This critique was initially written for a discussion group forum, at MindBrain@yahoogroups.com, on Friday, April 01, 2005 11:18 PM   In this paper, I provided an alternative view to the two statements made by others as quoted below, in regards to the issues of human consciousness.  In my view, these perspectives represent a seriously misguided understanding of the enigmas of consciousness, yet such views are common opinions of the day:

"For years now I have accepted that the best explanation of me being aware of being here now is that my brain creates within itself a model of self in the world and, while I am awake, it keeps updating this model. Consciousness as such is what it is like to be the updating of this model of self in the world, no more and less.”

 “Bravo!  yes! Yes, the brain processes represent a constant updating of the brain's existing in a conscious state – but there is no separate ‘consciousness’ which ‘belongs’ to the brain, no medievalistic ‘soul’ or  ‘spirit’ or ‘consciousness’ that goes bump in the night and plays musical chairs with poltergeists and visiting pixies and hobo gnomes."

Modern psychology is defined as “the science of behaviour and mind,” studying the mind and the body.   Ideas about human beings having a heart and soul, or spirit, or any ‘immaterial mind’ to connect to the material body or mind, have been dismissed.  The scientific ‘opinion’ of the day does not consider that there is any  ‘ghost in the machine,’ any kind of permanent ‘I” within a human being.  Instead, modern psychology and science are based upon “the head doctrine”—the so-called scientific view, superstition or belief, that material and energetic processes within the brain constitute ‘the mind,’ and produce human consciousness.

The nature of consciousness is the most mysterious of all psychological phenomena.  For many years, psychologists dismissed the study of consciousness altogether, as it was too elusive to study empirically and because it borders on such supposed unscientific pursuits as metaphysics and religion.  Nevertheless, in the second half of 20th century, consciousness re-emerged within psychology and neuroscience as a legitimate topic of study.  However, for the most part, scientists have embraced an extremely limited conceptualization of consciousness—equating it with thinking and other cognitive processes of the mind, and assuming that it is produced by the brain’s material neurological processes.
The' head doctrine' is the label that I use to refer to this most prominent and commonly accepted western scientific and psychological model of consciousness.  The central tenet of this perspective is that neurological processes within the material brain generate consciousness.  This illustration from the Scientific American article –“The Quest to find Consciousness”–is an artist’s depiction of “the mysterious brain activity involved in consciousness.”   The article by P.Roth was published in a special issue on MIND (2004).
    In a table in Roth’s Scientific American article, we find this summary of the findings of modern psychology and neuroscience, as regards to the nature of consciousness:

How does consciousness, with its private and subjective qualities, emerge from the physical information processing conducted by the brain?  The problem is so challenging that for a long time it was left to philosophers.

Recently neuroscientists have focused on the neural correlates–the activities in the brain that are most closely associated with consciousness.

To date, no “center” for the phenomenon has revealed itself, but advances in imaging have helped in the study of the brain areas that are involved during consciousness.  (p. 34)

When we examine these ‘fast facts,’ it seems they are not so fast, or factual, or anything.  Of course, there is not a ‘single fact’ in the table, but only questions or assumptions.  It is not proven that consciousness emerges “from the physical information processing” in the brain, nor from  “the neural correlates.”  These are only assumptions although they are presented as ‘fast facts.’
     When it comes to discussing ‘states of consciousness,’ Roth offers a pretty limited scheme of consideration:
 

“Any effort to understand consciousness must begin by noting that it comprises various states. ... At one end of the spectrum is the so-called alertness (or vigilance) state.  States of lower consciousness include drowsiness, dozing, deep sleep and on down to coma.” (p. 34)

A normal state of ‘alertness’ is put at one end of the continuum, as if this is the highest possible state of consciousness a human being can experience.  All the other levels are below it–down into coma and the extinction of consciousness.  It is assumed that there are no states of consciousness beyond basic vigilance–hence no ‘Self consciousness,’ cosmic consciousness or God consciousness.
     The contemporary scientific literature demonstrates how scientists are in the dark about the mysteries of consciousness—exemplified by this Scientific American article–“The Quest to find Consciousness." The most certain comments offered by author G. Roth regarding consciousness are that “a true understanding of the phenomenon remains elusive,” and further, that “For now, no definitive explanations exist….” 
     Thd assumption that the brain produces consciousness and the mind, seems most reasonable and few scientists question it–despite the fact that they are completely unable to establish how or where and how the brain produces consciousness, or what exactly all the faculties of the mind include.   Nevertheless, putting aside these uncertainties, most researchers and theorists share the views of Roger Sperry, a prominent neurologist, who remarked: “I don’t see any way for consciousness to emerge or be generated apart from a functioning brain.”

