Contemplating recent comments about what it means to be a conscious human, I began to consider what really distinguishes us from all the other inhabitants of our planet. There are some distinctively human traits to be sure, but it seems more like a combination of several important capacities and foundational characteristics that sets us apart. … Continue reading Blossoming of Consciousness
In an article in the April-June 2009 issue of Scientific American Mind called "The Power of Symmetry," by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran and Diane Rogers-Ramachandran, we learned that through our own subjective experience of visual stimuli, we can verify the brain's tendency to impose symmetry on what we see, and through a deliberate method of presenting … Continue reading The Illusions of Neuroscience and the Certainty of the Mysterious
David Darling has pressed the matter of consciousness into the moment vividly for me, not simply due to his compelling prose, but also because of the immediacy of consciousness and its relationship to the world we inhabit, which often offers us conflicting priorities based on our personal sensitivity to the events which transpire in the … Continue reading Consciousness and the World We Create
From the book jacket: "David Darling holds a degree in Physics From Sheffield University and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Manchester, in England." In a fascinating and unique treatment of the subject, David Darling prompts the reader to consider the interdependence of both sides of the brain hemispheres. Identifying the left brain … Continue reading Equations of Eternity
Mario Beauregard's book makes special notice of the placebo effect in chapter six entitled, "Toward a Non-materialist Science of Mind." In that chapter, he details the research being conducted using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and describes what it is and why it is being employed in this kind of research: "A magnetic resonance imaging … Continue reading The Placebo Effect
Another interesting viewpoint that suggests our understanding of the nature of consciousness would benefit from being more inclusive appears in the book, "The Spiritual Brain," which takes on the purely materialistic view that the brain alone produces the mind and accounts for consciousness. In a methodically reasoned and admirably balanced manner, the book addresses how, … Continue reading A Spiritual Neuroscience – Mario Beauregard
Tamily Weissman, Jeff Lichtman, and Joshua Sanes (2005) A recent article on the Scientific American website detailed the extraordinary work being undertaken by scientists studying the complex array of connections and neural pathways in the brain. The following link will take you to a brief video explaining the current efforts being made to track these … Continue reading Complexity in Nature – Brain Connections
This gem of a book struck me as one of the best examples of a scientist who is unafraid of stretching the boundaries of how to view the workings of our mind. How easily she glides between science and metaphor and yet remains solidly in the science camp as a rule! Her discussion in chapter … Continue reading An Alchemy of Mind
Date: ca. 1857 George Eastman House Collection Perhaps more than any other American writer of his day, Emerson embodied not only the intrepid American spirit, but also the extraordinary individual spirit at the very core of each of us. His many invaluable contributions to American literature, while clearly the product of a very different time … Continue reading Ralph Waldo Emerson and Transcendence
Now that the traditional celebration of Father's Day has passed, it feels appropriate to reflect a bit on the thoughts inspired by the events of the past few days, which, for me, relate directly to the nature of parenting generally, and to being a father in particular. Both mothers and fathers have vitally important contributions … Continue reading Reflecting on Fatherhood
John's Consciousness 