# Brain Science Leaves Less Room for an Independent Self by Susan Blackmore > “We seem to be independent selves having consciousness and free will, and yet the more we understand how the brain works, the less room there seems to be for consciousness to do anything.” > **— Susan Blackmore**, *“Correlation Is Not a Cause,” Edge Annual Question, 2011* ## Sources and Context - **Original or near-original source:** [“Correlation Is Not a Cause,” Edge Annual Question, 2011](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11257) — Blackmore frames this as an apparent tension and later says her own brain-identity view is a guess, not a settled scientific finding. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Article:** [[articles/Science of Digital Consciousness|Science of Digital Consciousness]] - **Article:** [[articles/Escape Hatch in the Skull|Escape Hatch in the Skull]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Consciousness|Consciousness]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Consciousness|Consciousness]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “We seem to be independent selves having consciousness and free will, and yet the more we understand how the brain works, the less room there seems to be for consciousness to do anything.” — Susan Blackmore, “Correlation Is Not a Cause,” Edge Annual Question, 2011 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-susan-blackmore-brain-independent-self ```