In the introduction to Jonah Lehrer's "Proust Was a Neuroscientist," he sums up the problem with only considering brain physiology as the means to come to terms with consciousness: "Scientists describe our brain in terms of its physical details; they say we are nothing but a loom of electrical cells and synaptic spaces. What science … Continue reading Neuroscience and the Arts
“Books on physics are full of complicated mathematical formulas, but thought and ideas are the beginning of every physical theory.” - Albert Einstein The Standard Model of particle physics did not predict the existence of the dark matter that constitutes the overwhelming majority of matter in the cosmos. The Standard Model describes heuristically the "foam … Continue reading The Foam on Top of the Ocean
While slowly awakening this morning, drifting between brief wakefulness and lapses back into sleep, I found myself suddenly in a dimly lit hallway, searching for a stairwell or exit, when I noticed a television monitor suspended from the wall. Thinking that it might be useful in some way, I went toward it in an attempt … Continue reading Dissonance within Resonance
Many thanks to http://patricemj.wordpress.com/ for including me on her list of fifteen bloggers here at WordPress.com for being…well…versatile. Dictionary.com describes the word “versatile” like this: ver•sa•tile [vur-suh-tl or, especially Brit., -tahyl] – adjective 1. Capable of or adapted for turning easily from one to another of various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc.: e.g. - a … Continue reading The Versatile Blogger Award
Recent contemplation of the many facets of our inner experience as sentient beings has stirred my heart and mind to reflect more deeply on the foundations of my interest in the subject, and sent me into the archives of my own ancient writings, which I store in a large overseas shipping trunk from my travels … Continue reading Writing About The World Within
Many thanks to Trish at creatingreciprocity.wordpress.com for including me as one of her choices to receive the Liebster Award. It’s a wonderful gesture on her part and worthy of reciprocity. So here is a link to her blog: http://creatingreciprocity.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/go-raibh-mile-maith-agat/ There are not enough people in the world spreading such good will and thoughts to lift … Continue reading Liebster Sharing
"Certain moments from the dream stand out sharply. The moment the vehicle I was traveling in pulled up to the long row of stone steps leading up to the building and I first saw you. We nearly collided as we embraced. We only spoke briefly when you abruptly went back inside the building, as I … Continue reading Dreaming Through a Window
Artistic impression of the universe. Image credit: Pingnews In his recent book, "The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human," V.S. Ramachandran makes a substantial argument and goes to great lengths to express what it is that distinguishes human beings from all others. In reviewing the structure of our brains, he notes … Continue reading A Universe Conscious of Itself
Image of the night sky above Paranal on 21 July 2007, taken by ESO astronomer Yuri Beletsky We humans exist as sentient temporal beings in the physical universe, in a galaxy that is one of innumerable others, any number of which, should they have formed with the same optimal developmental and life-sustaining advantages currently enjoyed … Continue reading Transcendence and Awareness
Simply taking a slow, deep breath out in the woods in the Adirondack region of New York State is so near to a transcendent experience by itself that whenever I arrive there I feel confident in my ability to achieve an even more intense transcendent state with some effort and focus. When I was a … Continue reading Adirondack Dreams
John's Consciousness 