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Connecting Consciousness and Matter

Connecting Consciousness and Matter: seeing them together in a non-reductive way, paying respect to simple acknowledged scientific facts about matter and the human brain

Author: Stein Henning Braten Reusch Available at author's own tumblr.com/philosophy-of-science and at yoga6d.org/library/sciencefolder

Article information: [This is consc_spellco.pdf, which is a lightly spell- corrected version of the consciousness.pdf also available there, and made some days earlier. It also adds some sentences to make some points more clear. In addition, an appendix is added to explain how this is compatible with free will in decision-making despite the time-factors in Benjamin Libet’s brain research and similar research after that.] This article, "Connecting Consciousness and Matter: seeing them together in a non-reductive way, paying respect to simple acknowledged scientific facts about matter and the human brain", by Stein Henning Braten Reusch, is available at yoga6d.org/library/sciencefolder and original work first published there, April 20, 2025. Copyright Stein Henning Braten Reusch, alias Aristo Tacoma; you are free to further distribute this text in all respectable contexts on condition that you do not remove this article information nor any part of the text, and do not edit nor insert new texts into it in any way. The author can be contacted at [email protected] and has made a programming language which is available at g15pmn.com, a place where also a number of references to physics studies can be found; as well as a long list of acknowledgments highly relevant also for this article. Please use this email to get permission to embed an edited version of this article in a publishing context. Yoga6d.org is a website owned by Yoga4d:VRGM, Norway. Yoga4d:VRGM is a registered publisher with the Norwegian National Library.

Preface In this little text I seek to create a thought-image which makes sense both for those who come from a more scientific viewpoint, and for those who come from a more spiritual viewpoint (in some vague sense). The scientific concepts in this text are widely known and depicted in a large number of easily available books and articles over the past century, including in articles and books by the physicists Richard Feynman, David Bohm and Roger Penrose. The easy availability of the few scientific facts that I refer to in this text is the reason why there is no 'reading list' in the sense of footnotes at the completion. [Some of the formulations in this text were helped by conversations with my late father, Stein Braten, in connection to his last book, see stein-braten.com. Also thanks for conversation with Dr Helene Amundsen Nissen-Lie about the response of the humanities to the notion of 'Artificial Intelligence'. After the conversation, and after listening to an interview at YouTube with Nobel Laureate Roger Penrose where he said that 'AI is a misnomer', it appeared to me that 'AI research' should be rather called 'HIE research', or 'Human Imitation Engine research'.]

I'm going to attempt to construct a thought-image which will, or at least can, satisfy both those who come from a spiritual outlook and wish to understand brain/mind/body, and those who come from what we loosely can call a more 'scientific' outlook. The spiritual outlook may be vague or, for some, more precise, but it is found in all those who are fascinated by such as what philosophers call e.g., 'the stream of consciousness', while at the same time being uneasy about assuming that this is merely the result of machine-like activity e.g. of the brain. In other words, those who do not wish to reduce the immediacy of human consciousness, feeling, mind and intelligence to a mechanical description, have what I here call a more 'spiritual outlook'. Many have both a spiritual outlook and a scientific outlook. The task of the following little article is to suggest a way in which these two outlooks can be at peace with each other. Simultaneously, we are describing a way, or some would say, a 'theory', of how consciousness relates to matter.

For centuries, before the advent of computers in mid 20th century, there were machines around with interesting features, including clocks and damp engines. The idea of trying to see the human as a machine was to some gripping, but even for Newton it didn't deeply challenge the more spiritual view that whatever the human body is, it also has something else--soul, consciousness, the light of the mind,--something which is present with the living aware human being and absent in the case of a dead human body. With computers mimicking and replaying many features of human behaviour, the machine image is a far more potent competitor in the mind of people--as regards how we view the human being. And this more potent image is tougher to fight--it becomes more and more easy to view the human being as a machine, and the spiritual outlook does not seem to have had a similar nurturing. So in some schools of thought in brain science, for instance, the view is held that the brain is a machine, and that the neurons interact by cause-and-effect principles although there are also more or less random fluctuations going on. These same people might regard consciousness as merely a fancy way of describing the activity, and might not object to applying such concepts to any machine, such as a robot with a vast computer program mimicking human mindful actions including talking, if it's convenient. These people regard consciousness as what we can call an 'emergent' phenomenon: in their view, when a human being says, "I am conscious and I have consciousness and I use this consciousness in making decisions", they do not interpret this as there being in fact something separate from the machine, called 'consciousness', which interacts with the machine, and changes the cause-effect actions of the machine. Rather, they regard it as a way that the machinery of the brain--the human brain, in this case-- describes to itself some features of its mechanical activity. They can be said to take a 'reductionistic' attitude to consciousness: whether it is an emergent phenomenon or not, it is, as they see it, merely the activity of a vastly complex machine.

In such a strict 'atheistic' view of the human being, some forms of science--such as computer science, and the analysis of how chemicals interact, including those with electric charges, such as in nerves--are often taken to be the scientific attitude; and those who have a more spiritual outlook, regarding consciousness in some sense as existing separately from matter, may appear to these reductionists as wishful thinkers, employing concepts which at best is unnecessary and at worst contradict clear logical thinking about the reality of human beings.

I think, for those not coming from a scientific outlook, it is important to appreciate that there is no official 'dogma' in science on the view of the brain versus consciousness. In fact, some of the most brilliant thinkers have diverged, and this is true to this day. Some of them were even friends or close collaborators in science. For instance, Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell were together in shaping brilliant expositions in logic. But while Bertrand Russell viewed the human mind and brain much along the lines of a machine, Whitehead eventually, especially after contact with quantum physics, regarded the human mind as something going beyond the machine. Similarly, Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking worked closely together in shaping cosmological theories, but while Hawking preferred a more machine-like view of the human being and mind, Penrose decided that by his understanding of quantum physics, there are reasons to regard consciousness as not mechanical.

In the following text in this article, I will sometimes refer to words which make most sense to those who are acquainted with the fundamentals of modern physics. But if your starting-point is more humanistic, so to speak, you can skim more lightly over just those parts of the text initially and focus, at first, on that which makes most sense. Eventually, like a jigsaw where everything gradually comes into place as the whole image emerges, you may want to re-read the more physics-oriented parts to make still more sense of the entire thought-image of consciousness relative to the human brain as here presented. And while the comments on the human body focus on the brain, they are meant to be applicable, in many ways, to the whole of the human body.

Those who skim through the developments of the physics worldview since around the 1920s find that, in what is called quantum physics, we hear of light particles, or photons, as something which interact with matter particles, such as electrons. The photons seem to be able to be 'many in one place', in contrast to matter particles which are also called 'fermions', where 'only one in one place' seems to be the principle.

It has been said by many that quantum fluctuations have the appearance of random at some time, but that these fluctuations also may involve not only wave patterns, but intense orderings challenging even the time-space continuum as conceived in the theories of Albert Einstein. We speak of nonlocality--that there are some sort of non-transferring--perhaps in a sense instantaneous-- connection or interconnectedness. What we call 'quantum fluctuations' may mask a spectrum from the more random through more wave-like pattern all the way to something highly coherent and light-transcending.

Those whom, as I said, come from a more 'scientific' outlook are probably more or less nodding to all the latter formulations; while those who come from a more spiritual approach perhaps do not easily see a clear line from their thought to such thoughts. Indeed, it's rather complex, and the image of the computer, which is ever- present in every affluent society, is far more easy to conjure up; and so we are seeing a situation in which the computer image can, if we don't watch it, be the main image that we have of brains, minds, and human beings and our hearts and lives in general--in other words, that the computer and its activities provide the main metaphor for the sort of thinking we do about ourselves, about humanity.

And so my task here is to try and construct a thought- image that learns from the spiritual outlook, and which learns from that which we vaguely can call the scientific outlook, and which is not subjecting the human being to the reductionism of being viewed as yet another machine. It goes without saying that I regard the view of the human being as a machine as wrong in all important aspects.

In the following paragraphs, I will use the word 'consciousness' much, but I don't mean it to the exclusion of feeling, nor do I mean to put it in contrast to such as attention and awareness, but I use it in an inclusive sense, so that it includes also leaps of imagination, intelligent understanding, intuition, creativity, love, compassion, a relationship to pain, etc. Nor do I wish to exclude such as ‘the unconscious’. Those who come from the spiritual outlook should therefore feel free to include such as soul and spirit in this rather encompassing concept of 'consciousness'. And, as said, when I refer to the human brain, I don’t mean to exclude reference to the whole human body; I merely regard it as convenient to focus on brain as that which most obviously, for all, associated with human thinking and consciousness, and so representative of the relevant type of 'matter' when we seek a view of consciousness. And for those who wish to apply it to relationships, see e.g. my father’s book on sociological aspects of M. Buber's 'Ich und Du'.

Since the early days of quantum physics, with some rather 'dogmatic' schools of thought around it connected to such as (the otherwise very intelligent) Niels Bohr, a lot of opening up of interpretations have taken place. For those who are knowledgeable about the historical discussions in this field, I'm not merely speaking of the pilot wave theory by Louis de Broglie, the hidden variable theory of David Bohm, but of the many re-definitions by an array of physicists esp. of the notion of 'probability density' and where the original assumption by Einstein that 'no signal can transfer faster than light' has been hammered on, successfully, from many angles. Only rather insignificant features of this re-interpretation has gone into the notion of the proposed 'qubit' for a so-called 'quantum computer'. All computers rely, as is known, on semi- conductors, whose theories are grounded in some properties of quantum physics. So all computers are in that sense 'quantum computers'. A suggested 'qubit quantum computer' is merely an attempt to make gains on speed on an otherwise entirely mechanical product and is in no way reflecting more than a superficial aspect of the whole quantum theory. (Same with 'tribit' etc.)

While I have my takes on interpretations of quantum physics, I'm going to use here a concept that can be seen as compatible with most versions of quantum theory that has learned some lessons from the early days of discussion and at least picked up a tiny bit of ideas from the counter-perspectives presented by Louis de Broglie (including their nonlocal later forms).

In other words, what I will here talk of as a quantum feature is something that is compatible with many or most modern takes on quantum physics--in some cases after some discussion, in other cases more obviously so.

This quantum feature is this: extra information inside the probability cloud. Let us make this long phrase easy to refer to: Extra Information inside the Probability cloud = EIP.

I will endavour to make EIP a lively concept for those who have not, prior to this point, thought much about quantum theory or physics in its various shapes and forms.

