The nature of consciouness is a perfectly valid scientific question, since consciousness is a phenomenon which undoubtedly exists (or at least, appears to exist!) and speculations about it can be supported or refuted by experimental and observational evidence. In fact, an entire scientific discipline is now coalescing around this issue, involving artificial intelligence, computer science, logic, linguistics, evolutionary biology, neurophysiology and anatomy, information and systems theory, psychology, biochemistry and even astrobiology. The latter is a search for alternatives to terrestrial biology and intelligence which will allow us to compare and contrast other forms of natural life and thought with our own: the only way we can look for general principles which may be obscured by purely local conditions.

Applying these sciences to the study of the soul has led to the establishment of the field which is now loosely termed "cognitive science", and there have already been major advances in this field, including some which have been of immediate practical application, particularly medicine. Mankind has always been interested in this question, but it has previously been the province of philosophy and religion, and after five thousand years of that we have gotten precisely nowhere.

The science board is a perfectly legitimate place to speculate and propose, and otherwise provoke scientific debate on this topic. Some of the other boards may contribute interesting and valuable discussions as well, but if you study them carefully, you will note they tend to concentrate more on what people think (answers) rather than trying to figure out what is going on (questions). Besides, any topic discussed on those boards eventually degenerates into a pointless brawl over the relative merits of socialism and capitalism. I confess I get into the mood for a bit 'o that myself every now and then, but not all the time, and not with the same people.

As far as your feminist harangue is concerned, I don't think there is a shred of evidence to support that. Fot that matter, your own name is gender-neutral and for a long time I didn't even know what your sex was. And I did not care. As for my "male companions" here, not only do I not know any of them personally, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were ladies. Come to think of it, you don't even know for sure whether or not I'm a man or a woman. A true feminist would know that when only faced with someone's writing and no other clues, there is no way to tell for sure.