The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia, brought together four distinguished professionals to discuss consciousness as part of the Second Symposium organized by its Academic Community of Humanism.
Dr. Luján Comas, President of the ICLOBY Foundation, was invited to participate in the event. Joining her were Juan Felipe Jaramillo, a physician, Zen Buddhist priest, and professor of the “Wisdom of Life” course; Abbey Green, a philosopher and theologian from the Indigenous Gunadule community; and Carlos Estrada, a physician and professor at the Faculty of Medicine. Together, they shared a diverse and highly enriching exchange.
For both the speakers and those in attendance, listening to the presentations, answering questions, sharing knowledge, and broadening their understanding of one of the greatest mysteries of human experience led to the conclusion that the materialist view cannot explain how the brain’s electrical and chemical activity gives rise to the subjective experience of a complete self—with sensations, emotions, thoughts, and the personal sense of being a whole and living self.
What we need is an open and investigative mindset. Our research, like many other studies, confirms that consciousness is present even when brain activity recorded by EEG is flat during cardiorespiratory arrest.
