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Francisco Varela (Santiago, Chile, September 7, 1946 - Paris, May 28, 2001). Chilean biologist and philosopher, researcher in the field of neurosciences and cognitive sciences. His main interest was studying the biological bases of knowledge, which led him to investigate cognitive phenomena and to be interested mainly in the phenomenon of consciousness, an area forbidden by neuroscientists to this day. Within his interest in the phenomenon of consciousness, Varela began the study of the neuronal mechanisms associated with conscious phenomena, in which he investigated the synchrony of neuronal activity and its relationship with perception and states of consciousness. Finally, Varela was interested in developing a methodology for the investigation of these phenomena, which he called neurophenomenology, in which he tried to reconcile the scientific view with life experience. On this way of approaching the study of consciousness, influences can be found in the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, a disciple of Edmund Husserl. However, more important in this regard is Varela's approach to disciplines of Eastern knowledge, such as Buddhism, which he practiced throughout his life and with which he tried to generate a scientific dialogue. At the time of his death, he was Research Director of the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) in the Laboratory of Cognitive Neurosciences and Brain Imaging (abbreviated LENA in French). Interesting video due to Varela's proximity to Humanism...