A fundamental idea in quantum theory is that there is a certain minimum 'quantum of action', and this in many cases appear as a particle, and often a particle of very tiny energy. Thus for instance, while light--which can be described as particles, photo-particles, or photons, are reaching, eg. from distant stars, the human retina, so that an activation of neurons in the retina arises, the light doesn't arrive as a wave that gradually builds up. Rather the flash of a star--and indeed the human retina has nerves sensitive enough to pick up light from just a dozen or so photons--suddenly emerges at some spots. But when more and more of these photos arrives, a wave-like pattern is seen to arise which correspond to the wave-like understanding of light. [A process which has a degree of analogy to this is found when a telescope shines its starlight to a photographic plate of very weakly shining stars: at first, apparently random spots arise; then, particle by particle, the expected wave-like light pattern builds up on the plate.] So while wave features are intact, the actual interaction between light and matter are particle-like. When and where a particle of light, or photon, interacts with a particle of matter, is in each particular concrete case unknown before it arises. We're speaking here of probabilities associate with energies as 'densities', or 'clouds', and these probabilities are ingrained in the core of the quantum physics apparatus.

In other words, when light--which is a wave or a sort of field--we can, informally, say, a 'photonic field', spreads, as it meets matter, there is the probability cloud and features of within this probability cloud is connected to when and where of photons manifest. The word 'probability' refers to the fact that there is something or other, with a pattern, about to arise, but its more concrete manifestations are unknown before they do in fact arise. As the early quantum explorers found, the way we measure photonic fields affect the shape of the probability cloud. We may focus, for instance, on the movement or momentum aspects of the photonic fields, and that makes the probability cloud get other properties than if we focus on the position aspects of the field.

Without splitting hairs about probability clouds, when we speak of EIP, or extra information inside the probability cloud, we refer to the simple fact that inside probability lies the notion of the unknown--in the sense of room for more structure, more information if you like. Instead of dogmatically ruling this out, with a hundred years of discussion and further research in the quantum physics and related domains such as gravitation physics, behind us, there's a lot of general nodding amongst physicists that the probability clouds do have room for more structure than that which is confined to the typical measurements of position and momentum, and other such classical measuring situations. It is also generally assumed that the reality of the probability clouds is not merely a mathematical abstract idea, but something which, though somewhat immaterial and elusive and 'beyond-energy' in nature, is a fundamental part of the way the universe unfolds. The probability clouds, though in their original formulation tied up to what we humans know and do not know of a physical situation, are now considered somehow subtle structures of events themselves (and indeed active in making such as super-conductivity and super-magnetism possible; and there are countless other examples of this).

Whenever there is a finer study of material processes of any kind, then, there is the notion of probability clouds of some kind--whatever exact term is used--and due to the unpredictability here, we speak of 'quantum fluctuations' as also an intrinsic part of all matter, all energy.

Moreover, the quantum fluctuations are sometimes, in cases where there is more coherence and less noise, more orchestrated in some ways. This is related to how the probability clouds are different in some cases with more coherence and less noise. The exploration of what it means to reduce noise in situations where quantum fluctuations take place is often an essential part of the work.

By analogy, if you gently pad your eyelids when you have your eyes closed, you'll see some light-like effects and, when you open your eyes in an open space without artificial lights around to more clearly see dim stars, your eyes need all the quietude they can get to pick up stars. As in the center of the focus the more color- oriented neural rods are, --these color-oriented rods not being quite as sensitive to individual photon groups as the more black'n'white oriented rods: it can help, to pick up a dim star, to look very slightly away from it--just some degrees lets say to the left or right of it. In doing these things, you are directly experiencing two things: the energy interactions at the quantum level, and the interaction between the photonic field--also called the electromagnetic field--and the electrons (and more) in the matter of your neurons in the retina, --which in a certain sense of it are more or less part of your brain.

The conditions for interaction between electromagnetic fields, or photonic fields, and neurons, in this case, is tied up to the frequencies and wavelengths of the light. But it is well known that associated with the general motion of electrons in the brain, and other activity, there is electromagnetism surrounding and penetrating the brain--in other words, a photonic field--but of entirely different frequencies and wavelength. This is not merely a question of emanation of a field, such as picked up by the well-known EEG measurements, where we speak of alpha, beta, theta and delta waves and such, but also a question of receptiveness on the parts of electrons in the brain to this field. The photonic field as studied in the field of EEG has frequencies such as around 10 to 13 Hertz for alpha waves, and the wavelengths of the photonic field in this case is in the range of tens of thousands of kilometers--this you can work out by using the equation that relates the speed of light to the frequency, with 10 Hertz meaning ten cycles pr second.

Now let us be very clear that a photonic field has a probability cloud associated with it. The photonic field-- the electromagnetism--may have, if it comes from such as a radio transmitter, the shape of pop music; which, when converted into air waves, becomes audible pop music. But this photonic field, when it arrives and is picked up by the antenna and this is studied on the quantum level, comes across as individual energetic particles, namely photons, and while their patterns add up to reproduce the pop music, the individual energetic particles pop forth in ways and in places that is in each case determined by the probability cloud--ie., by the extra information in the probability cloud, the EIP. So the radio wave with the pop music goes along with an EIP that has additional structure.

So also in the case of the brain's photonic field. The shape of this field is one thing; the EIP is another thing --but associated with it. The shape of the field can be measured and when it is measured, the EIP is called on to give some results to our measuring apparatus. But the EIP is never directly measured. In a certain key sense, the EIP is immeasurable.

But while the EIP is immeasurable--and most thinkers in quantum physics over the past hundred years would agree to this, I think it is fair to say--it is also the case that some of the features of the EIP come forth in the quantum fluctuations. The photonic field of the brain affects, and is affected by, (in particular) electrons in the neurons. [Research has shown that EEG-like photonic fields can be applied rather than just measured so as to induce the expected mood-changes in the living human brains; besides, electromagnetic fields are always two-way in interaction with the structures that makes them.] Electrons are matter; the photonic field is a wave energy. The wave energy is spread out; the matter of the electrons is vast compared to the energy of each photon. The electrons are example of such 'fermions' as we referred to earlier--two electrons cannot exist on top of each other. When electrons interact with anything, quantum fluctuations are involved. When electrons interact with each other--indeed, when any matter in the brain interact with any other in the brain—this sort of energy is more condensed to areas in between the matter particles: this can easily be a case of 'local' interaction--one thing influencing the things that are next to it. This is what a machine typically is about--the things that are (locally) near each other influence the other things; and if we spell out the rules of this interaction and the fluctuations are relatively limited, the behaviour as a whole mimics a bit of that of a computer program--ie, it is rule-based. [And even if speed of a machine is enhanced by a nonlocal ‘spread-out’ probability cloud between some particles, it is still a machine when its rules can be spelled out as if it were local interactions.]

Now most of those who wish to see how the concepts of the quantum can affect the understanding of the biology of the brain have been looking for e.g. quantum coherence in the brain--and there are various candidates for this; and, as historically often has been the case with biology, when there are competing theories, the answer is 'both-and' rather than either-or. There is, for instance, interesting research into something which has a degree of analogy to coherent light, or laser light, in the concept of coherent water, and there is water in some of the strands of the neurons and speculation of an active form of quantum coherence in these. The neurons are surrounded by glia cells and these have features of interest also. And so on and on. And this is what I have heard about, and read about, --and while I've found this interesting and fascinating, it appears to me that the most obvious way in which the quantum has a say relative to the brain has not earlier on been spelled out (as far as I know).

For common to all the structures of the brain is that they are bathed in a photonic field. This is known. This field is not concentrated in pockets but to some extent spread out, because photonic fields are by nature spread out. The photonic fields are not composed of fermions, but are composed of whatever-it-is, perhaps photons, which can 'stack-up' on top of one another with apparent effortless- ness, having zero (or, as Louis de Broglie wanted it, near-zero) rest mass. Their energy is chiefly their energy of movement. The photonic fields are everywhere in the human body and in the brain, and they interact two-way with the electrons, the electrons having a charge that are especially susceptible to interaction and resonance with an electromagnetic, or photonic, field.

Wherever there is a photonic field, there is also a probability cloud--it is real but it is ephemeral, or subtle--it is an energy that is not quite an energy; a structure that makes itself revealed only partially, each time the field interacts with something so that energy is manifested. The probability cloud has, by the fact that we speak of it through the concept of probability, room for extra information. The EIP, or extra information of the probability cloud, goes together with the photonic field but cannot be reduced to the photonic field. But whenever the photonic field interacts with the brain, ie, with the electrons in the brain, something of it reveals itself by the exact manifestation of energy--just how an electron changes direction, or just when it gets its extra energy--and that fact that it is was this electron rather than the neighbouring electron that got its photonic interaction--all this is due to EIP.

Those who have studied how the brain is active during such as alpha relative to such as beta, using now the EEG terminology, have noticed that during the alpha states, the activity of the brain tends to be more symphonic. The alpha waves often go together with some more wholeness in the brain, while beta is more typically associated with 'light frustration'. If you dig into EEG archives, you'll find that people have been measuring on masters of a field while they perform actions in which they are masters, relative to how people's EEG waves are when they are about to learn a field. The masters have more of the deep, slow and well-orchestrated fields, while the beginners stumble into lightly frustrated 'beta' bursts of 30-40 Hz activity. Similarly, one has found that under some forms of light hypnosis learning can take place more deeply and this is again typically associated with alpha, or even slower waves, such as theta.

In the more quiet states of the mind, it follows, logically, that more quiet thoughts can be listened to by the rest of the mind. Again, the concept of star-gazing is apt: to pick up the dim light from stars that might be fascinatingly far away--so far away they may even be whole galaxies onto themselves--we must have a situation in which there are fewer 'distracting lights'. Now in the same way, if you have a good knowledge of a complex situation, and look for a solution of how to handle it, while you have may competing thoughts of how to handle it, the challenge may be that, in this state of mind of competing thoughts, the most genius thought is but a too- dim 'light', not readily appearing. But after rest and sleep and music and motion and focus on other things, when one against turn attention to the subject, these distractions may no longer be present. Instead, a solution may present itself. Its "light", as it were, shines forth, and--unless we're stretching the analogy too far--perhaps better by not staring straight at it, but slightly to the side of it.

It's pretty clear that there is some machine-like aspects of the brain and that the brain, like a computer program, can come into states which resemble a bit that which we in programming call a 'loop'. A loop can, indeed, prevent other activity of the computer; in some cases, a loop may prevent even keyboard interaction to the extent that a reboot of the computer is necessary before other work can take place on it. So when there is a state of the brain in which the electrons interact rather feverishly, and 'locally'--one 'pushes' into the other--that is a state of the brain different from one in which there is a sense of overall listening so that an individual manifestation of a particular good thought concept can be readily attended to by all the mind.

