Some philosophers think that ascription to the brain of psychological properties such as
consciousness is incoherent—it simply makes no sense. Well, it may not make sense if your
conceptual scheme is mired in dualism, but understanding the mind requires willingness to develop
and consider the evidence for new conceptual schemes. Just as the Copernican, Darwinian, and other
scientific revolutions required gradual appreciation of the explanatory force of new conceptual
schemes, so the Brain Revolution requires recognition of the explanatory gains that become available
when the neural mechanisms for mental processes such as perception are identified. The best
response to people who say that they just can't imagine how the mind could be the brain is: try harder.
Overcoming the compelling illusion that the mind is nonmaterial is not easy, but one can succeed in
doing so by acquiring sufficient understanding of neural mechanisms for thought and behavior.