Consciousness and Cosmos: Proposal for a New Paradigm Based on Physics and Inrospection

By Olav Drageset

Your memories and feelings could be stored in matter based on non-physical atoms.

This book takes the unique approach of recognizing that mental and spiritual phenomena can be observed in the same way that scientists observe physical phenomena. The book shows how all phenomena can be explained by string theory developed by physicists. First, the m

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ado Publishing
• Release date: Jul 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9788299851077

Book preview

A book review

In his book the author tries to link two very different fields of science, namely modern theoretical physics and psychology. The hypothesis raised by the author may seem too fantastic to accept, but it presents an interesting and self-consistent construction, which cannot be easily rejected, either. It provokes the open-minded reader to look at the universe from different angles and to seek answers to many open questions, usually neglected by mainstream science. It will enrich the unprejudiced reader with many new concepts and ideas.

Professor Krassimir Stoychev. Ph.D.

Head, Department of Physics,

European Polytechnical University,

Pernik, BULGARIA

Referee’s report and acceptance of a manuscript

How Physics Could Explain the Mind

before being published in Physics Essays, March 2013.

This is an interesting manuscript. It is fanciful in its comparison of higher-dimensional spaces with two defined states of mind, but why not? Nobody knows the role of higher dimensions. Although most particle physicists are now taking them seriously.

I especially like Drageset’s suggestion that human thought in his second, still three-dimensional space, could be like a quantum wavefunction before collapse. Nobody knows what a wavefunction is either, but after years of using and teaching quantum mechanics, I find myself telling students that quantum wave functions are more like ideas, not yet expressed in physical reality.

Drageset’s willingness to revise mind emerges from matter to matter emerges from mind is also consistent with the wavefunctions being primary, not matter. This is a truly fundamental concept.

Consciousness and Cosmos

Proposal for a New Paradigm

Based on Physics and Introspection

Olav Drageset

Ado Publishing

Oslo

Consciousness and Cosmos

Proposal for a New Paradigm

Based on Physics and

Introspection

Upgraded version of: A Matter of Mind, Exploring the 11-Dimensional Cosmos. First published in 2010

Ado Publishing

Oslo

Norway

[e-mail]

www.amatterofmind.net

ISBN 978-82-998510-7-7

e-pub format

Ed 1.2 March 2015

Ed 1.3 February 2018

Copyright © Ado Publishing 2010

Design: Olav Drageset

Death mask photo: Courtesy Michel Meynsbrughen

Other cover photos: private

What the book is about

Are the mind and consciousness separate from the brain and the body? Do humans have three bodies – the physical, the psychological-emotional, and the intuitive-spiritual? Is each of us part of something greater, that includes all and everything, and that can give a deeper meaning to life? Answers to these and other basic questions are given, based on physical theories and introspection. The book can give you a new perspective on what man and cosmos is – regardless of whether you are a scientific materialist or an alternative spiritualist. Knowledge and experience from both sides are embedded into a proposal for a new cosmic model.

Understanding this proposal requires some understanding of advanced physics – not the mathematics, but some mental images. This is what the book tries to portray. The book is based on what is believed to be accurate sciences and common experiences, but does not go deeply into any subject; rather, it tries to supply only sufficient details to give an overall understanding. References are provided for additional information.

The discussions are not scientific in the way that new ideas are verified by experiments; instead, they represent a concept analysis. (A concept is a high-level/principal solution. An analysis is a systematic evaluation). The foundation of the analysis is normal mainstream physics, and especially string theory, in combination with a conception of the mind based on knowledge established by medical doctors and psychologists. The resulting analysis proposes a new cosmic model so that the old model is a part of the new. This is usually called a paradigm shift. Some proposals for the new paradigm may seem weird compared to the old view, but this is normal and expected. It shows that a paradigm shift can be difficult. To change the basic view of the world is more a process than a change of opinion. In this case, however, the changes are long overdue, since research has shown that the world is both inexplicable and weird, as is found in quantum mechanics, entanglement, and dark matter/dark energy (Chapters 12.4, 2.2, and 11.2).

Concept engineering is the easy part of product design – after that follows the hard work, which requires in-depth skills and know-how. Similarly, in this case, string scientists and other physicists will need to refute or confirm the proposed concepts.

If the new concept is accepted on a scientific basis, it could exert some influence on how we regard ourselves as well as our relationship to the surrounding world. This may influence existential views and morals. Science has nothing to say about existential questions and what kind of morals we should choose to live by, but an enhanced scientific understanding of mind and spirituality might give a better background for the choices that we ultimately make.

Three thousand years ago, nature was understood in a magico-metaphysical frame of understanding. Gods and spirits were in control of the sun, the moon, the weather, earthquakes, and other natural phenomena. The philosophers introduced a new way of thinking, which is called rational. The rational part-mind, seated in the forehead (prefrontal cortex), took over evaluation of what is right and wrong in connection with natural phenomena. Rational thinking is closely connected to physical matter and sees regularities and laws in nature, independent of the arbitrariness and moody actions of the gods.

