Big History of the Mind

  • Wednesday, June 24, 2015 7:02 PM
    Message # 3403135
    Anonymous

    Is anyone else interested in this? The goal is to understand the principles by which matter can create the phenomena of the mind. What I'm envisioning is a timeline from the very first emergence in the universe of anything that could be called intelligence, awareness and intentionality, perhaps around the origin of life, then following those phenomena and how they're produced to the next level of complexity, then to the next. I'm thinking that if the whole chain of events is laid out in front of us as far as we know, we may be able to discern principles that can be used to guide investigation into more complex systems that we don't understand yet. Any thoughts, anyone?

    Moved from IBHA Discussions: Thursday, April 20, 2017 7:53 PM
  • Thursday, June 25, 2015 4:55 AM
    Reply # 3403570 on 3403135
    Anonymous

    I know that another IBHA member, Camelo Castillo, has written a book about this subject. It is called Origin of Mind. Perhaps that could be useful?

    Kind regards, Esther

  • Friday, June 26, 2015 4:37 PM
    Reply # 3406327 on 3403135
    Anonymous

    Perfect, thanks. As far as I can tell, his book is not available yet but I'll definitely get it when it comes out, now that I know about it.  

  • Monday, July 27, 2015 4:52 PM
    Reply # 3452198 on 3403135
    Deleted user

    Your basic hypothesis is that matter creates mind. An alternative hypothesis is that matter and consciousness or “mind" co-arise together. This view assumes that consciousness or sentience exists at every level of the universe and fits the form and function of that level. For example, the eminent physicist, Freeman Dyson, said that “matter in quantum mechanics is not an inert substance but an active agent, constantly making choices between alternative possibilities. . . It appears that mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent inherent in every electron.” This does not mean that an electron has the same consciousness as a human being; rather, an atom has a reflective capacity appropriate to its form and function. If mind is found at the atomic level, then it must have emerged when the atomic structures of the universe emerged with the big bang. In other words, matter and mind arose in a mutually supportive, co-evolving partnership from the very beginning. 


    Last modified: Monday, July 27, 2015 4:53 PM | Deleted user
  • Tuesday, July 28, 2015 11:38 AM
    Reply # 3454711 on 3403135
    Anonymous

    I was afraid of that! I was afraid that if I went in deep looking for the origin of mind, I would find a sort of infinite regress. I'm wondering the extent to which everything we see in the universe is actually 'congealed know-how' - a type of 'procedural intelligence' for how to persist. But even is so, I'd still like to understand how our particular type of mind evolved. Electrons may have evolved to be some type of procedural intelligence for how to persist as an electron, cells may be understood as embodied procedural intelligence for how to persist as a cell, but our minds have evolved the intelligence for how to persist as human beings. I still think the latter is interesting. So maybe instead of "Big History of the Mind", I would have to call it "Big History of the Human Mind" and maybe it would have to be understood as ultimately organized from an assembly of other mini-intelligences (the mini-minds of cells) which themselves are assemblages of micro-intelligences, (the micro-minds of atoms) etc.

  • Tuesday, July 28, 2015 12:56 PM
    Reply # 3454876 on 3403135
    Deleted user

    Karen--

    A "big history of the human mind" is a subject of deep interest to me. I co-authored a book ("Changing Images of Man") with Joseph Campbell and a small team of scholars in the early 1970s and this launched a life-long inquiry into this core topic. If you provide me with an email address, I'll send you an e-book version of a book I authored on this topic that is now out of print: "Awakening Earth: Exploring the Evolution of Human Culture and Consciousness." My email address is: Duane@DuaneElgin.com