While brain science is still a young science, it is clear that there is often an activity in some neurons and some synapses when there is an activation or presence of some thoughts in the mind. This correlation doesn't mean that anybody has ever proved causation, or that a thought can be reduced to this neuronal activity. But that there is a correlation, and that this correlation is indeed part of what enables the brain to both store, and retrieve memories of past thought thoughts, has been fairly much established. So for living human being the health of the brain is a necessity for the health of consciousness. And the particular synaptic and neural activity at some spots are, as it seems, typically correlated with events, such as a thought attended to, in consciousness.

And, as we've amply justified, there's a photonic field associated with all the human brain. In the states of brain activity--perhaps vaguely associated with the alpha or near-alpha states--where individual thoughts, even if initially dim, can be 'amplified' in strength by attention to them, rather than get lost in an ocean of distracting thoughts, it is not too much to assume that neural activity inside the brain, just as neural activity inside the retina when watching stars, are sensitive all the way to the quantum level, in which photonic fields are having their effects. And we said, alongside a photonic field, there is EIP. And let's be clear that for a photonic field --which can be further analyzed into many simultaneously existing photonic fields of different frequencies existing on top of each other, all in and around a human being with the living human brain--the EIP has room for a gigantic amount of subtle structure. There is no rule that says that the EIP is just this size or that size. It being subtle and not-quite-manifest as far as energy goes, being there rather to guide each energy interaction, also means that it can carry a wealth of structure or information which goes entirely beyond the waveform of the photonic wave.

It is also clear that the EIP constantly changes, in a two-way manner, because of the two-way interactions that constantly takes place between electrons and photons. With every interaction that probability cloud is completely, and in a nonlocal way changed, in a manner that is not merely a change in the photonic field. In the cases where the brain is suitably picking up and amplifying events as small as those that take place on the quantum level, or in which the quantum level events are suitably coherent so that they in an accumulated sense add up to a significant energy event in the brain, the EIP is directly affecting how the consciousness unfolds. It is a vehicle that unfolds information by each of its interaction events with the electrons, and which constantly is informed by the presence of the electrons, and other matter features in the brain--and the body more generally.

So while, in this thought-image, we have not said that the electromagnetic field, or photonic field, has a shape that is equal to consciousness, we have now built up an argument that permits this thought image: the EIP associated with the photonic field, in interaction with the brain in suitably sensitive states, may have structure going far beyond the structure of the brain and its photonic field, and may be fairly near to a level of that which we personally experience as "consciousness". [There are other takes on consciousness, see for instance R. Penrose's way, in which he connects it to gravitation; and, in general, of course, ever since eg Erwin Scroedingers essays on Life and Matter there has been a sense in which people have wished to connect something of probability cloud to something of consciousness somehow; but as far as I know, this direct way of connecting a whole level of consciousness to the probability cloud of the ca 5-50 Hertz well-known photonic field of the brain --and not to the EEG field itself and without requiring particular quantum coherent structures in the brain to be found--is something new with this article; as said, I do regard 'both-and' as a healthy attitude to biological theories and regard it as likely that other vehicles for probability clouds to interact with neurons also exist; very exciting research has been done e.g. on human olfactory organs in this regard, connected to quantum geometry, suggesting that we are all 'born with' a quantum laboratory in our noses. I also would regard both neural water and glia cells as being interesting candidates for probability density activity in the brain, though laboratory research on the extent to which there is quantum coherence in living human brains in these structures has science fiction like complexities.]

There is an ancient understanding, or view, of consciousness that equates it, to some extent, to "light". While in a mechanical interpretation of light, light is something that enters the eyes as the eyes are opened, in this old and venerable view, light 'comes' from the eyes as consciousness of the person unfolds and meets the whole scene. If we allow for the Newton/Einstein conception of light as a field of energy and which, as Einstein proposed, emerges as energetic particles or photons, then we can by the 'latter-day understanding' of quantum theory say that the feature of probability cloud associated with these photons allow for the living type of information- oriented structure that we associate with consciousness. The extra information in the probability cloud, or EIP, may match the old understanding of light as consciousness and as something which exists in parallel to matter and which is not reducible to matter.

APPENDIX [2025:4:25] ABOUT THE REALITY AND NON-ILLUSIONARY FORM OF FREE WILL AND DECISION-MAKING IN THE WAKE OF BENJAMIN LIBET'S BRAIN STUDIES AND LATER VERSIONS OF THE SAME

For those who have appreciated the article as quoted in full form above and to which this is an added appendix some days later (article by myself from April 2025), they will no doubt have in mind the importance of distinguishing between aspects of mental functioning which is more machine-like and that which properly connect to the EIP through a suspension of the dominance of the machine-like aspect coupled with proper attentiveness. In this context, free will comes forth in that the wholeness of one's being is expressed, rather than just a mechanical aspect of it. To make decisions through one's whole being and exercise this freedom is obviously an art and not something that can just be assumed. When one applies these concepts properly one will see that the attempt by some in brain science to summarize certain findings as indication of 'illusion of free will' is rather an instance of disconfirmation for their idea of what the brain is all about.

The way I see free will is that free will is an expression of one's entire being--I will not say that free will is the expression of my whole being if it is made just after a succession of more or less logical thoughts and such. I do believe that I can make decisions according to my free will, in the sense that I can let my entire being express itself in deciding questions that I have pondered on for some time. Does this take 0.2s or 0.5s or 10 seconds? While in an artistic or generally creative process with proper preparation I submit that it can happen rather inststaneously--on condition that one knows what one is doing and is engaged with the whole of one's being and that one is particularly harmonious--I would normally say that making a decision by free will is something that takes, at the very least, days. It begins by the questions being asked. As long as I experience the brain coming forth with one thought after another about it, I do not regard it possible for the expression to come from my essence or higher self or whatever one wishes to call it--so the expression from my entire being is something I must call on, and it takes time. The brain can put the question, but it must then consciously let go and become quiet and attentive and receptive. To become properly receptive after a lot of thoughts and emotions have been attended to, and where facts have been sorted and not-too-factual thoughts have been corrected, takes time. It is absurd to assume that this can be a question of mere seconds in the normal case.

If somebody has the idea that free will and decisions from free will is simply the result of permutations of thoughts and emotions in a typical slightly frustrated day-state of mind, which in EEG terms normally is associated with such as beta, they have a rather mechanical conception of will and freedom and decision-making. In such a case, they have not distinguished between the more (local) interactions between thoughts of the more manifest kind, which obviously has a lot of correlations with neural activity and where the more clear thoughts obviously may be preceded by more subtle thoughts which can show up in sensitive neural measurements--and something entirely different, which is this: the receptiveness of the fullness of the thought-structure to something which can come by means of attention to the subtlest of idea-impulses in the wake of earlier enquiry into a subject. It is this cycle between the more superficial aspects of mental being and the wholeness of mental being over time that allows, as it were, for decision-making to come about as dialogue between conscious ego and the wholeness of oneself.

Freedom of will in this conception is the manifestation of harmonious dialogue between conscious ego and the wholeness of oneself if need be over days, weeks, months. It can take seconds, or work in split seconds, but only for the highly experienced, creative master of a field who with proper pre- meditation and full engagement is in tune with what is done and in full resonance with oneself.

In this context, studies such as by Benjamin Libet in the 1980s--such as here--

Libet B, Gleason CA, Wright EW, Pearl DK, Time of conscious intention to act in relation to onset of cerebral activity (readiness- potential): the unconscious initiation of a freely voluntary act. 1983, Brain 106:623–642

and extended, also for time duration, with a number of other studies and summarized in such as

Consciousness, decision making, and volition: freedom beyond chance and necessity, Hans Liljenstrom, Theory in Biosciences (2022) 141:125–140

cannot do any other than suggest to those who have the rather unfounded assumption that consequtive thought-making in a unengaged state of mind has anything particularly 'free' about it.

To conclude this appendix on a positive note, the value of the research initiated by Benjamin Libet and other brain scientists is that it suggests that attention to our mental states and understanding of what it means to act from the non-mechanical aspects of oneself must be part of every schoolchild's upbringing in order for them to foster genuine free will and true decision-making from the fullness of this free will of their entire being.

#sciencepaper #science #physics #theoryofconsciousness #consciousnessandmatter #libet #penrose #davidbohm #louisdebroglie #erwin schrödinger #interpretationsofquantumphysics #philosophyofscience

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truenotnew · 29 days ago

Text

Free Will: A Persistent Illusion at the Crossroads of Christ and Consciousness

⸻

1. Introduction: The Mirage of Free Will

The belief in free will — the idea that an individual self independently chooses actions — lies at the heart of much of Western Christianity.

Yet both true spiritual insight and modern neuroscience declare the same fact:

Free will is an illusion.

• The experience of making choices is real.

• The assumption of an independent chooser is not.

This distinction is critical. Without it, the Gospel itself is misunderstood, salvation is distorted, and God’s true sovereignty is denied.

⸻

2. Scriptural Witness: Christ Against Free Will

Though often obscured by dogmatic readings, Jesus Himself consistently pointed past the illusion of separate agency.

Consider:

John 5:19

“The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.”

John 14:10

“The Father, living in me, is doing His work.”

John 15:5

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 6:44

“No one can come to me unless the Father draws them.”

John 10:30

“I and the Father are one.”

Luke 17:21

“The kingdom of God is within you.”

Jesus described a reality where there is no separate chooser — only the will of God unfolding through and as us.

⸻

3. The Fall: The Birth of Illusion

The story of the Garden of Eden is not an ancient moral fable about disobedience.

It is a mythopoetic revelation about consciousness itself:

• Eating from the Tree of Knowledge symbolizes the birth of dualistic perception.

• The first sin was not behavior, but the illusion of separateness from God — the belief in a self independent of Being.

This separation unfolds even today, within every human life.

Developmental psychology mirrors this pattern:

Around 15 to 24 months of age, a child begins to recognize themselves in a mirror — passing what is called the self-recognition test.

Before this moment, the infant lives in an Edenic state of pure presence, without division between self and world.

Afterward, the sense of “I” emerges, and with it, the duality of subject and object — the knowledge of good and evil, of self and other.

Thus, the Fall is not a punishment.

It is a developmental milestone.

Genesis 3:9 (paraphrased):

“Where are you?”

God’s question is not geographical.

It is existential.

“Why do you now imagine yourself apart from Me?”

