Posted on 08/02/2003 4:43:59 PM PDT by betty boop
The following theory is proposed to explain the observed phenomena of thought and spiritual/mystical experience/creativity:
PROBLEM:
(a) Thought is the subtlest emergent entity from the human brain. As of now, though it is taken to arise from complex biochemical (neuronal) processes in the brain, we have no means of detecting any physical aspect of thought.
(b) All sensory experiences (light, sound, smell, taste, sound) result from an interaction between an external agent (photon, phonon, etc.) and some aspect of the brain.
HYPOTHESIS:
(a) It is proposed that, like the electromagnetic field, there is an extremely subtle substratum pervading the universe which may be called the universal thought field (UTF). This may even be trans-physical, i.e., something that cannot be detected by ordinary physical instruments. Or it may be physical and has not yet been detected as such.
(b) Every thought generated in the brain creates its own particular thought field (PTF).
Theory based on the above hypotheses:
(a) Just as EM waves require the complex structure of the brain to be transduced into the experience of light and color, the UTF requires the complex system of the human brain to create local thoughts. In other words, when the UTF interacts with certain regions of the brain, thoughts arise as by-products.
(b) Interactions between PTFs and brains generate other PTFs. Indeed every thought is a different reaction-result to either the UTF or to a PTF.
(c) There is an important difference between UTF and PTF. UTF does not require a material medium for acting upon a brain. But a PTF cannot be transmitted from one brain to another without a material medium, such as sound, writing, signs, etc.
(d) In some instances, as with molecular resonance, certain brains are able to resonate with the UTF in various universal modes. Such resonances constitute revelations, magnificent epic poetry, great musical compositions, discovery of a mathematical theorem in a dream, and the like, as also mystic experiences.
(e) This perspective suggests that there can be no thought without a complex brain (well known fact); and more importantly, that there exists a pure thought field (UTF) in the universe at large which may be responsible for the physical universe to be functioning in accordance with mathematically precise laws.
ANALOGIES:
The following parallels with other physical facts come to mind:
(a) Phosphorescence & luminescence: When radiation of shorter wavelengths falls on certain substances, the substances emit visible light immediately or after some time. Likewise when the UTF falls on a complex cerebral system, it emits thoughts of one kind or another.
(b) One of the subtlest entities in the physical universe is the neutrino, which does not interact with ordinary matter through gravitation, strong, or electromagnetic interaction. Being involved only in the weak interaction, it is extremely difficult to detect it. The UTF is subtler by far than the neutrino, and may therefore (if it be purely physical) it may be far more difficult to detect.
I hope you don't mean the delayed choice quantum eraser.
Somewhere around here I have some Jewish thinking on the subject, that we are expected to explore, appreciate and wonder at His creation. The paper indicated that the only criticism in heaven would be a lack of curiosity.
What is "the speed of thought?" If he's referring to how fast can a person think (i.e. how rapidly can a mind create different thoughts or concepts), then that is a rate, NOT a speed. If he is referring to how rapidly can thoughts, information, ideas, etc. be communicated from one mind to another by any process, that's still limited to less than the speed of light. (I cannot inform my friend on Sirius (which is 9 light years away) of my breakthrough in physics for another 9 years. That's how long the signal sent out today will take to get there.) "The speed of thought" is a meaningless (but glib sounding!) concept in this sentence. This is a classic example of Dirac's complaint about something being so bad "it's not even wrong."
Hmmmmmmm.... Maybe the reason that they are invisible to us is not because they're [it's] so tiny, but because they're [it's] so vast? Grandpierre suggests that neurons per se cannot be the mediators of a brain interacting with another brain or nervous system, simply because they are "too large" to be the material carriers of such transmissions. The same holds for cells, molecules, and even atoms. What we're looking for is to be found at least at subatomic, but more likely, at particle/wave levels. Does multistring theory suggest that a teensy little "time window" (extra dimension) must open up to enable wave propagation, and then must close again -- disappear -- once that process is complete? Seems like doing things "the hard way" to me. Kinda kludgey!
But I really don't know; as you say, all this is hypothetical at this point. But I agree with you: a revolution in Galilean science could ensue any time now. We just don't know what that looks like yet!
Thank you so much for writing, RightWhale.
Indeed, and we also have physical limitations. IMHO, one of the most interesting physical limitations is in our vision. We are limited in the number of dimensions we can see. Perhaps that causes a limitation in comprehending higher dimensional dynamics - or perhaps that is yet another such limitation of our mind.
Yes. And it is a 'hypothesis' I regard, that at least much of the time when we have spiritual perceptions, we are utilizing... actually drawing from the perceptors and natures of spirit(s)-other, not just spirit-self. I think this too is explanatory. It is also quite sobering, when we realize that there are only two kinds of spirits we are told about, and these are very acutely distinct in their intentions. So, empiricists of "anima" and "resonance" be aware.
I truly hope that the Relational Nature of... nature and the supernatural is not disregarded. It is our fundamental nature, so I believe we are told --the fundamental nature of all that is. And one may be related with the Intently Benign Source, or with that which is intently harmful.
I suspect such physical limitations were intentional and wonder if they may keep us from being aware of what is going on around us, spiritually speaking and in terms of "all that there is."
Yes, indeed. We are responsible for that with which we are responsible. I used to be involved in a church fellowship that tried to turn our set of responsibilities inside out, as if we were responsible to see and know about vicissitudes spiritual! Shoot, we have enough trouble telling the weather, much less guessing what is going on in that realm of breeze and breath.
So let's regard the signs. When it comes to this subject matter, we find that where there is a sign, "HERE BE DRAGONS," that sign is true and dragons have powers beyond our comprehension. Thankfully, the Lord rules, but that is not a panacea for those who disregard the terms of His contract (a.k.a., Logos, Covenant) and the safe boundaries to which it/He refers -- wheter knowingly or otherwise.
I don't know about this search, but I've searched for a place near Fermilab and it can be a pain, to try to drive around that place! I was late to a sales meeting!
The occurrance rate of ESP and relate psychic phenomena is always inversely proportional to the degree of care taken in observation -- laboratory or no. The mere presence of a trained stage magician supervising any attempt to demonstrate ESP guarantees the absense of the phenomena.
Hmm.... I suspect that dogs and pidgeons are impervious to stage magicians, even if humans are intimidated.
This is just not so, js1138. ESP is an embarrassing unexplainable to modern science, is what I'm hearing. I would go so far as to say that most if not all experience it.
You are sooo close to an article I recently read, that I can probably find again if you are interested - though I'd have to look for it over the weekend most likely. The meat of the article was that the dimension we call time is the consequence of wave function. That puts the time dimension question in the ballpark of Quantum Field Theory - hence the connection. Or as AndrewC once said (paraphrased) when something moves, everything moves.
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