Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Personalized statement of
materialism
I am a body.
Do you agree with this statement? If so,
are you all of the body or just parts of it?
Which parts are you? Which parts are you
not?
Where in the body are you?
What is this I that is a body?
Is it material?
Is it conscious?
Personalized statement of
Cartesian dualism:
I am a mind and I have a body.
This implies that I am subjective but the body
is objective.
(Note that the complementary statement, I am a
body and I have a mind, is a personalized
statement of materialism.)
Do you agree with this statement of Cartesian
dualism? If so, are you all of the mind or just
parts of it?
Which parts are you? Which parts are you not?
Where in the mind are you?
However.
If space is only a thought, can there really
be separation between minds?
If there is no separation between minds,
why am I not aware of your thoughts?
If there is no separation between minds,
why is communication necessary between
them?
The ultimate questions: Who are the I
and the you?
Classical physics
Isaac Newton (1643-1727)
Classical physics was
assumed to be both
materialistic and objective.
Consciousness was not part of
the theory.
Classical objects were
assumed to have separate,
independent existences
whether or not they were being
observed.
They were assumed to have
definite properties, such as
position, velocity, and
orientation whether or not
these were being observed.
These properties were
assumed to have no intrinsic
uncertainties.
In fact
there are many interpretations of
quantum theory, almost as many as there
are those who interpret it.
We still dont know if there is a correct
one
and, if there is, we dont know what it is!
Elementary description of a
physical wave
A physical wave is a
traveling oscillation.
Physical waves carry
energy and momentum.
Examples: Water waves
and electromagnetic
waves. Simulation at:
http://www.surendranath.org/Applets.html
Daring prediction!
Quantum wave collapse will never be
understood objectively because it
starts with an impossible assumption,
that the quantum wave is objective
when every physicist knows that it is
just a mathematical formula!
Hidden-variables interpretation (A
purely objective interpretation)
David Bohm (1917-1992)
Particles are assumed to
exist as classical particles
whether or not they are
observed.
They are assumed to be
acted on by the classical
forces, such as
electromagnetism and
gravity.
In addition, the particles
are assumed to be acted
on by a quantum force,
which is derived from the
quantum wave.
No collapse in hidden-variables
theory, however, it is nonlocal
In hidden variables theory, classical particles
(real particles) are always present, so no wave
collapse is necessary.
However, hidden variables theory is intrinsically
nonlocal because the quantum force acts at all
points in space simultaneously.
Many-worlds interpretation
(Hugh Everett, 1930-1982)
Many-worlds is a partly
objective and partly subjective
interpretation.
The entire universe is described
by a single quantum wave.
The quantum wave is assumed to
exist as the only reality from the
moment of the big bang.
Since there can be no observer or
observation that is separate from
the universe, the quantum wave
never collapses.
At any moment that I (as part of
the universe) make an
observation, the wave branches to
manifest the world that I observe
with a probability given by the
wave. There is no wave collapse,
but there is a manifestation of
my world.
Bells theorem
(John Stewart Bell, 1928-1990)
Bell devised a way to
determine experimentally
whether reality could be
described by local, real
theories (i.e., local, hidden
variable theories) by
deriving an inequality that
was valid only if local, real
theories were valid.
The inequality depended
only on experimentally
measured quantities, hence
it was independent of any
specific theory. Any
violation of the inequality
would prove that reality
cannot be both local and
real.
The results
The subject associates his/her awareness of the urge to act with his/her
observations of the time on a clock. No separate muscle action is required.
This process is repeated many thousands of times and the results are
averaged.
Result: The average EEG signal begins 0.3 s before the subjective
awareness of an impulse to lift the finger.
Thus: The brain begins to process a muscle act prior to the subjective
awareness of the urge to act!
Generalization of these
experiments
Any mental or sensory event (as measured by
brain waves or scans) happens before our
awareness of it (as measured by subjective
response) because the brain requires time to
process the event before we can become aware
of it .
Thus, all subjective experiences happen after
the corresponding objective events. This
applies to volitional experiences as well as
nonvolitional ones.
Nonduality
Nonduality is the teaching that Consciousness is
all there is.
This is a pointer to Reality, not a description of It.
Symbolically, Consciousness is both the circle
(Awareness) and everything inside it (arisings in
Awareness).
Duality
Consciousness is always
whole and unsplit.
However, Consciousness
seems to be split into
separate parts with
names (e.g., yin and
yang).
Anything that is
thought to be separate
from anything else is
nothing but a concept.
For example, yin and
yang are nothing but
concepts.
YANG
YIN
YIN
Spiritual practice
Spiritual practice helps us to see that I am
not separate from anything else.
It helps us see that there is no I that can
do anything or control anything.
The paradox of spiritual practice: We have
to do it in order to see that we are not
doing it!
There are many spiritual practices, almost
as many as there are teachers.
Meditation
Meditation is best learned from an
experienced teacher.
You may have to try out several teachers and
several forms of meditation to find one that
will help you to realize your true nature as
pure Awareness.
A widely taught form of Buddhist meditation is
called Vipassana and consists of two
aspects:
Concentration
Mindfulness
Concentration
Concentration enables mindfulness (next slide).
We start by relaxing and resting easily for a few
moments.
From a state of relaxation, we gently bring the
attention to the breath by feeling it from the inside.
Our attention will wander and we will become lost in
thought.
Whenever we notice that we have been lost, we
gently bring the attention back to the breath.
We do this several million times.
Each time we become aware of having been lost, it
is another awakening!
We stay relaxed the whole time. The more effort we
put into it, the less likely it is that it will helpful.
Mindfulness
We can practice mindfulness while sitting or
in activity.
We notice our thoughts, feelings, sensations,
and perceptions as they arise.
We don't ignore them or suppress them, nor
do we analyze or judge them.
We simply notice them nonjudgmentally,
moment by moment, as they arise and fall in
the field of Awareness.
We notice that Awareness is unaffected by
anything that arises in it.