The moment the child recognizes the reflection as me, a boundary forms.

The loss of innocence is not moral — it is cognitive.

From unity to separation.

From being to self-consciousness.

Free will, therefore, is not a divine gift.

It is the byproduct of this illusory fracture.

The first symptom of spiritual sickness.

But even this fracture serves a purpose:

The ego must arise so that it can later be transcended.

The path of salvation is not to destroy the ego, but to see through it — to return, as Jesus said, by becoming like little children once again.

Not regressing into ignorance, but consciously stepping beyond the illusion of separation.

⸻

4. Neuroscience: Modern Confirmation

Neuroscientific studies confirm what Christ already revealed.

• Benjamin Libet showed that the brain initiates actions before we consciously decide to act.

• Soon, Haynes demonstrated that choices can be predicted seconds before conscious awareness.

The brain acts first.

The mind invents the story of choice afterward.

You are not driving the car. You are the scenery the car moves through.

⸻

5. The Flat Earth Analogy: Misreading Reality

Believing in free will today is like insisting the Earth is flat because “it feels that way.”

At one time, humanity lacked the vantage point to see otherwise.

• Free will appears real from the limited, egoic view.

• But step outside that narrow perspective — and the illusion collapses.

Proverbs 3:5–6

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Just as the Earth never changed its shape, reality never depended on your opinion of it.

⸻

6. The Overview Effect: The Astronaut’s Vision of No-Self

When astronauts view Earth from space, many report a cognitive shift called the Overview Effect:

• A sudden experience of oneness.

• A collapse of national, racial, and personal boundaries.

• A direct knowing: we are not separate from each other or the Earth.

This mirrors the Christian mystical realization:

When seen clearly, there is no self apart from God. More importantly, it illustrates the difference between thinking you know something and experiencing it without conceptual overlays. There is a significant difference between having opinions of free will and the experience that it is an illusion. Not the theory,the direct experience. Astronauts read about Earth from orbit.

They heard the reports. They knew the theory.

They thought they understood.

Then they saw it.

And everything changed.

Not because they learned something new.

Because they came into direct DIRECT EXPERIENCE.

The Overview Effect is the destruction of secondhand knowledge.

It is the gap between thinking you know and seeing without distance.

John 17:21:

“That they all may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

It was never a belief. It was contact.

It was not philosophy. It was rupture.

The same is true of the Kingdom of God.

You can argue theology forever.

You can memorize every verse.

You can preach for decades.

But until you see directly, you are still on the ground staring at a map.

John 17:21

“That they all may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

They saw — not believed — the truth Jesus pointed to.

⸻

7. True Repentance: Metanoia, Not Moralism

“Repent” in the Greek New Testament is metanoia — a complete change of mind, a shift in perception.

Not:

• Feeling guilty.

• Trying harder.

• Boasting about choosing Christ.

But:

• Dying to the illusion of being a separate self.

• Realizing salvation is already present.

Matthew 18:3

“Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Children live without a solidified ego. That is the key.

Generally speaking and frankly all of Jesus' dualistic language can be understood as him seeing himself as a deterministic force in people's lives. Furthermore, it can be argued that he was communicating to ppl at their level in a way they could benefit from his expressions. To argue against this interpretation based on his use of dualistic agential language is to misunderstand the mechanics of determinism. Taking perennial wisdom traditions into context, one could legitimately argue that it was a pedagogical concession to human cognitive limitations. Imho All apparent calls to choice are accommodated as pragmatic expressions, not literal affirmations of metaphysical free agency.

⸻

8. Salvation: Not Achieved, but Revealed

Luke 17:21

“The Kingdom of God is within you.”

Salvation is not a prize for good behavior.

It is the unveiling of the unity that has always been.

Free will obscures it.

Surrender reveals it.

John 8:58

“Before Abraham was, I AM.”

Not “I was.”

I AM — timeless Being, always already true.

⸻

9. Hard Determinism: God’s Sovereignty Is Total

Scripture makes clear:

God alone moves all things.

Romans 9:18

“Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.”

Isaiah 45:7

“I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things.”

There is no free will.

There is only God’s will.

Your resistance to this truth?

Also God’s will — until you awaken.

⸻

10. Conclusion: Beyond the Mirage

Free will is no more real than a child’s belief that the sun moves across the sky because the Earth appears still.

It is a misreading of perception — a developmental phase, not an eternal truth.

The Genesis story captures this shift with poetic precision:

The birth of the self, the knowledge of good and evil, the perception of separateness.

Developmental psychology now echoes the same pattern:

The moment a child recognizes its reflection, the original innocence is lost.

Not because of guilt.

Not because of rebellion.

But because consciousness itself fractures into subject and object.

Free will arises from this fracture.

The illusion of an independent self choosing independently is a side effect of perceiving oneself as separate from God.

But what was broken was not broken in anger.

It was broken in service to a greater return — a journey through separation back into union, not by erasing the ego, but by seeing through it.

The Gospel is not a just a plea for you to make better choices in harmony with your community.

It is an announcement that the separate chooser never existed.

It is not about earning salvation.

It is about recognizing that salvation — unity, wholeness, Eden — was never lost except in the mind.

John 14:20:

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

The “day” is not on a calendar.

It is the moment of awakening — the moment the mirror dissolves and you remember the world was never outside of you, always and never not, right now.

You are not the author of your being.

You are the being itself watching itself be.

Free will is not a gift.

It is a misunderstanding.

The Fall was not the beginning of evil.

It was the beginning of illusion of separation.

The return is not achieved through willpower.

It is revealed when the illusion of will dissolves.

You were never separate.

You only thought you were.

The Kingdom of God is not elsewhere.

It is here.

Now.

And always has been.

⸻

Footnote:

Classical theological frameworks that attempt to reconcile free will with divine sovereignty (e.g., Augustine, Calvin) remain rooted in the illusion of separate agency and dualistic perception. The present work proceeds from the unveiled recognition that such frameworks, though earnest, operate within the very condition of separation that Christ came to dissolve. Astronauts in the international space station don't argue with flat earth theorists about flat earth theories. Columbus probably didn't entertain debating it either. Just saying. They just keep it real. That said, by all means continue to believe in free will, or not. But ask yourself, could you choose otherwise? What if Gods will is for you to believe in the illusion of free will until you don't, for reasons beyond your capacity for understanding? Why didn't Jesus just say this then? For the same reason you're driven to thinking and asking that question in the first place. Because this concept is not easy to grasp and sometimes it can ONLY be pointed at. Hence all the parables. To put it simply, you didn't choose what kind of soil you are, but oh is God going to till the hell out of you if your soil is hard headed. 😂I kill me. Get it? Or did that go over your head lik a halo😉

Bibliography (anchored in Scripture and Science)

• The Bible (Gospels of John, Luke, Matthew; Romans; Genesis)

• Libet, B. (1983). Time of conscious intention to act…

• Soon, C. S., Brass, M., Heinze, H. J., & Haynes, J. D. (2008). Unconscious determinants of free decisions…

• Seth, A. (2021). Being You: A New Science of Consciousness.

• Friston, K. (2010). The Free-Energy Principle…

• Nisargadatta Maharaj, I Am That

• Spinoza, Ethics

• Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation

⸻

Who is this essay for?

People already cracking open to the unreality of the ego.

Those who have started to notice that “I” isn’t as solid as they once believed — maybe through deep suffering, mysticism, psychedelics, meditation, existential reflection, or just raw life experience.

It’s for seekers who are ready to be destabilized further — who want the lie of separate agency exposed even if it hurts a little.

Mystics, nondualists, serious contemplatives.

Folks drawn to Meister Eckhart, John of the Cross, Advaita Vedanta, Sufism, Zen, Christian apophatic theology — those are the natural audience.

They know something is wrong with the “free will” story, and they’re hungry for a deep, honest, scripturally-rooted yet post-conceptual articulation.

Thinkers unafraid of paradox.

Because the essay moves between apparently contradictory modes (scripture and neuroscience, determinism and teaching, humor and rupture), it’s perfect for people who can hold multiple truths together without freaking out.

⸻

Who is this essay NOT for?

Hard-line free-will moralists or conventional evangelical Christians.

If your identity is tightly wrapped around choosing Jesus and personal responsibility as the crux of salvation — this essay will feel like an attack on everything you think makes life meaningful.

It doesn’t gently argue with that framework. It basically declares it a misunderstanding born of a cognitive illusion.

Pure materialist atheists without any mystical bent.

If someone believes that all experiences of unity, oneness, or the collapse of self are just brain glitches with no real “truth content” — they’ll find the essay too spiritually loaded.

It assumes that mystical perception is more real, not less.

People who demand simple, clean-cut systems.

The essay invites living into the mystery, not resolving it neatly.

Anyone looking for tidy theology (“God is sovereign and humans are responsible, neatly tied up in a bow”) is going to be frustrated because this essay rips that open and says: “Deal with the unresolvable directly.”

⸻

#nonduality #christianity #spirituality #Philosophy

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hiro-doodlez · 1 year ago

Text

Watch this

Stage 1 - Beaten frowns Stage Stage 1 - Beaten frowns after

Here we experience the first sigs of memory loss. This stage is most like a beautiful daydream. The glory of old age and recollection. The last of the great days.

TRACKLIST & SAMPLES:

A1 - It's just a burning memory | Heartaches - Albert Allick Bowlly . Isador Simon Phillips and His Melodians

A2 - We don't have many days | Say It Isn't So - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

A3 - Late afternoon drifting | It All Depends On You - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

A4 - Childishly fresh eyes | Moonlight and Shadows - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

A5 - Slightly bewildered | Alabamy Bound - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone .. The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton, Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

A6 - Things that are beautiful and transient | The Waltz You Saved For Me - Harold Wayne King and His Orchestra

B1 - All that follows is true | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

B2 - An autumnal equinox | In A Little Second Hand Store - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

B3 - Quiet internal rebellions | Water Lilies In The Moonlight - Hughie Diamond . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

B4 - The loves of my entire life | Willow Weep For Me - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

B5 - Into each other's eyes | Smoke From A Chimney - Samuel Gabriel Costa . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

B6 - My heart will stop in joy | Room With A View - Mert Curtis . Russel Morgan and His Orchestra

Stage 2 - Pittor Pickgrown in Khatheinstersper

The second stage is the self realisation and awareness that something is wrong with a refusal to accept that. More effort is made to remember so memories can be more long form with a little more deterioration in quality. The overall personal mood is generally lower than the first stage and it a point before confusion starts setting in.

