Conscious Electrons? The Problem with Panpsychism

I feel increasingly concerned about what I believe to be a mounting and extremely dangerous cultural threat looming on the horizon: panpsychism, the notion that all matter has consciousness, as opposed to being in consciousness.

At a historical nexus when new data and more critical thinking are finally rendering materialism logically and empirically inviable, panpsychism comes in as a tortuous but seductive bandaid.

It threatens to extend the delusion of a universe outside consciousness for yet another century. In this essay, I’d like to try and raise the alarm about it.

Before we begin, let’s clarify what I mean by panpsychism. As discussed in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the term ‘panpsychism’ has so many possible interpretations as to render it at best ambiguous and at worst useless. So more must be said. What I specifically mean here are two particular interpretations of the term that I believe are gaining momentum in both academia and the culture at large...<<<Read More>>>...

 

Scientists Claim the Universe Is Alive—And Your Brain’s Tapped Into It

 Scientists have long speculated about the nature of our world and consciousness, with some theories edging into the realm of quantum fiction. In pursuit of one such idea, researchers have begun developing a device designed to link the human brain with a phenomenon of universal scale.

A recent study proposes that consciousness may not be exclusive to humans but could also be an inherent feature of the Universe, guided by resonant frequencies that connect all matter—from stars to cells.

According to this theory, electromagnetic vibrations create a universal harmony, with human consciousness representing just one small part of a larger cosmic pattern....<<<Read More>>>...

Scientists Now Suggest the Universe Itself May Be Conscious

 You don’t have to look far to find outlandish theories on the nature of the cosmos and human consciousness. These days, notions once relegated to science fiction are finding their way into esoteric academic journals, and from there, into mainstream discourse.

One example of this is the Simulation Argument, championed by Elon Musk; another is “time crystals,” a tantalizing non-linear phase of matter. The newest symphony of mind jazz being broadcast across the Internet posits new ideas about the embattled theory of “panpsychism,” or the belief that mind is a fundamental property of the physical universe and is imbued into all states of matter....<<<Read More>>>...

Panpsychism: The Radical Idea That Everything Has a Mind

Have you ever wondered if the sun, the moon, or the stars have feelings? Or if the rocks, the trees, or the clouds have thoughts? Or if the atoms, the electrons, or the quarks have experiences? If you have, then you are not alone.

Many philosophers throughout history have entertained the idea that everything in the universe has some form of consciousness, or a mind-like quality. This idea is called panpsychism, from the Greek words pan (all) and psyche (soul or mind).

Panpsychism is one of the oldest philosophical theories, dating back to ancient Greece, where thinkers like Thales, Plato, and Spinoza proposed that all things have a soul or a mind.

Panpsychism was also popular in the 19th century, when philosophers like William James, Alfred North Whitehead, and Bertrand Russell argued that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of reality....<<<Read More>>>....

Consciousness may appear before we are born, scientists say

 How do we become conscious beings? At what moment and where does our consciousness appear? These eternal questions of philosophers and scientists have again come to light in the light of recent research.

A team of neuroscientists and philosophers from Australia, Germany, the United States and Ireland conducted a literature review that pushes our thinking about early consciousness in newborns. The results of this study were published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

For a long time, philosophers and scientists have been faced with the problem of determining the moment when consciousness began. When does a newborn baby become aware of the world around him?

Some suggest that this does not occur until many months after birth, while others argue that the first moments of consciousness may occur soon after birth....<<<Read More>>>...

 

Consciousness May Be Part of the Fabric of the Universe

 One of the most intriguing and controversial topics in philosophy and science is the nature and origin of consciousness. We humans are undoubtedly conscious beings, capable of experiencing, feeling, and reflecting on our own existence and the mysteries of reality.

But what is the source of this consciousness? Is it a product of our brains, or does it transcend the physical realm? Is it a unique property of living organisms, or is it a fundamental aspect of the universe that pervades all matter?

These questions were the focus of a recent workshop at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where philosophers and physicists gathered to discuss panpsychism, the view that consciousness is not a rare or emergent phenomenon, but a basic and universal feature of reality that is present in every particle and system.

According to panpsychism, consciousness is not something that arises from complex arrangements of matter, but something that is inherent to matter itself. It is a fundamental property of reality, like mass or charge, that has always existed and is woven into the very fabric of the universe....<<<Read More>>>...

 

The New Science of Consciousness: The Next Great Scientific Revolution

In the 1960s, historian and philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn published a book titled The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, which became very influential in both academic and popular circles.

In this book, Kuhn proposed that paradigms—theoretical frameworks of scientific disciplines within which theories are formulated and experiments performed—can and should change because sooner or later, they fail to explain observed phenomena.