The philosophers meant that the rational thinking was in itself a superior way of thinking. From such a cultivation of the thinking and the thinkers, it follows that it might not be so important to find out whether the conclusions were wrong. With the new system of thinking, they felt that they had the power and the potential to explain anything.

Eventually, some philosophers started to test the conclusions against the physical world. Modern science was born. Over a period of three thousand years, our understanding of nature has evolved from mythical to rational-philosophical and further to rational-scientific. This process is still not finished.

As shown in figure 0.1, our understanding of phenomena such as non-local (direct connection over time or space) and non-physical (thoughts, consciousness, telepathy, ghosts, gods, etc.) is still characterized by a mythological or philosophical understanding, or just by a denial of their existence. There is still a science gap on these phenomena.

fig0.1

Figure 0.1: Development of our understanding of the nature

In the scene play Peer Gynt, Ibsen wrote: The devils hook where you don’t look. As science has not looked at these matters very well, the devils seem to have plenty of places to hook on to. Society is, by and large, separated into two fractions that are fighting each other: the mainstream scientific and the religious/alternative. We find attitudes varying from fundamentalism to acceptance on both sides. The hooks of the devils seem to hang on to the fundamentalists, where blindness is abundant.

From a philosophic or science-history perspective, we might say that mainstream thinking represents a thesis. Religions and the alternative community then represent the antithesis in today’s society. This book represents a synthesis – not by presenting new impressive science, but by comparing and joining what others have done. A perspective that shapes a synthesis must necessarily have some distance to the perspectives that shape the thesis and the antithesis. To the extent that the synthesis presents a correct view, we cannot expect that those persons who are identified with the thesis or antithesis will easily make a leap of mind from the existing view to a more correct one. Resistance is a natural reaction to new thinking, whether justified or not.

Most of us assume that a future understanding of the cosmos and ourselves must be based on science – but not necessarily a science that is controlled by today’s mainstream perspective on non-physical phenomena. A change in attitude often starts with a confrontation with real world opinions, so the rest of our society has some responsibility for obtaining a scientific process that serves our total community. This book tries to contribute in that direction. The psychology of science is discussed in chapter 3.

The book does not introduce new science, but contributes to new understanding in three different ways:

1) A view of the mind, which is already embedded as a covert part of modern psychology and introspective techniques, is revealed and conveyed to persons who do not necessarily practice introspective techniques or are interested in understanding psychological phenomena.

2) String theory is interpreted in a new way that enables it to model (describe with mathematical equations) both the physical universe and the non-physical mind, such as revealed in 1). This can lead to a new understanding of quantum mechanics and the universe.

3) Promote a change in attitude by pointing out how the mainstream scientific culture and the alternative community partly oppose their own declared goals.

The book provides new perspectives – known phenomena are looked at in a different way. A change of perspective can take a long time, with a lot of effort. Afterwards, the views often seem to be simple and obvious. Some perspectives might be new and original, but the book also conveys known perspectives from science, technology, and psychology that can be interesting or useful for a broader audience when it comes to understanding our complex existence.

Two principles are basic for what the book conveys. They may be called postulates set by the author:

1) The mind is a container for non-physical phenomena. These phenomena are just as real as the physical universe and are based on energy that can be modeled (described) by mathematical equations.

2) If something can be observed by a known sense, or by an unknown spiritual sense, then the observed must be based on a known or unknown form of energy that can be modeled by mathematical equations.

This is a great leap away from the old-fashioned materialistic world-view that is held by most of the educated part of the western culture. Materialism, in short, says that what we called ‘non-physical’ are not real phenomena. Instead, they are a kind of imagination or consequence of arbitrary activity in the brain. Materialism is in no way verified by science. It is a 2500 year old philosophical explanation that has never been verified by measurements or observation. Non-physical phenomena, such as normal reasoning and telepathy, are to the contrary observed and verified beyond any doubt¹⁴, if normal criteria for scientific experiments are accepted. These experiments, however, are ignored or the results explained away or disparaged by those who protect the materialistic world-view. A fundamentalist understanding of the materialistic world-view maintains the science gap and today amplifies the separation between mainstream and a subculture where non-physical phenomena are accepted as an obvious part of life. (A fundamentalist understanding has no support in scientific experiments, and is regarded as truth and protected against competing views).

This book shows that materialistic thinking based on science can also be used to understand what we regard as non-physical. Because non-physical phenomena are based on a kind of matter called non-physical matter, we could say that the materialistic world-view is extended to include what previously was called non-physical or spiritual. This book presents an understanding that supports both those who are materialistically oriented and those who have a spiritual orientation.