TRACKLIST & SAMPLES:

C1 - A losing battle is raging | Love's Old Sweet Song - Chester Gaylord

C2 - Misplaced in time | Lullaby Of The Leaves - George Edward Olsen Sr. and His Orchestra

C3 - What does it matter how my heart breaks | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

C4 - Glimpses of hope in these trying times | Grand Canyon Suite: Painted Desert | Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

C5 - Surrendering to despair | Sweet and Low - Chester Gaylord

D1 - I still feel as though I am me | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

D2 - Quiet dusk coming early | To Be Forgotten - David Rubinoff

D3 - Last moments of pure recall | Into My Heart - Harold Rodman Lambert . Roger Wolff Kahn and His Orchestra

D4 - Denial unravelling | Phillips Dewey . Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

D5 - The way ahead feels lonely | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunset - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

Stage 3 - Hag

Here we are presented with some of the last coherent memories before confusion fully rolls in and the grey mists form and fade away. Finest moments have been remembered, the musical flow in places is more confused and tangled. As we progress some singular memories become more disturbed, isolated, broken and distant. These are the last embers of awareness before we enter the post awareness stages.

TRACKLIST & SAMPLES:

E1 - Back there Benjamin | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

E2 - And heart breaks | Heartaches - Albert Allick Bowlly . Isador Simon Phillips and His Melodians

E3 - Hidden sea buried deep | Birth Of The Blues - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone .. Piano Medley of Layton and Johnstone Successes: Intro - My Blue Heaven - John Turner Layton Jr.

E4 - Libet's all joyful camaraderie | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

E5 - To the minimal great hidden | Paddlin' Madelin' Home - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

E6 - Sublime beyond loss | Stardust - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra

E7 - Bewildered in other eyes | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler

E8 - Long term dusk glimpses | Exactly Like You - Harold Rodman Lambert . Roger Wolff Kahn and His Orchestra

F1 - Gradations at arm's length | [Sample unknown]

F2 - Drifting time misplaced | Lullaby Of The Leaves - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

F3 - Internal bewildered World | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini

F4 - Burning despair does ache | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

F5 - Aching cavern without lucidity | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

F6 - An empty bliss beyond this World | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - Victor Salon Orchestra

F7 - Libet delay - Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

F8 - Mournful cameraderie | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

Stage 4 - Glitsholder

Post-Awareness Stage 4 is where serenity and the ability to recall singular memories gives way to confusions and horror. It's the beginning of an eventual process where all memories begin to become more fluid through entanglements, repetition and rupture.

SECTIONS & SAMPLES:

G1 - Post Awareness Confusions

Section A: [Sample unknown] | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunset - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra | Lullaby Of The Leaves - George Edward Olsen Sr. and His Orchestra

---

Section B: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Heartaches - Albert Allick Bowlly . Isador Simon Phillips and His Melodians

---

Section C: Ancient Court Whisperings - Albert Benzler | The Japanese Sandman - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra

---

Section D: Don't Put The Blame On Me - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Belle Of the East - Albert Benzler

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Section E: The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | Heartaches - Gaetano Alberto Lombardo and His Royal Canadians | To You - Mert Curtis . Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

..............

H1 - Post Awareness Confusions:

Section A: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

---

Section B: Winterreise No. 05: Der Lindenbaum - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown] | Any Time, Anywhere - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

---

Section C: Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Melody: Bist du denn Gottes Sohn? - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown] | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

---

Section D: [Sample unknown] | The Waltz You Saved For Me - Harold Wayne King and His Orchestra | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir | Paddlin' Madelin' Home - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Winterreise No. 20: Der Wegweiser - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller

---

Section E: Gradana - Mantovani and His Orchestra

---

Section F: Piano Medley of Layton and Johnstone Successes: Intro - My Blue Heaven - John Turner Layton Jr.

..............

I1 - Temporary Bliss State:

Section A: The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler

---

Section B: The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler

..............

J1 - Post Awareness Confusions:

Section A: [Sample unknown] | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | To You - Mert Curtis . Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | In The Mission By The Sea - Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

---

Section B-a: Into My Heart - Harold Rodman Lambert . Roger Wolff Kahn and His Orchestra | Grand Canyon Suite: Painted Desert | Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

---

Section B-b: Say It Isn't So - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

---

Section C: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Paddlin' Madelin' Home - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown]

---

Section D: Ancient Court Whisperings - Albert Benzler | The Japanese Sandman - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra

Stage 5 - Eptitranxisticemestionscers Desending

Post-Awareness Stage 5 confusions and horror. More extreme entanglements, repetition and rupture can give way to calmer moments. The unfamiliar may sound and feel familiar. Time is often spent only in the moment leading to isolation.

SECTIONS & SAMPLES:

K1 - Advanced Plaque Entanglements:

Section A-a: [Sample unknown] | Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | The Mocking Bird - Harry Taft | Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | [Sample unknown]

---

Section A-b: Laura - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra

---

Section B: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown]

---

Section C1-a: Was It A Dream? - Richard Ewing Powell

---

Section C1-b: Melody: Prière à Notre-Dame

---

Section C2-a: I'm Following You - Lawrence Gray

---

Section C2-b: Melody: Prière à Notre-Dame

---

Section D: [Sample unknown] | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | [Sample unknown]

---

Section E: [Sample unknown] | Alabamy Bound - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Reckless Night On Board An Ocean Liner - Sydney John Lipton and His Grosvenor House Orchestra

---

Section F-a: Ancient Court Whisperings - Albert Benzler | Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | Heartaches - Albert Allick Bowlly . Isador Simon Phillips and His Melodians | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

---

Section F-b: [Sample unknown] | Belle Of The East - Albert Benzler | Heartaches - Gaetano Alberto Lombardo and His Royal Canadians | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler

---

Section G: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Garden Of Weed - Louis Stone and His Band

---

Section H: Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

---

Section I-a: [Sample unknown] | Garden Of Weed - Louis Stone and His Band | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

---

Section I-b: In The Mission By The Sea - Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown] | Room With A View - Mert Curtis . Russel Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

---

Section I-c: Granada - Mantovani & His Orchestra

---

Section I-d: Water Lilies In The Moonlight - Hughie Diamond . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

---

Section J: Grand Fantasia - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | In A Little Second Hand Store - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown]

---

Section K: Invincible Eagle March - James Fitzgerald | There's Too Many Eyes That Wanna Make Eyes At Two Pretty Eyes I Love - Arthur Jarrett . Wilfred Theodore Wemyes and His Orchestra | Don't Put The Blame On Me - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Alabamy Bound - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

L1 - Advanced plaque entanglements

Section A: Don't Put The Blame On Me - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown] | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Belle Of The East - Albert Benzler

---

Section B1: Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Melody: Bist du denn Gottes Sohn? - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown] | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

---

Section B2: Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Melody: Bist du denn Gottes Sohn? - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown] | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

---

Section C: The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | Heartaches - Gaetano Alberto Lombardo and His Royal Canadians | [Sample unknown]

---

Section D-a: Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler

---

Section D-b: [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

---

Section D-c: Garden Of Weed - Louis Stone

---

Section D-d: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

---

Section D-e: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

---

Section E: Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | [Sample unknown] | Stardust - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra

---

Section F: Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | Reckless Night On Board An Ocean Liner - Sydney John Lipton and His Grosvenor House Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

---

Section G: [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

---

Section H: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

---

Section I1: Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | [Sample unknown] | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

---

Section J: Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

---

Section K: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Winterreise No. 05: Der Lindenbaum - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton, Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra

---

Section I2: Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | [Sample unknown] | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

---

Section L: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | Grand Fantasia - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra | In A Little Second Hand Store - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown]

M1 - Synapse retrogenesis:

Section A1:

Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Meditation From "Thais" - Jesse Crawford

---

Section B1: Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | [Sample unknown] | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller

---

Section C-a: Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Ancient Court Whisperings - Albert Benzler | Lullaby Of The Leaves - George Edward Olsen Sr. and His Orchestra | Heartaches - Albert Allick Bowlly . Isador Simon Phillips and His Melodians | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

---

Section C-b: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | Gradana - Mantovani and His Orchestra

---

Section C-c: [Sample unknown] | Don't Put The Blame On Me - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Belle Of The East - Albert Benzler | [Sample unknown] | Heartaches - Gaetano Alberto Lombardo and His Royal Canadians

---

Section A2: London Town (You Haunt Me) - Stanley Augustus Holloway | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | There's Too Many Eyes That Wanna Make Eyes At Two Pretty Eyes I Love - Arthur Jarrett . Wilfred Theodore Wemyes and His Orchestra | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller

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Section B2: Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller

N1 - Sudden time regression into isolation

Section A1: [Sample unknown] | Lullaby Of The Leaves - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Stardust - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway

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Section B1: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Winterreise No. 05: Der Lindenbaum - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton, Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir

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Section B2: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Winterreise No. 05: Der Lindenbaum - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton, Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra

---

Section B3: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Melody: Bist du denn Gottes Sohn? - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown]

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Section C: Lullaby Of The Leaves - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Piano Medley Of Layton & Johnstone Successes (Ramona / My Ohio Home) - John Turner Layton Jr.

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Section A2: Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | [Sample unknown] | Stardust - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra

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Section A3: [Sample unknown] | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway

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Section B4 (Hell Sirens 4): Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Melody: Bist du denn Gottes Sohn? - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown] | Granada - Mantovani and His Orchestra

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Section D: Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown]

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Section E1 (Last Of The Bliss): Hello Tucky - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Piano Medley Of Layton & Johnstone Successes (Ramona / My Ohio Home) - John Turner Layton Jr. | Lullaby Of The Leaves - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir

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Section E2: Hello Tucky - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir

Stage 6 - Necrotonomigaud

Stage 6 is without description.

SECTIONS & SAMPLES:

O1 - A confusion so thick you forget forgetting:

Section A: The Waltz You Saved For Me - Harold Wayne King and His Orchestra | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | [Sample unknown]

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Section B: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton, Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

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Section C: Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | interresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | Meditation From "Thais" - Jesse Crawford

..............

P1 - A brutal bliss beyond this empty defeat:

Section A1: Hello Tucky - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir

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Section B-a: Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | [Sample unknown]

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Section B-b: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

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Section B-c: There's Too Many Eyes That Wanna Make Eyes At Two Pretty Eyes I Love - Arthur Jarrett . Wilfred Theodore Wemyes and His Orchestra

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Section B-d: [Sample unknown] | Alabamy Bound - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Granada - Mantovani and His Orchestra

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Section A2: Hello Tucky - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir | The Last Rose Of Summer - Jesse Crawford

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Section C: Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | London Town (You Haunt Me) - Stanley Augustus Holloway | Melody: The Haunted Ballroom

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Section D: There's Too Many Eyes That Wanna Make Eyes At Two Pretty Eyes I Love - Arthur Jarrett . Wilfred Theodore Wemyes and His Orchestra

..............