According to Kuhn, when anomalies—experimental observations or other empirical evidence which violates the widely accepted theoretical framework—that the paradigm cannot accommodate accumulate, and persistent efforts by scientists fail to elucidate these anomalies, the scientific community begins to lose confidence in the dominant paradigm and a crisis period ensues.

A new paradigm, competing with the old for supremacy, can now be entertained. This new paradigm is not just an extension of the old paradigm, but a completely different worldview....<<<Read More>>>...

Nine Ways to Help Others Awaken to Consciousness

 1. Living by your values allows you to become a positive source of inspiration for others. Don't hide -- express yourself and embrace life without reservation. By simply being yourself, you can help the people in your life see how one person can make a difference by being a living example of consciousness.

2. When you communicate your views, do so casually and in a non dogmatic manner. Allow the people you speak with to ask questions. Offer only as much information as they are ready to hear.

3. Igniting the spark of consciousness can be as easy as giving someone a gift. A favorite book, a medicine bag, or a beautiful gemstone can pique your loved ones' curiosity and prompt them to begin an exploration of the soul.

4. Teaching a friend, relative, or colleague to meditate or chant can put them on the path to consciousness while simultaneously reducing their stress levels.

5. Others may want to know more about living consciously but are unsure of how to begin. Starting a discussion group -- even a virtual one -- can help you reach out to individuals that are eager to learn.

6. By recognizing and acknowledging the inherent value in everyone you encounter, you can teach them how to value others. Sometimes, the easiest way to encourage people -- even challenging ones -- to respect others is to respect them first.

7. Invite people from your personal and professional lives to join you in attending a ceremony or ritual. The experience may touch them in a profound way or introduce them to a new spiritual path.

8. Casually point out the interconnectedness of all living beings using concrete, everyday examples. Many people are unaware of how their actions affect the world and are intrigued when they learn of the power they hold.

9. Introduce your loved ones to conscious living in a lighthearted and enjoyable way. Serve delicious organic recipes at gatherings, volunteer as a group, and show them how wonderful it can feel to be truly aware and connected to the universe....<<<Read More>>>>..

Consciousness Is Part of the Cosmos – Transmitted and Displayed by the Brain

 [Anomalien]: Your consciousness is not your consciousness. It is the manifestation of the longing of the cosmos for itself. It comes to you through you but not from you.

The beyond-the-brain consciousness — the consciousness we encountered in our review of near-death experiences, after-death communication, medium-conveyed and instrumental transcommunication, past-life recollections, and in experiences suggestive of reincarnation — is not a material entity in the manifest world.

It is an intrinsic element in the Akasha, the deep dimension of the cosmos.

The idea that consciousness belongs to a deeper dimension of reality is a perennial intuition. The great spiritual masters, poets, and even scientists have been telling us that consciousness is not “in” the brain and is not part of the world in which the brain exists.

It is part of the mind or intelligence that infuses the cosmos. Consciousness appears in space and time as a localized (yet nonlocal) manifestation. Erwin Schrödinger said it clearly: consciousness is one — it does not exist in the plural.

Just as particles and systems of particles in spacetime are projections of codes and relations in the Akashic deep dimension, so the consciousness associated with living organisms is a manifestation — a holographic projection — of the unitary consciousness that does not merely exist in, but actually is, that dimension....<<<Read More>>>...

 

Don’t Dishonour Your 5D Dream…Protect and Nurture it!

[Wake Up World]: If you’re reading this it’s because you’re likely a way-shower, a pioneer, a pathfinder in the Great Earth Shift to 5D consciousness. In which case, especially in today’s confused and confusing world, it’s utterly essential you protect your dream. Make sure you’re watering and feeding it with the right nutrients. Make sure you’re not dishonouring it by expressing it into the wrong environment, the wrong “climate”. What do I mean exactly?

My advice is to not share your 5D dream into an environment that just isn’t going to get it. Because in doing so, you risk diminishing and dishonouring it. Some people are just not ready to get this vision, not in a million years. And that’s entirely okay. They have their path and trajectory which is entirely right and fine for them. Just as you have yours. Be clear about your pathway, and honour it!

There’s a major parting of the waves underway right now. Plenty will go the route of the metaverse and off-planet to avoid the tumultuous earth transformation of the “Event”. But those heading into 5D, will be connected, through the dimensions, re-establishing a divine connection to the true nature of Gaia, and helping to actualise it, here and now.

