New Directions in Consciousness Studies: SoS theory and the nature of time PDF
Preview New Directions in Consciousness Studies: SoS theory and the nature of time
NEW DIRECTIONS IN CONSCIOUSNESS STUDIES New Directions in Consciousness Studies presents some original ideas which will significantly advance scientific understanding of human nature. Written in non-specialised language, the book draws upon concepts and research from history, philosophy, neuroscience and physics to delineate new approaches to the study of consciousness. Early chapters deal with a range of ideas about our nature, and suggest that the mind can usefully be viewed as a type of dynamic landscape. The account shows how our minds relate to their societies, brains and bodies, and how they differ from computers. Later chapters develop a theory of the basis of consciousness (SoS theory). Using the physical concept of broken symmetry the author shows how the conscious mind may be rooted in temporality; a view that is supported by the occurrence of a wide range of anomalous phenomena. Potentially valuable future lines of research are also identified in this innovative text. This is a unique and engaging book that will appeal to students and academics in the field of consciousness studies and to anyone who is curious about how consciousness fits into the physical world. Chris Nunn is a retired Consultant Psychiatrist who used to work in association with the Medical School at Southampton University, UK. He has been Associate Editor of the Journal of Consciousness Studies for the past fifteen years. This page intentionally left blank NEW DIRECTIONS IN CONSCIOUSNESS STUDIES SoS theory and the nature of time Chris Nunn First published 2016 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2016 Chris Nunn The right of Chris Nunn to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nunn, Chris, 1940- New directions in consciousness studies : SoS theory and the nature of time / Chris Nunn.—1 Edition. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Consciousness. 2. Time perception. I. Title. BF311.N86 2016 153—dc23 2015017475 ISBN: 978–1–138–92385–0 (hbk) ISBN: 978–1–138–92388–1 (pbk) ISBN: 978–1–315–68474–1 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Keystroke, Station Road, Codsall, Wolverhampton CONTENTS Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 1 Swings and roundabouts 4 A brief survey of the various ideas about human nature that have come and gone since the seventeenth century, ending with a description of principal scientific and other views prevailing at the end of the twentieth century. 2 Picturing ‘mind’ 18 An account of the usefulness of describing our minds as ‘landscapes’ in dynamic state spaces that encompass their environments along with brains. Discusses differences between minds and computers. 3 Wetware 29 Describes the neural basis of mental ‘landscapes’, emphasising the central importance of calcium-ion dynamics in their construction and the essential roles of astrocytes along with neurons. vi Contents 4 On time 40 Explores the characteristics of clock time (i.e. the time of relativity theory and quantum dynamics) and its differences from experiential time. The chapter ends with a brief description of ‘pre-sponse’ findings. 5 New frontiers 49 Briefly describes the currently most popular philosophical, neuroscientific and physics-based lines of thought about the basis of consciousness. Touches on how these ideas fit in with a ‘landscape’ picture of mentality. 6 Broken symmetry 65 A proposal that a fundamental neutral monism breaks into subjective and objective aspects coincidentally with energy eigenstate measurements. Subjective aspects are thus founded in temporality and objective ones in spatiality. The resultant picture of ‘subjectivity’ is dubbed ‘SoS theory’. 7 Qualia 73 Briefly describes the concept of ‘qualia’. Then discusses what could differentiate one quale from another. Concepts of ‘qualia spaces’, or alternatively considerations to do with knot theory, offer potentially useful approaches to the differentiation problem. 8 Rocks from the sky (part 1) 82 How best to conceptualise ‘reality’, followed by discussion of anomalous events of types that interested Victorian investigators. Physical anomalies provide evidence that is probably of greatest relevance to SoS theory, not least because the theory shows, in principle, that energy conservation need not always apply in situations in which the anomalies occur. 9 Rocks from the sky (part 2) 92 A discussion of the possible relevance of findings suggestive of ‘reincarnation’ and those associated with alleged ‘spirit’ communications. Some of the evidence from cases of alleged Contents vii childhood reincarnation and from mediumistic activities is surprisingly robust; possible implications are identified. 10 Life at the edge 99 An account of near-death and end-of-life experiences, emphasising the puzzling nature of the memories associated with them. A discussion of the neural basis of memory and memory-associated phenomena suggests that some of these phenomena are mediated by influences that are independent of clock time. 11 New directions 108 Violations of energy conservation, if conscious-mind associated, would provide evidence to distinguish SoS theory from any conceivable ‘quantum consciousness’ theory. Suggestions about where to look for them are made. Other especially relevant lines of research include trying to ascertain where the information in near-death experiences (NDEs) comes from and how it gets remembered. There’s a possibility that psychedelic-drug experiences might provide a useful substitute for NDEs in enquiries of this sort. 12 Speculations and implications 116 A discussion of implications of SoS theory for understanding social history and the frequent horrors of human behaviour, in so far as it adds further deterministic influences to those with origins in objective aspects of culture. 13 Loose ends and new beginnings 124 Points out that no account has been offered in previous chapters of how any ‘back action’ of conscious mind on neurology might be mediated. There is, however, a physical idea that might just conceivably provide a basis for explanation. Finally summarises the various experimental approaches needed for further progress. Appendix: synopsis of the arguments 131 Index 137 This page intentionally left blank ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to everyone who has submitted papers to the Journal of Consciousness Studies over the past twenty years. Whether subsequently published or remaining unpublished, your enthusiasm and ideas have been inspiring. I’m very grateful also to mentors who have been especially influential in shaping my thinking via online fora and personal contacts. They include Harald Atmanspacher, Erhard Bieberich, Chris Clarke, Jo Edwards, Tal Hendel, Peter Henningsen, Stanley Klein, Alfredo Pereira Jr, Jack Sarfatti and Max Velmans. Many thanks also to the Routledge editorial team, especially Sarah Willis. They suggested detailed amendments that have certainly improved the book in all sorts of ways. I’d like to remember, too, my first maths teacher who never did manage to convey much in the way of mathematical technique, which I think bored him. What he got across to me instead was the existence and value of broad concepts. He was a roll-your-own, chain-smoking refugee from Vienna who had met Wittgenstein in happier days, but later lost his family to the concentration camps and had somehow ended up in a small school in West Cumbria. He was known to us children only as ‘Mr Philip’.
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