Q1 - Long decline is over:

Section A-a: Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Weary River - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

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Section A-b: Weary River - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

..............

R1 - Place in the World fades away

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Section A-b: Weary River - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

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Section B: [Sample unknown] | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini

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Section C (Last 5 minutes): Melody: Laßt mich ihn nur noch einmal küssen - Guildford Cathedral Choir

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Section D: [No sample]

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smokingago · 3 months ago

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La scienza riesce sempre a spiegare tutto (quasi)

L'intuizione quantistica è un concetto affascinante che si trova all'incrocio tra la fisica quantistica e la nostra comprensione della coscienza. Questo campo di ricerca esplora come i principi della meccanica quantistica possano influenzare il modo in cui percepiamo e comprendiamo il mondo intorno a noi.

Precisamente, l'intuizione quantistica si riferisce all'idea che la nostra mente possa operare in modi simili ai sistemi quantistici, come la sovrapposizione e l'entanglement. Questi fenomeni quantistici suggeriscono che le informazioni possono esistere in più stati contemporaneamente e che le particelle distanti possono essere collegate in modo tale che lo stato di una influenza immediatamente lo stato dell'altra.

Uno degli esperimenti più famosi è stato condotto da Benjamin Libet negli anni '80. Egli ha scoperto che l'attività cerebrale precede la consapevolezza di prendere una decisione, suggerendo che le nostre intenzioni possono essere influenzate da processi quantistici.

Inoltre, nel 1982, Alain Aspect ha condotto esperimenti che hanno dimostrato l'entanglement quantistico a distanze macroscopiche, suggerendo che le connessioni quantistiche potrebbero giocare un ruolo nella nostra percezione e intuizione!

Infine, il Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) ha condotto esperimenti che suggeriscono che la mente umana può influenzare i risultati dei sistemi quantistici, come i dispositivi di randomizzazione.

L'intuizione quantistica suggerisce che la nostra coscienza potrebbe essere più complessa e interconnessa con il mondo fisico di quanto si pensasse in precedenza. Tutto ciò potrebbe spiegare fenomeni come la sincronicità, dove eventi apparentemente non correlati si verificano simultaneamente in modo significativo.

Claudia Consiglio

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cogito-ergo-absens · 1 year ago

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La rétro causalité : une exploration des événements futurs influençant le passé

La rétro causalité est un concept fascinant qui suggère que des événements futurs pourraient influencer des événements passés. Bien que cette idée semble contre-intuitive et défie notre compréhension conventionnelle du temps, elle est explorée dans divers domaines de la science et de la philosophie.

Qu'est-ce que la Rétro causalité ?

La rétro causalité dérive des termes "rétro" (en arrière) et "causalité" (relation de cause à effet). Elle désigne l'idée que des effets peuvent précéder leurs causes, autrement dit, des événements futurs peuvent influencer des événements passés. Cette notion remet en question notre perception linéaire du temps et ouvre des perspectives nouvelles sur la nature de la réalité.

Expériences et Théories Suggérant la Rétro causalité

Effet Wheeler-Feynman et Modèle Transactionnel

Effet Wheeler-Feynman : Proposé par les physiciens John Wheeler et Richard Feynman, ce modèle implique que les particules peuvent échanger des informations par des ondes avancées (voyageant vers le passé) et retardées (voyageant vers le futur). Bien que cette idée soit principalement théorique, elle a inspiré des discussions sur la rétrocausalité.

Modèle Transactionnel de John Cramer : Ce modèle de la mécanique quantique propose que les événements quantiques impliquent des transactions entre des ondes avancées et retardées, suggérant une forme de communication rétro causale entre particules.

Expériences sur le Libre Arbitre et la Précognition

Expériences de Benjamin Libet : Dans les années 1980, le neuroscientifique Benjamin Libet a mené des expériences montrant que le cerveau semble préparer des actions avant que nous prenions consciemment la décision de les effectuer. Certains interprètent ces résultats comme une indication que des informations futures peuvent influencer le présent.

Études de Précognition : Des expériences de parapsychologie, comme celles menées par Daryl Bem, prétendent montrer que des participants peuvent parfois deviner des événements futurs mieux que par simple hasard. Les résultats de Bem, publiés en 2011, ont suscité un débat sur leur validité et sur l'existence possible de la précognition.

Expériences de Choix Retardé

Expérience de la Double Fente avec Choix Retardé : Cette version de l'expérience de la double fente de Young, réalisée par John Wheeler, démontre que la décision d'observer ou non une particule après qu'elle ait passé les fentes peut sembler influencer son comportement antérieur. Cela suggère que des choix futurs peuvent affecter des événements passés au niveau quantique.

Expérience de Choix Retardé de Marlan Scully et Druhl : Cette expérience est une variante de la double fente, où l'observation se fait après que les particules ont passé les fentes mais avant qu'elles ne soient détectées, montrant des résultats similaires et ajoutant au débat sur la rétro causalité.

Interprétations Théoriques

Théories de la Gravité Quantique : Certaines théories de la gravité quantique spéculent sur la possibilité que le temps ne soit pas linéaire à des niveaux fondamentaux de la réalité. Ces théories sont encore largement spéculatives et ne disposent pas de preuves expérimentales solides.

Paradoxe d'Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) : Bien que cette expérience concerne principalement l'intrication quantique, elle ouvre des questions sur la causalité et l'influence d'événements distants. Certaines interprétations suggèrent que les corrélations instantanées entre particules pourraient impliquer une forme de rétrocausalité.

Réactions et Controverses

Le concept de rétro causalité suscite des débats passionnés. La plupart des scientifiques restent sceptiques, soulignant que des preuves expérimentales solides et reproductibles font encore défaut. Les résultats des expériences mentionnées, comme celles de Libet et Bem, sont souvent critiqués pour leurs méthodologies et interprétations.

En revanche, les philosophes du temps et de la physique explorent les implications théoriques de la rétro causalité. Ils discutent de modèles où le temps pourrait être non linéaire ou où la causalité pourrait fonctionner dans les deux sens. Si la rétro causalité est réelle, elle pourrait révolutionner notre compréhension de la causalité, du libre arbitre et du destin, et influencer notre perception de la responsabilité morale.

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shadowmilkcookiesblog · 9 months ago

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Shadow Milks music taste is MINE BECAUSE I SAID SO

I could add more, but this is it for now

#cookie run kingdom #shadow milk cookie #ask shadow milk #ooc #crk au #shadow milk is so me #hed listen to this definitely #Spotify

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bored-philosopher-corner · 6 months ago

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PhD Journal - 09 11 2024

The paradox of Libet’s experiment : the proof of free will

How do we prove we have free will, as fully conscious agents? This question has puzzled philosophers, neuroscientists, and thinkers for centuries. The concept of free will—the ability to make choices independent of external determinants—sits at the heart of our understanding of human agency and responsibility. In this article, we will explore the intersection of philosophical ideas and scientific experiments, focusing on the groundbreaking work of Benjamin Libet and its implications for our understanding of free will.

We find that there is quite a lot of philosophical foundation to ground and think about the concept of free will. Philosophers like Descartes, Kant, and Sartre have grappled with the notion of free will. Descartes emphasized the importance of human consciousness and rationality, while Kant argued for the autonomy of moral agents. Sartre, on the other hand, posited that humans are condemned to be free, bearing the weight of complete responsibility for their actions. These philosophical perspectives provide a rich backdrop for our inquiry into the nature of free will. Within this thought process exists the debate of compatibilism versus incompatibilism. The debate between compatibilists and incompatibilists further complicates our understanding of free will. Compatibilists argue that free will can coexist with determinism, suggesting that our choices, while influenced by prior states and events, still allow for meaningful autonomy. Incompatibilists, however, contend that true free will is incompatible with determinism, asserting that for our choices to be genuinely free, they must not be determined by preceding events.

In the ongoing debate about free will, I align myself with the philosophy of compatibilism. This perspective recognizes that while our actions are undoubtedly influenced by a multitude of factors—such as our historical, social, economic, psychological, emotional, and academic backgrounds—we still possess the ability to make conscious decisions. Compatibilism allows for a nuanced understanding of human behavior, where individuals are seen as agents capable of acting according to their preferences, belief systems, and personal knowledge. It acknowledges that we can choose to act through or against our biases, driven by our will to navigate the complex interplay of influences that shape our lives.

In the 1980s, neuroscientist Benjamin Libet conducted experiments to investigate the timing of conscious intention and brain activity. Participants were asked to move their fingers at a time of their choosing while Libet measured the brain's readiness potential, an electrical signal indicating the brain's preparation for movement. Libet conducted experiments showing that brain activity related to movement (the readiness potential) occurs before the conscious intention to move. This suggests that the brain initiates actions before we are consciously aware of deciding to perform them. Participants in his experiments reported that they felt free to move whenever they wished and were not compelled to act. This introspective feeling of free will was a crucial part of his experimental design and interpretation. If participants had felt compelled to move, it would have undermined the validity of the experiments, as the subjective experience of free will was essential to Libet's conclusions. The experiments sought to demonstrate that the conscious decision to act follows the brain's initiation of that action, rather than being the instigator. Libet also proposed the concept of "veto power," suggesting that while the initiation of actions might be unconscious, the conscious mind has the ability to veto or inhibit these actions. This idea adds another layer to the debate about free will and conscious intention.

In Libet's studies, participants were indeed required to be willing and cooperative, meaning they needed to perform the task as instructed, which involved moving their finger at a time of their choosing. This cooperation ensured that the data collected was relevant to the question Libet was investigating: the timing of conscious intention relative to the brain's readiness potential. If participants were uncooperative or deliberately chose not to move, it would have skewed the results and made it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions about the relationship between brain activity and conscious intention. Cooperative participants who chose to move were essential for Libet to observe and measure the precise timing of brain activity and conscious intention. This helped to substantiate his theory that the brain initiates actions before we become consciously aware of deciding to perform them.