The science gap

This book did not arise accidentally. New discoveries within experimental physics and astrophysics have accumulated several measurements that cannot be explained. Many physicists feel a pressure to come up with new theories for explaining these measurements. The situation is sometimes called a crisis within physics. Here, it is called the science gap.

A common denominator for most phenomena that cannot be explained could be called ‘non-physical,’ as defined earlier. These are phenomena that cannot be measured with physical instruments. If ‘non-physical’ is a real quality, then it is a quality in line with matter, space, and time. These phenomena are the basement of our understanding of the universe and are modelled within particle physics. Elementary particles are the smallest pieces of matter and forces. They are much smaller than atoms and they are so simple that they can be described by mathematical equations. A particle is a common term used for small units that can be a combination of elementary particles or atoms.

The best-known phenomena, inexplicable by science, are listed below.

95% of the content of the cosmos is not understood. It is called dark matter and dark energy. It is measured only by means of the gravity force, since it influences the universe and the celestial bodies. Physicists do not know what kind of particles make up dark matter and dark energy.

The gravity force is one of four cosmic forces. It is much feebler than the others (electromagnetic force and weak- and strong nuclear forces). Physicists are not able to include gravity to the recognized standard model that includes all other particles and forces.

Consciousness is not understood.

Entanglement is a verified phenomenon that was proposed, based on the theory of quantum mechanics. Particles can be connected across long distances and exchange information faster than the speed of light. This should not be possible according to the theory of relativity. No explanation exists.

The size of the universe is still not determined to be finite or infinite.

A forgotten, controversial measurement. A physician measured the weight of several persons at their moment of death. He found a sudden weight reduction of 21 grams, which he could not explain in any way. This controversial experiment was never repeated in a more scientific way, and seems to be forgotten by scientists.

Pioneer anomaly and Fly-by anomaly. A few spaceships do not follow exactly the law of movement (Newton’s Law) that other celestial bodies follow.

Storage of memories and instincts has never been explained. The storage medium for such items has not yet been found.

Overview

We have no generally accepted scientific model of the mind. Therefore, chapter 1 gives a detailed description of the mind, based on modern psychology and experiences from introspection. This new description introduces space and matter, making the mind similar to the physical universe, just different. Chapter 2 provides an interpretation of string theory that enables string theory to model both the physical universe and the mind as described in chapter 1. We have found our perception of the mind and the interpretation of the string theory to make a perfect match.

The perceived mind and string theory are found to be mutually supportive, forming a new cosmic model. A third individual support of this cosmic model comes from a solution of the energy equation, saying that energy can be negative (E=-mc²). The negative solution of the energy equation was discarded in the 1930s because it was found to have no real-life interpretation. Chapter 9 shows that with our model of the mind, the negative energy can be interpreted as mental energy, being part of the mind.

The description of the mind in this book is a neutral description of something that for many persons is mystical, magical, and filled with expectations of something much bigger. In this respect, the book might counterbalance some romantic tendencies found elsewhere. I will claim that a more balanced approach to the spiritual part of cosmos can support a more profound connection. The reality in this field will probably enable both the neutral scientist and the emotionally oriented seeker to find their way. Unrealistic expectations could be a burden for both.

Part two of the book tries to assess what spirituality really is, and how it can be seen, based on the new understanding of the mind. Today, each of us uses the expression ‘spirituality’ more or less as we like, so this is a proposal from my side.

Part three presents modern theory of physics and cosmology. The most technical (difficult) chapters have a summary for those who do not want to go into details. Those who have no technical interest could in any case read chapter 8, on scientific knowledge.

The string theory (chapter 13) is a framework of mathematics that models all elementary particles and branes (spaces or universes where particles, forces, and matter can be attached). In addition, the string theory sets several requirements to the cosmos that do not fit to observations. The requirement for 7 extra non-observed dimensions is interpreted in a special way today. Those dimensions are assumed to be curled up to such a small size that they cannot be measured. For string scientists, this interpretation has become so obvious that it is regarded as a part of the string theory. A new interpretation is presented in chapter 2. The new interpretation is adapted, so that the string theory can model both the physical universe, containing physical particles, and the mind, containing non-physical particles. This version of string theory is really a new 11-dimensional cosmic model. It turns out that this model can solve some of the unresolved mysteries of physics mentioned earlier. In other words, physics can be used to explain mental phenomena. What we regard as psychological phenomena can be based on forms of matter and energy described in a well-established theory of particle physics.

The expressions ‘mystic’ and ‘mysticism’ can be used in two different ways. Everyday usage points to something that is obscure and hidden and must be understood in ways that cannot be explained by scientific means. A more advanced usage points to something very concrete that is experienced by only a few persons. These people, called mystics, can usually be found in a religious context, but not exclusively so. All great religions have their mystics, who are often regarded as outstanding people with a profound influence on their surroundings. Mystics report experiences that are difficult to express in words. The new concept of space-time can explain these types