 94
IS 1112
A1 Philip D Welsby
YR 2018
UL http://pmj.bmj.com/content/94/1112/354.abstract
AB Human brains have about 100 billion neurons each with about 1000 dendritic connections with other neurons giving a total of 100 000 billion deterministic dendritic switches. Various voting systems that the brain may use can produce conflicting results from identical inputs without any indication as to which one or ones would be correct. Voting systems cannot deliver unequivocal results in any other than the simplest situations. It is hypothesised that these conflicting results provide an indeterminacy that underlies free will, self-awareness, awareness of others, consciousness and personal responsibility, all of which can influence doctor-patient interactions.