In the context of Libet's experiments, if participants didn't feel compelled to move their finger "at will" and chose not to move, it could indeed be interpreted as evidence of free will. This refusal to act would suggest that participants have the conscious ability to veto or inhibit a movement initiated by unconscious brain activity. Libet himself proposed the concept of "free won't," the idea that while the brain might initiate an action unconsciously, the conscious mind can still choose to stop it. This implies that the conscious mind has a sort of veto power over the actions initiated by the brain, allowing for a form of free will to be exercised in deciding whether or not to complete the action. The concept of "free won't," or the ability to consciously veto an action initiated by unconscious brain activity, supports the idea that we do have some level of control and agency over our actions. This nuanced understanding indicates that while our decisions may be influenced by unconscious processes, we still possess the capacity to exercise conscious choice and control.

Libet's experiments, which reveal that the brain initiates actions before conscious intention, pose an intriguing challenge to traditional notions of free will. However, from a compatibilist perspective, these findings do not negate the existence of free will. Instead, they highlight the intricate relationship between unconscious brain processes and conscious decision-making. The concept of "free won't," where individuals retain the power to veto or inhibit actions initiated by the brain, aligns well with compatibilism. This nuanced understanding supports the idea that while unconscious processes may influence our actions, we retain the capacity for conscious control and intentionality.

Libet's experiments present a unique paradox when it comes to proving the existence of free will. On the one hand, the experiments show that the brain's readiness potential—an unconscious signal—precedes the conscious intention to move. This finding challenges the traditional notion of free will, suggesting that our actions may be initiated by unconscious processes before we become aware of them. However, the concept of "free won't" adds a layer of complexity to this paradox. Libet proposed that while the brain may initiate actions unconsciously, individuals have the conscious ability to veto or inhibit these actions. This idea suggests that we do possess a form of free will, even if it's not in the way we traditionally understand it.

The paradox posed by Libet’s experiment stands as such: On the one hand, there is proof of free will through our actions. Indeed, if participants move their finger, the readiness potential precedes the conscious decision, which seems to argue against traditional free will. On the other hand, there is also proof of free will through our inaction. Because, if participants choose not to move, their conscious veto demonstrates an exercise of free will. This paradoxical nature of Libet's findings highlights the complexity of studying free will. It suggests that free will may not be about the initiation of actions but rather about the conscious ability to control and inhibit those actions. This perspective aligns with compatibilism, which posits that free will can coexist with deterministic processes.

By examining both the movement and non-movement of participants, we see that free will might exist in the nuanced interplay between unconscious brain activity and conscious control. This understanding encourages us to rethink the nature of free will, moving beyond binary notions of free vs. determined actions.

In embracing compatibilism, we acknowledge the complexity of human agency. By integrating the insights from Libet's experiments with philosophical perspectives on free will, we gain a richer understanding of the interplay between unconscious influences and conscious choices. The paradox in Libet's experiments does not provide a straightforward answer to the question of free will. Instead, it invites us to embrace the complexity of human consciousness and agency. It challenges us to consider that free will might be more about our ability to consciously influence and control our actions rather than solely about initiating them. This approach not only deepens our understanding of free will but also affirms the profound capacity for human autonomy and responsibility.

#contemporary philosophy #philosophy #philosophie #my writing #neurology #neuroscience #Libet's experiment #compatibilism #free will #phdjourney #phdjournal #phdblr

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mrmissense · 1 year ago

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Everywhere at the End of Time

(Überall am Ende der Zeit)

PHASE 1 Hier erfahren wir die ersten Zeichen von Gedächtnisverlust. Diese Phase ist wie ein schöner Tagtraum. Der Glanz alter Tage und ihrer Erinnerungen. Der letzte aller schönen Tage.

A1 - Nur eine brennende Erinnerung A2 - Uns bleiben nicht viele Tage A3 - Das Schweifen eines späten Nachmittags A4 - Kindlich frische Augen A5 - Leicht verwirrt A6 - Wunderschöne und vergängliche Dinge B1 - Alles Folgende ist wahr B2 - Eine herbstliche Tagundnachtgleiche B3 - Stille innere Rebellionen B4 - Die Lieben meines ganzen Lebens B5 - In unsere beider Augen B6 - Mein Herz wird in Freude verstummen

PHASE 2 Die zweite Phase besteht in der Realisation, dass etwas nicht stimmt zusammen mit der Weigerung, dies zu akzeptieren. Es fließt mehr Aufwand in den Erinnerungsprozess, was Erinnerungen länger werden lässt mit einer zunehmend schlechteren Qualität. Die Laune ist allgemein schlechter als in der ersten Phase und steht an dem Punkt kurz bevor die Verwirrung einsetzt.

C1 - Es wütet eine verlorene Schlacht C2 - In der Zeit deplatziert C3 - Was spielt es für eine Rolle, wie mein Herz bricht C4 - Hoffnungsschimmer in schwierigen Zeiten C5 - Sich der Verzweiflung ergeben D1 - Es fühlt sich noch immer so an als wäre ich ich D2 - Eine leise Dämmerung kommt früh D3 - Letzte Momente purer Erinnerung D4 - Entwirrende Leugnung D5 - Der Weg vor mir fühlt sich einsam an

PHASE 3 Hier präsentieren sich uns die letzten kohärenten Erinnerungen bevor die Verwirrung vollständig einsetzt und die grauen Schleier sich formen und wieder verschwinden. An die besten Momente kann sich noch erinnert werden, der musikalische Flow ist stellenweise verfälscht und wirr. Während wir fortschreiten werden einzelne Erinnerungen mehr und mehr gestört, isoliert, gebrochen und distanziert. Dies ist die letzte Glut des Bewusstseins, bevor wir in die Phasen eintreten, die jenseits des Bewusstseins liegen.

E1 - Dort hinten Benjamin E2 - Und Herz bricht E3 - Verstecktes Meer tief vergraben E4 - Libets fröhliche Bekanntschaft E5 - Zum minimal großem Versteckten E6 - Über den Verlust hinaus erhaben E7 - Verwundert in anderen Augen E8 - Langzeit Dämmerung Einblicke F1 - Abstufungen von Armes Länge F2 - Schweifende Zeit deplatziert F3 - Innere verblüffte Welt F4 - Brennende Verzweiflung tut weh F5 - Schmerzende Höhle ohne Klarheit F6 - Ein leeres Glück jenseits dieser Welt F7 - Libet Verzögerung F8 - Trauernde Bekanntschaft

PHASE 4 In der Post-Bewusstseins-Phase 4 weichen Gelassenheit und die Fähigkeit, einzelne Erinnerungen abzurufen der einsetzenden Verwirrung und Schrecken. Es ist der Beginn eines Prozesses, in dessen Verlauf alle Erinnerungen durch Verflechtung, Aufbrechen und Wiederholung irgendwann fließend und formlos werden.

G1 - Phase 4 Post-Bewusstseins-Verwirrungen H1 - Phase 4 Post-Bewusstseins-Verwirrungen I1 - Phase 4 Temporäre Glückseligkeitsphase J1 - Phase 4 Post-Bewusstseins-Verwirrungen

PHASE 5 Post-Bewusstseins-Phase 5 Verwirrung und Horror. Extreme Verflechtung, Wiederholung und Aufbrüche können ruhigeren Momenten weichen. Unbekanntes kann sich vertraut anhören und anfühlen. Zeit wird nur noch allein verbracht, was zu Isolation führt.

K1 - Phase 5 Fortgeschrittene Plague-Verflechtung L1 - Phase 5 Fortgeschrittene Plague-Verflechtung M1 - Synapsen-Retrogenese N1 - Phase 5 Plötzlicher Rückschritt in der Zeit, hinein in Isolation

PHASE 6 Post-Bewusstseins-Phase 6 ist ohne Beschreibung.

O1 - Phase 6 Eine Verwirrung so dicht, dass man vergisst, zu vergessen P1 - Phase 6 Eine brutale Glückseligkeit abseits dieser leeren Niederlage Q1 - Phase 6 Langanhaltende Verschlechterung ist vorüber R1 - Phase 6 Platz in der Welt verblasst

#german #translation #eateot #liminal #music #dreamcore #dementia #alzheimers #ambient #ambient music

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factuprealme · 5 months ago

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youtube

"Unravel the mysteries of free will and decision-making through the groundbreaking experiment of Benjamin Libet. Explore how time and unconscious brain activity shape our actions. Are we truly in control, or is it decided for us? Dive into this thought-provoking journey with FactUp." #FreeWill #Consciousness #Philosophy #Neuroscience #DecisionMaking #FactUp #MindAndBrain #BenjaminLibet #HumanMind #BrainScience

#Youtube

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madblackdiaries · 1 year ago

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"The Space Between Thought and Action"

The concept of free will? It’s more than just the power to act without necessity or fate—it’s the difference between living and merely existing.

I despise the notion of destiny; it feels so… uninspired. Who enjoys hearing spoilers in a movie anyway? Do you believe every move we make is already scripted, with no space between thought and reaction?

Some cultures cling to the idea of destiny like a security blanket, making them feel special or chosen. But which is more compelling: being predestined, or earning your place through conscious effort and decision-making?

Free will is a hotly debated topic, especially among quantum scholars who argue life’s meaningless and we lack control over anything. A bleak outlook, to say the least.

But hold on—let’s flip the coin. Neuroscientist Benjamin Libet shook things up with experiments suggesting brain activity precedes our conscious intention to act. This challenges the traditional view of decision-making, hinting at deeper complexities behind our choices.

Think of your brain as a boardroom: the DLPFC as CEO, weighing options strategically; the ACC as referee, resolving conflicts between choices; and the basal ganglia as party planners, assessing risks and rewards.

Yet, recent neuroimaging studies reveal these brain regions collaborating seamlessly to shape real-time decisions. Despite external influences nudging our decisions, we retain autonomy.

In conclusion, there’s a vast difference between cognitive nudges and a predetermined fate devoid of the space between thought and action. We all have the capacity to make our decisions count. There’s always room between thought and action.

• Black

#science #quantum philosophy #quantum consciousness #neuroscience #medicine

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globule-noir · 2 years ago

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youtube

Everywhere at the end of time' was a series exploring dementia, its advancement and its totality.

STAGE 1 :

00:00:00 Here we experience the first signs of memory loss. This stage is most like a beautiful daydream. The glory of old age and recollection. The last of the great days.

00:00:00 - A1 - It's just a burning memory

00:03:32 - A2 - We don't have many days

00:07:02 - A3 - Late afternoon drifting

00:10:38 - A4 - Childishly fresh eyes

00:13:36 - A5 - Slightly bewildered

00:15:38 - A6 - Things that are beautiful and transient

00:20:12 - B1 - All that follows is true

00:23:44 - B2 - An autumnal equinox

00:26:31 - B3 - Quiet internal rebellions

00:30:02 - B4 - The loves of my entire life

00:34:06 - B5 - Into each others eyes

00:38:42 - B6 - My heart will stop in joy

STAGE 2 :

00:41:22 The second stage is the self realisation and awareness that something is wrong with a refusal to accept that. More effort is made to remember so memories can be more long form with a little more deterioration in quality. The overall personal mood is generally lower than the first stage and at a point before confusion starts setting in.

