We can see illusions even when we are awake. We can see optical illusions, mirages, hallucinations. We can experience synesthesia. We can misinterpret ambiguous stimuli. We can have false memories.
All of these events are associated with neural events. None of them occur in the absence of neural activity.
“All of these events are associated with neural events. None of them occur in the absence of neural activity.” Sorry, you cannot yet make that secure an assertion, js. What is the substance of that which you imagine? As a writer, I know that I imagine things that have not happened and likely never will. As a researcher in languages at times, I know that the word ‘pistis’ in Greek is interpreted ‘faith’ in English. The meaning of ‘faith’ and/or ‘pistis’ is however decidedly non-physical, in fact it is decidedly metaphysical even though enjoying some degree of agreement among humans for the meaning. Concepts like ‘market value’ are based in an abstract which has no physical status unless applied to physical things in trade/purchase. When contemplating an abstraqct, does the organ called brain (and even the body at times) evidence biochemical activity? Yes, it is measurable. But in the measuring, are the measurers dealing with the thing thought of or the reaction result of the abstracting? And finally, aside from lust, what is the meaning of love, longing, hate, ignorance ... ah, yes, ignorance, the state of as yet unknown abstracts which can be applied to physical things, or not, as a writer may choose to do in telling a story. You have a degree of ignorance that will not be completely resolved during your life in the physical body. Interesting enigma don’tchaknow!