Protect your dream. Make sure it’s planted in the right soil, with the right surroundings. Be careful who you choose as your acquaintances and friends. Plenty will be drawn to you, but they’ll also feel threatened by you. They can sense there’s something special about the energy, something that glimmers in them too. But plenty aren’t yet ready to go there, aren’t yet ready to commit. And so at the earliest opportunity, they’ll shoot you down so as to protect their own comfortable, in the box, limitation....<<<Read More>>>...

Consciousness: Is it in the Cerebral Cortex — or the Brain Stem?

 We welcome differing viewpoints to our own, and will publish such material from time to time. It's what makes life a learning curve, hearing viewpoints from others. 

Our viewpoint on where consciousness exists is different to this however. Our view is that consciousness exists externally to the human body and is connected to the human body. It's not within the human body.

[SOTT]: It's our evolutionary pride and joy. But ... a lot of evidence, suggests that the source of consciousness in the brain is in fact in the brain stem, which is a much more ancient, much more primitive structure that we share, not only with all other primates and all other mammals, but in fact, with all vertebrates. The basic structure of the brain stem in you and me is the same as it is in fishes. If you're going to look at it from the physical point of view, which part of the brain, is bound up with this mental property that we call consciousness? It is the reticular activating system, in particular, of the brain stem. It's primitive core. I said, there's tons of evidence, but let me just mention the most dramatic bit of evidence....<<<Read More>>>...

New Study Finds Humans Can Access a Higher Level of Consciousness

[Collective Evolution]: New research has discovered verifiable evidence of a higher level of consciousness. Researchers used brain imaging equipment to analyze the small magnetic fields created in the brain and discovered that, across three psychedelic substances, one measure of conscious level — neural signal diversity — was consistently greater.

Neuroscientists discovered a prolonged increase in neural signal diversity — a measure of the complexity of brain activity — in persons under the influence of psychedelic substances as compared to when they were awake.

The variety of brain impulses gives a mathematical indicator of awareness degree. People who are awake, for example, have more diversified brain activity than those who are asleep, according to this measure.

However, this is the first study to show that brain-signal diversity is more than baseline, that is, greater than in someone who is merely ‘awake and aware.’ Previous research has focused on decreased states of awareness, such as sleep, anesthesia, or the so-called vegetative state. More research utilizing complex and diverse models is required, according to the researchers, who are cautiously hopeful....<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

Does Consciousness Create Our Material Reality?

[Collective Evolution]: Where does the “physical” world come from? Matter at its smallest observable form, atoms, pop in and out of existence all the time. The idea that physical matter is birthed from a non physical realm, such as the “quantum vacuum” or the “void”, or something else we are unaware of is not novel. 

Nikola Tesla himself believed that “all perceptible matter comes from a primary substance, or tenuity beyond conception, filling all space, the akasha, or luminiferous ether, which is acted upon by the life-giving Prana or creative force, calling into existence, in never-ending cycles all things and phenomena.” (Man’s Greatest Achievement, 1907)

A paper published by Parahamsa Tewari in the journal Physics Essays explains,

“A century from now, it will be well known that: the vacuum of space which fills the universe is itself the real substratum of the universe; vacuum in a circulating state becomes matter; the electron is the fundamental particle of matter and is a vortex of vacuum with a vacuum-less void at the center and it is dynamically stable; the speed of light relative to vacuum is the maximum speed that nature has provided and is an inherent property of the vacuum; vacuum is a subtle fluid unknown in material media; vacuum is mass-less, continuous, non viscous, and incompressible and is responsible for all the properties of matter; and that vacuum has always existed and will exist forever….Then scientists, engineers and philosophers will bend their heads in shame knowing that modern science ignored the vacuum in our chase to discover reality for more than a century.”

This non-physical “field” may also be dark energy, we don’t really know or understand it quite well, but we know it exists. A declassified Defense Intelligence Agency document touches on this,

“We do not understand why it exists or how it is created; we simply know it provides an ever-present force on spacetime, causing the universe to expand. Indeed, recent high-precision experimental observations indicate dark energy may be a cosmological vacuum energy.”

So, if our material world is birthed from this non material “stuff”, does consciousness play a factor? It’s interesting to contemplate, especially given the fact that consciousness is not a physical thing, nor is it the result of any known physical process or biology. You cannot pinpoint or find the source of consciousness within the brain. Even at the quantum level, factors associated with consciousness have been known to change the behavior of matter, like photons, suggesting that matter itself may be a conscious perceiving thing....<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

The Big Why And Other Observations

[Waking Times]: This is a hot button question that continually lurks behind the scenes of life’s garish activity and all of its ongoing drama.