00:41:22 - C1 - A losing battle is raging

00:46:01 - C2 - Misplaced in time

00:50:44 - C3 - What does it matter how my heart breaks

00:53:22 - C4 - Glimpses of hope in trying times

00:58:06 - C5 - Surrendering to despair

01:03:09 - D1 - I still feel as though I am me

01:07:17 - D2 - Quiet dusk coming early

01:10:54 - D3 - Last moments of pure recall

01:14:47 - D4 - Denial unravelling

01:19:02 - D5 - The way ahead feels lonely

STAGE 3 :

01:23:17 Here we are presented with some of the last coherent memories before confusion fully rolls in and the grey mists form and fade away. Finest moments have been remembered, the musical flow in places is more confused and tangled. As we progress some singular memories become more disturbed, isolated, broken and distant. These are the last embers of awareness before we enter the post awareness stages.

01:23:17 - E1 - Back there Benjamin

01:27:33 - E2 - And heart breaks

01:31:38 - E3 - Hidden sea buried deep

01:32:59 - E4 - Libet's all joyful camaraderie

01:36:12 - E5 - To the minimal great hidden

01:37:53 - E6 - Sublime beyond loss

01:40:03 - E7 - Bewildered in other eyes

01:41:55 - E8 - Long term dusk glimpses

01:45:29 - F1 - Gradations of arms length

01:47:00 - F2 - Drifting time misplaced

01:51:16 - F3 - Internal bewildered World

01:54:45 - F4 - Burning despair does ache

01:57:22 - F5 - Aching cavern without lucidity

01:58:41 - F6 - An empty bliss beyond this World

02:02:19 - F7 - Libet delay

02:06:15 - F8 - Mournful cameraderie

STAGE 4 :

02:08:53 Post-Awareness Stage 4 is where serenity and the ability to recall singular memories gives way to confusions and horror. It's the beginning of an eventual process where all memories begin to become more fluid through entanglements, repetition and rupture.

02:08:53 - G1 - Stage 4 Post Awareness Confusions

02:31:02 - H1 - Stage 4 Post Awareness Confusions

02:52:55 - I1 - Stage 4 Temporary Bliss State

03:13:58 - J1 - Stage 4 Post Awareness Confusions

STAGE 5 :

03:36:12 Post-Awareness Stage 5 confusions and horror. More extreme entanglements, repetition and rupture can give way to calmer moments. The unfamiliar may sound and feel familiar. Time is often spent only in the moment leading to isolation.

03:36:12 - K1 - Stage 5 Advanced plaque entanglements

03:58:49 - L1 - Stage 5 Advanced plaque entanglements

04:21:37 - M1 - Stage 5 Synapse retrogenesis

04:42:25 - N1 - Stage 5 Sudden time regression into isolation

STAGE 6 :

05:04:32 Post-Awareness Stage 6 is without description.

05:04:32 - O1 - Stage 6 A confusion so thick you forget forgetting

05:26:25 - P1 - Stage 6 A brutal bliss beyond this empty defeat

05:48:02 - Q1 - Stage 6 Long decline is over

06:09:12 - R1 - Stage 6 Place in the World fades away

#dementia #alzheimer's disease #Youtube #the caretaker

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povertyandthebrain · 2 years ago

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youtube

Benjamin Libet's experiment on consciousness and free will.

Do we have Free Will? That's one of the main questions behind Benjamin Libet's work. He's an American neuroscientist who became known for his research into human consciousness and decision-making processes in our brain.

The video shows the recreation of one of his most famous experiments: in which subjects were asked to perform simple flexions of the wrist at any time they felt the urge to do so. Libet then measured three things: The timing of 'readiness potential' (RP), an electrical change in the brain, the timing of subject's consciousness of their intention to act, and the timing of the motor act. He found that the RP starts 550ms before the motor act, whereas subjects only became aware of the intention to act only 200ms before he motor act.

Libet concluded that although the motor act was initiated before people became conscious of their intent to move, this did not mean that free will was excluded. Instead, he hypothesized that free will may exist in the form of a sort of veto power. Even though the action is initiated unconsciously, people became aware of their intent to act before the actual movement (200ms before the act). Therefore, it is possible that they would use this time to control or veto that movement.

Read more about this experiment in Libet's paper: "Do We Have Free Will?" (1999)

#consciousness #decision making #free will #neuroscience #quantitative research #Youtube

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goobtacular · 1 year ago

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I agree with you on the soul thing. I think even if we believed in it, and it sounds like neither of us do, it would fundamentally ruin this discussion, cause its entire role is being the seat of power.

That being said I actually disagree about the brain being in charge. Or rather I think it's a puppet king. It's the mechanism through which the true ruler exercises its power. The government, not the leader. And I have proof.

There have been a few studies about disconnecting the hemispheres of the brain, creating a split-brain. The specifics aren't super relevant, although they are interesting, so I'll summarize. Each hemisphere will take input and create behavior independently and without the influence or awareness of the other hemisphere. For example subjects would be shown an image to only the right hemisphere, and they would do as instructed. However, the speech center is typically in the left hemisphere. Upon questioning they would make up a reason as to why they raised their hand, or stood, whatever they were instructed to do.

They believed their reasons until there was overwhelming evidence that they were doing as instructed. Even then, they couldn't tell when it happened again. The brain fashioned a conscious decision making process from nothing.

Benjamin Libet did another interesting study. He gave subjects a button and a timer. They were to note the position of the timer when they first had the urge to press the button. They were allowed to press the button as many times as they wished within the time frame. The whole time he measured brain and muscular activity.

Libet found that brain activity in the motor cortex started its action on average, 500 milliseconds before, with a 50 millisecond margin of error due to relying on the subjects to tell the start of the urge. Later studies found a 7 second delay from when the action started, to the awareness of the subject. In other words action starts long before the person decides to do it.

Once again the brain constructed the illusion of a conscious decision, when it cannot be true. The brain activity was in the motor cortex, it had nothing to do with the decision, and everything to do with the implementation.

If the brain will retroactively create a continuous conscious decision making process where there is none. One might begin to question if there ever is a conscious decision making process. If the brain, isn't making the decisions, what is it doing? And what is making these decisions?

Now one might assume that the subconscious is the true decision maker. But I'm not so sure. It's possible sure, but where in the body does the subconscious reside? Naturally the brain, and the brain lies. No, it's something much more sinister.

I believe the brain is the propaganda machine for the true decision maker. It's purpose is to create a narrative while distributing commands/resources to the other parts of the body.

While all the body parts have some manner of leverage, each and every part can, with the combined efforts of other parts, be overridden. Even the heart can be pumped manually, if only for a time. However there is one thing that is the same for every single body part.

Cells! If anything rules the body I believe it to be the cells. Cells communicate via chemical and mechanical signals. Those signals are then received by other cells, some of which form nerve tissues, which can distribute the signal anywhere else in the body. Doesn't that sound familiar? The cells have internet.

Additionally each cell makes decisions, based on outside stimulus, from its nucleus. A central processing system hooked up to others, forming distributed processing. I liken it to an AI. Each cell thinks it's own little thoughts, and passes them to another cell, until it makes way to the nervous system. The cloud, where all that data, all those thoughts, are processed to decide their next course of action. Group think on the highest level.

Now that might sound the same as saying the nervous system rules the body. However, the nervous system is just the platform, where the cells rule as one. No single cell has the capacity to pilot a machine so complex as the human body, with its myriad processes and endless functions. However trillions of cells, sharing the burden would certainly be enough.

Thus I argue that by working as one and being conscious of their place in the hierarchy, the working class has claimed the seat of power in the body

@joyfulbitingwhispers

I keep running out of tags on the who is the bodies dictator thing, so I'm moving it to here. Where I can say as much as I want and you can too!

Anyways, like I said in the tags, if I had to pick from the organic choices, I would probably argue that the brain is the almighty dictator. It controls the release of hormones, which in a real world example is like controlling the resources people have access to.

It also controls a lot more, so I'm just gonna put this here below the read more in case people don't want to read it.

It's literally just the diagram I had to study for my biology mock exam, but anyway, it's always easier with a diagram

So, the Medulla. It controls stuff like the breathing and heartbeat, aka it has the ability to stop something that allows someone the ability to live. It has the choice to snuff the body out if it wants to (not really, but personified, it chooses to). Stopping the heartbeat would also stop blood flow to different parts of the body so in our fake body government, that would be the equivalent of taking away all life preserving resources just because it can.

Cerebellum: So it's not really the same, but for some reason, I'm associating being able to control muscle coordination with the ability to like... coordinate an army, or control what people can and can't do. So like, it's sort of the in body equivalent of taking away people's rights I guess.

Cerebral Cortex: This is literally just the controlling of freedom of speech and propaganda. It's textbook dictatorship stuff.

The only thing I would argue would contradict the brain being the dictator is that it would also be the source of its own undoing should it do something such as cut off the heart or lungs that would cause it to lose oxygen and blood flow to the brain, effectively killing it by itself which would pose the argument that the heart or lungs have the higher power. But I also find that most of these dictatorships that you hear about are generally the cause of their own undoing. They got too big or too arrogant and are inevitably destroyed because they were too blinded by power to see that what they're doing will have devastating consequences for themselves. So maybe that further adds to why the brain is very clearly the dictator.

I do think many parts could be placed here, but I think it's generally agreed that the brain has the most power.

Another argument still stands for the soul, though, if that's on the table. But many don't believe in it , and I don't really either. It's more of an abstract concept than a real thing, but it would still be interesting to think about.

#i like your totalitarian trifecta #it makes a lot of sense cause none could survive without the others #even if removing a different organ would also get them its not like dictators are all that self sufficient #i could easily imagine some sort of coup being staged by the trifecta to steal power #then they'd rule together for a golden age #until the same urge that drove them together began to consume thein comradery #leaving naught but ambition in its wake #they'd turn on each other #and eventually things would escalate into the public eye #the body would be split into three factions and left weakened #unwilling to help and too jaded accept help #they'd watch as the hordes of bacteria and viruses slaughterd the distracted kingdoms #their armies to busy guarding against each other to put up a fight #at least that's how i imagine it would go

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