Disabling parts of the brain with magnets can weaken faith in God and change attitudes to immigrants, study finds

[Jonathan Gómez Gómez]

Interesting study I've found on the web, I think it has some implications with consciousness
Some user in another forum used this study as basis for his argument that the brain and consciousness are entirely material, the argument goes something like this:

"The mind is material. That's why it can be measured and why the content of thought can be impacted by material changes to the brain. Everything from Drinking to lack of sleep changes how you think.

Your mind is just the big wet fatty sack of cells in your skull. 

Interesting to me is that science has shown even faith is just an aspect of the material mind.the study implies a link between faith and fear that is also compelling. "

Fragment of the article on independent.co.uk:


"A joint team of American and British scientists have discovered that powerful magnetic pulses to the brain can temporarily change people's feelings on a variety of subjects - from their belief in God, to their attitude to immigration.

The study, published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, saw scientists use a metal coil to create strong magnetic fields around certain parts of the brain.

The non-invasive practice is called trancranial magnetic stimulation, and has can be used to treat depression.

However, researchers have now found that by targeting the part of the brain that deals with threats, they can temporarily change people's beliefs and views."

https://dating.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/news/brain-magnets-decrease-faith-in-god-religion-immigrants-a6695291.html#

The study: https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/11/3/387/2375059

[Joe Frank]

It's interesting as a finding in its own right, but I don't think it really adds anything to the argument Bernardo refutes (successfully, to my mind) in point 3 (and sort of 4) of this video.

[Joe Frank]

And, if you don't want to watch a video, objection 9 of this paper.

[Lou Gold]

"A joint team of American and British scientists have discovered that powerful magnetic pulses to the brain can temporarily change people's feelings on a variety of subjects - from their belief in God, to their attitude to immigration."

It seems to me as a "no brainer" that repeated thought patterns may create physical circuits in the material brain which may be scrambled or interfered with by a magnetic field, which in no way suggests that the original circuits were created or caused by the physical matter of the brain. As the map is not the territory, consciousness is not its container.

[Sciborg]

And if I stab someone in the skull they'll likely die...not sure what this finding is saying other than there's a relationship between consciousness and the icons in consciousness.

If this kind of thing was enough to refute Idealism, or really any Immaterialism, it would be disproved the first time a blow through the skull killed someone or affected their cognition.