It touches on free will, purpose and meaning, and all kinds of deeply philosophical issues. Yet it is a very simple, everyday question any conscious being asks continually within this reactive matrix we call human consciousness. All of which is inside this evolving and often seemingly devolving experience we call life.

Who’s to say what “direction” things should go?

Such questions are a pervading angst on so many levels.

Is there a reason, a meaning, a purpose to anything, immediate or even deeply remote to what we call life?

Never mind for the day to day madness that’s unfolding before our eyes?

It really is a time of opportunity.

Stay with me here. This is tough stuff to try to articulate.

Whatever we think we are is always there looking for meaning. Reason and purpose are right on its heels, along with the big underlying question of “why?”

The way bigger question is, who is it that’s asking?

That’s the whopper if we’re willing to go there. If we don’t get that one, all bets are off and we’re trying to perceive things in a primordial soup of mental relativity. We assume self is one thing, the programmed sense of a continual self and reinforced identity, by ourselves as well as our environment.

But is that an illusory perception?

From “just because it is” to the religious default of “it’s God’s plan”, many foundational understandings are much closer to the truth than we realize. They default to “isness”, which escapes the rational mind. Lao Tzu had many mind-stopping things to say about this. Heck, even the Bible says that the supposed God said when asked about his name, “I am that I am.” Clearly derived from earlier teachings.

Profound realities have their way of surfacing. This mind blowing point is found throughout all great teachings.

Things just are. The implied powerlessness of such a simple realization is overwhelming to the ego driven self.

I say good. Deal with it. Head on. That fake self stuff is what’s making such a mess here.

But that’s all part of it too. Nothing is outside of the all pervading “what is”. A tremendous relief to realize. In fact, in that understanding there is no “awake” or “unawake”, despite the polarity of the informational field and the endless treadmill of so-called spirituality. We are where we are.

If you hunger for more, get there....<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

Sail Through Life With a Cosmic Perspective

[Wake Up World]: It’s so easy to be sidetracked in life and miss the bigger picture, to look at what others have achieved and wonder, “What have I done this whole time?” But all feelings of inadequacy you experience are caused by losing yourself in the minutia of human life: the race be more productive, more successful, to get ahead.

Sure, those things are important, but only to a point. If you concentrate on them too much, you risk ignoring the forest for the trees. You’ll feel guilty for not being as successful as you dreamed to be, envious of people who are, or bitter if you put in the work and sweat, but things don’t seem to click.

If that happens, stop a minute. Zoom out, and look at the bigger picture:

Your own life is a miracle. At the moment, we do not know for sure if complex lifeforms (meaning bacteria and above) exist on other planets. As far as intelligent life goes, the odds can be as low as 1 in 100,000,000 planets (maybe even lower).

Viewed on a cosmic scale, the existence of a single human, you, is wondrous.

But what makes this even better, is that you are not a single wonder. As you are reading this, 7 billion other souls are breathing the same air as you, to say nothing of all the other living beings on our planet.

Why does this matter? Because you do not exist to be alone. No human exists independent of humankind, even hermits....<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

‘As Above, So Below’ – Are Cosmic Forces at Work on Earth?

[Waking Times]: When we think of wars, revolutions, populist uprisings, outbreaks of mass hysteria and other sudden social and political eruptions – even a popstar’s popularity or the latest fashion trend – we usually believe that at bottom there is some logical, rational explanation for them, even if we do not yet possess it.

We are confident that we can understand these things through economics, psychology, race relations, religion, or as a reaction to ‘modernity’ or to some other factor that we can reason about, analyse, come to decisions on and take steps to alter and improve.

Although the evidence sadly seems to suggest otherwise, we believe that ultimately we can learn how to control the factors that lead to these explosions. We can, if not eliminate the more catastrophic events like wars, at least minimise the disruptions they cause. In short, we believe we control our fate – or will be able to sometime soon. That is the whole modern project: man applying his intellect and will in order to make a better world, working to control events rather than be controlled by them, and steering history toward progress. We are not there yet, but it is just a matter of time.

But what if there are factors at work in these massive human events that are beyond our control? What if they are not a product of solely rational, calculable forces but are triggered by natural causes, even cosmic ones? What if the power behind these upheavals doesn’t come from the earth below but from up above, in outer space, from the moon, the stars, the planets and the sun? ...<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

Researchers find evidence of ‘hidden consciousness’ days after brain injury

[Natural News]: The thin line between life and death as well as the definition of “brain dead” has long puzzled neuroscientists and even sparked debates, lawsuits and media frenzies. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, however, has found neural hints of a “hidden consciousness” in patients who went on to make full recoveries from traumatic brain injuries.