“The molecules of my body, after my conception, added other molecules and arranged the whole into more and more complex forms, and in a unique fashion, not quite like the arrangement in any other living thing that ever lived.  In the process, I developed, little by little, into a conscious something I call “I” that exists only as the arrangement.  When the arrangement is lost forever, as it will be when I die, the ‘I’ will be lost forever, too.”  (1981, p. 158)

... the mind is merely what the brain does.  There’s nothing else, there’s no soul or psyche that’s not made out of matter, that isn’t a function of 10 to the 14th synapses in the brain. (Psychology Today, 1995, p. 65)

The problems of consciousness are elusive—a holy grail of psychology, like the grand unifying scheme sought in physics.  However, will an understanding of consciousness be founded upon a psychology and science of the mind and body alone?  Or, alternatively, will it require a psychology as the science of the soul to understand this profound enigma

Author and science journalist John Horgan, in The Undiscovered Mind (1999), provides a critical and sceptical view on most of the consciousness studies he examined.  He stated: “Mind-scientists and philosophers cannot even agree on what consciousness is, let alone how it should be explained.” (p. 228) J. Horgan quotes Harvard psychologist, Howard Gardner, who suggests that someone may find “deep and fruitful commonalities between Western views of the mind and those incorporated into the philosophy and religion of the Far East”—in order to explain the enigmas of consciousness.  Gardner suggests that a fundamentally new insight is necessary, although unfortunately, “we can’t anticipate the extraordinary mind because it comes from a funny place that puts things together in a funny kind of way.”  (p. 260)

These comments are somewhat ironic, as indeed, there is a fundamental difference between western views of the brain/mind producing consciousness and the Eastern traditions, where consciousness is viewed as spiritual in origin and associated most intimately with the Heart. Modern scientists have taken the ‘I think’ aspect of Descartes’ formula, and neglected the ‘I am” aspect.  And from a mystical perspective, this I am, is established within the heart.  Understanding these and other differences between the head doctrine and the heart doctrine certainly will provide a novel perspective on the issues of consciousness–and allows us to put things together in a “funny kind of way.”

Nowadays, as I’ve said before, anyone can write a book on the nature of the human mind and consciousness and simply illustrate it with a picture of the brain, and everyone claps, and declares that this is ‘real science,’ like Carl Sagan celebrating the romance of science and Broca’s Brain, and declaring that there is not ‘one iota’ of evidence for any immaterial mind, or consciousness, spirit or soul.   Science writer, John Horgan writes a book on “Rational Mysticism,” and he illustrates it with a picture showing blood patterns in the brain.  He doesn’t consider that ‘mysticism’ could have anything to do with the Heart and blood, or a study of physics and metaphysics.  People have become so conditioned in psychology today to accept on faith, or blind authority, this dogma of “the head doctrine”—that the brain produces consciousness by material/energetic processes, and that all human experience is there as well, even mystical ones.  Of course, no one imagines that there might indeed be a real “I.”

Partial Table of Contents:

1. “I think, therefore I am,” Descartes’ declaration epitomizes the dualistic errors of contemporary thought    …
2.  A Mystical Psychology of Human Consciousness, the Heart and Soul & the Divine Spark  … 8
3. ‘Consciousness' has to be distinguished  … 
4.  Western science does not consider ‘consciousness’ to be ‘substantive’  … 
5.  The Dalai Lama on the Indestructible Drop within the Heart, Space Particles,
        and Consciousness as a reflection of the Mind of Clear Light  …
6.  Scientific American asks "Are you a Hologram?"
7.  Modern psychology has no conception of the deep origins of human consciousness
           from within the grounds of being. … 

View Table of contents

 

 Book I --- The Heart Doctrine

Book II   Microcosm Macrocosm
 

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