After taking a closer look at electroencephalography (EEG) data, researchers at Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital found that nearly one in seven brain-injured ICU patients show evidence of a hidden consciousness just days after their injury. According to the researchers, patients that exhibited these signs were more likely to recover.

“Though our study was small, it suggests that EEG–a tool that’s readily available at the patient’s bedside in the ICU in almost any hospital across the globe–has the potential to completely change how we manage patients with acute brain injury,” says lead author Jan Claassen, an associate professor of neurology at Columbia University‘s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons who also serves as the director of the Neurological Intensive Care Unit at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

At the moment, there is still no perfect way to predict an unconscious, brain-injured patient’s chances of recovery. However, as the study shows, there may be a relatively fast and easy way to find signs of hidden consciousness in unresponsive patients and weigh their chances of survival...<<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

Meditation & Intention Alone Won’t Really Change Our World

[Collective Evolution]: Quantum physics has illustrated that our consciousness likely plays a huge role in creating our reality. But, people might have taken this a bit far, thinking that it alone can bring about the incredible changes we all deeply know are possible.

Considering the totality of your being, are we simply only to focus on intuition, consciousness and spirit, and disregard the mind, creativity and the body? Or do these all work as part of this physical experience?

What does it even mean to advance one’s consciousness? Is it sitting and meditating? Is it releasing anger? Is it learning to meditate? Is it staying in a state of bliss all day long on your own, with no care of what others are doing in the world that you share?

We are in a time where we are having to face “the shadow”, as people call it, within ourselves and humanity. This is the aspects of ourselves that is built within the old and dying paradigm of disconnection, fear and scarcity. It’s a state of consciousness and being where we see ourselves as separate from one another, in competition and fighting to survive. This way of being identifies strongly with ego, our material self only, our identity, beliefs and so forth. Within this way of thinking, we are not truly connected to our true and authentic self.

Shifting consciousness means becoming aware of what drives you, what stories, beliefs and programs are creating the actions and decisions you are making. This is what drives you and the collective. Meditation can help us quiet the mind and get clear on who we truly are, but it alone will not change our world because we must then act from that new state of consciousness....<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

Shattering The Grand Illusion: The Power Of Human Thought

[Collective Evolution]: Have you ever noticed the voice in your head that doesn’t stop talking? It’s busy judging people and things, forming opinions, and commenting on everything that happens. It keeps nattering about things that happened in the past or might happen in the future. In fact, we all have this inner voice in our heads, whether we are conscious of it or not.

When life is lived with little or no awareness of the “voice in the head” it becomes completely driven by this voice. Eventually you can believe that the voice in the head is who you are. You may believe you’re the one who’s talking and having a say about everything, but perhaps this is not so. What if the voice in your head is not actually generating your own thoughts?

The mind produces an entire life of its own by keeping stories alive over and over again. It plays out scenarios and keeps them thriving by adding emotion. In turn, what keeps the mind going is the concept of “I,” and this “I” has things to do. In fact, every event in the physical world is neutral until the mind attaches its own meaning to it. A man loses his job and this is either the most devastating thing that happens to him or the most fortunate, because it becomes his ticket to a new life. A relationship ends and it is considered crippling or it is understood as empowering. The voice in the head will concoct numerous stories about events, and usually they’re rooted in stories heard in childhood, from the media, or other sources. My mother and her mother and her mother before her believed something so now I believe it too. The news perpetuates something so it must be true. On and on the mind goes spinning its web...<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

The Study of Fundamental Consciousness Entering the Mainstream

[Collective Evolution]: Consciousness is appearing to be a fundamental property, just like liquids, solids and gas, consciousness and its connection to the physical material world is now gaining big time credibility.

The world-renowned neuroscientist Christof Koch, spent nearly two decades working alongside the co-discoverer of the DNA molecule, Francis Crick. Their mission was to find the neurobiological basis of consciousness. They discovered many insights into cognition and the functioning of perception, yet the central enigma, the nature of consciousness itself, remained mysteriously elusive.

In 2009, Koch shocked the scientific community by publishing his conviction that consciousness probably isn’t just in brains, but is a fundamental feature of reality. This is a view known to philosophers as ‘panpsychism.’ The theory Koch is now dedicating his research to is called ‘Integrated Information Theory’ or ‘IIT.’ It is the brainchild of neuroscientist Giulio Tononi of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In explaining his theory, Tononi asks us to consider a simple light sensitive photo diode like those found in a digital camera. A simple diode might respond to just two states: light or dark. We could present our diode with any number of images, yet regardless of the picture, the diode conforms to one of only two possible states. Is it light, or is it dark? ...<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...