TSC – The Science of Consciousness Conferences
Donald Hoffman, UC-Irvine
Deepak Chopra, Chopra Foundation
Paavo Pylkkänen, University of Helsinki and University of Skövde
DONALD HOFFMAN received a PhD in Computational Psychology from MIT, and is a Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He is an author of over 100 scientific papers and three books, including The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes (2019), and Visual intelligence: How we create what we see (1998). He received a Distinguished Scientific Award of the American Psychological Association for early career research, the Rustum Roy Award of the Chopra Foundation, and the Troland Research Award of the US National Academy of Sciences. His writing has appeared in Scientific American, New Scientist, LA Review of Books, and Edge, and his work has been featured in Wired, Quanta, The Atlantic, Ars Technica, National Public Radio, Discover Magazine, and Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. He has a TED Talk titled “Do we see reality as it is?” @donalddhoffman
DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, FRCP founder of the Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is also an Honorary Fellow in Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. He is the author of over 95 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. For the last thirty years, Chopra has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution and his upcoming book, Quantum Body (Harmony Books, 12/5/23) delves into the innovative world of quantum science and shows how unlocking its secrets can revolutionize how we live and age – and, ultimately, how we can eradicate disease. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as “one of their top 100 most influential people.” www.deepakchopra.com
PAAVO PYLKKÄNEN, University of Helsinki and University of Skövde. Paavo Pylkkänen, Ph.D., is Senior Lecturer in Theoretical Philosophy and Director of the Bachelor’s Program in Philosophy at the University of Helsinki. Working as Vice Dean for Research in 2018-2020 he had the main responsibility for developing the new profiling area Mind and Matter: Foundations of Information, Intelligence and Consciousness for the University of Helsinki. https://www.helsinki.fi/en/mind-and-matter His main research areas are philosophy of mind, philosophy of physics and their intersection. Pylkkänen has explored whether the problem of consciousness can be tackled in the framework of the new holistic and dynamic worldview that is emerging from quantum theory and relativity. He has in particular been inspired by the physicists David Bohm and Basil Hiley’s interpretation of quantum theory and has collaborated with both of them. He is also Associate Professor of Theoretical Philosophy (currently on leave) at the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Philosophy, University of Skövde, where he initiated a Consciousness Studies Program. (Plen 3 & 12)
2024 The Science of Consciousness 30th Annual
April 22-27, 2024
“The Science of Consciousness”
Tucson & International biennial conferences
Center for Consciousness Studies-UArizona
www.consciousness.arizona.edu
Since 1994 – The Science of Consciousness (TSC) is an interdisciplinary conference aimed at rigorous and leading edge approaches to all aspects of the study of conscious experience.
These include neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, molecular biology, medicine, quantum physics, and cosmology, as well as art, technology, and experiential and contemplative approaches.
The conference is the largest and longest-running interdisciplinary gathering probing fundamental questions related to conscious experience.
Source
In "Theravada" Buddhism in Sri Lanka, all enlightened "Baghavath Buddhas" appear on earth after eons of life times of purification of the mind, as a fulfilling universal qualification to perfecting qualities of "conscious energies" described in Sri Lankan Buddhist canon/texts "Pali Thripitaka" as "paramitha kamma" (perfectible universal deeds). The Baghvath Buddha has described beings existing in 31 realms. All creations in this universes are "energies" with influence of the "elements" under "causality". The Buddha has described how universal energy called "kamma" manifests in human form through human faculties of seeing, hearing, smelling, taste, touch & mind (past experiences) called aggregates, amalgamating with external world experiences of feelings through the "Human heart " organ as electrical wave signals to develop a "seed" to become "conscious energy" which continues to the brain as a "thought" and this continuation of experience is stored in the "sub conscious" mind in the human brain called "mano" (pali ) (mind) in Buddhism. This" perception " action is called "thought". Thought becomes a conscious energy called "kamma/karma , phenomenon in Buddhism.
The Hardest Problem of Consciousness
We often hear of the hard problem of consciousness. Why is there qualia or experience of anything in the first place? I would submit there is an even harder and more important question – why do I seem to be a specific individual experiencing a specific subset of qualia? This is the most important question that must be asked and answered but rarely is. As a matter of fact there seems to be a huge blind spot when it comes to this in discussions of consciousness. If material reductionism is to be relevant to the big questions, then it has to explain not how brains generate consciousness but how the specific brain in my head could create the specific consciousness I seem to be looking out of the eyeballs of this specific body. Why do I PERSONNALLY EXIST as an individual in the first place? Out of the infinite matter in the universe how is it that only the three pounds in my head could create me? What is different about that three pounds for this to occur?
Consider that billions of bodies showed up before this one.
Billions showed up after this one.
None of them seem to have created my existence.
This body could be running around without it being ME just like these billions of others
All bodies are made of the same elements.
All brains have the same basic anatomy.
If all brains are basically the same and are creating consciousness then there should only be ONE consciousness looking out of every set of eyeballs simultaneously.
A hopelessly superimposed existence from every possible viewpoint at once.
I’m sure that materialists would claim that no, no, brains are so complex they are all different.
Ok, so what would have to be recreated in another brain for me to exist looking out of another set of eyeballs?
When the ontologies purporting to explain consciousness are examined critically it becomes obvious that all materialist/reductionist strategies fail completely in attempting to address the individuality question.
What is the principled explanation for why:
A brain over here would generate my specific consciousness and a brain over there would generate your specific consciousness?
Integrated information over here would generate my specific consciousness and integrated information over there would generate your specific consciousness?
Global workspace over here would generate my specific consciousness and global workspace there would generate your specific consciousness?
Orchestrated quantum collapse in microtubules over here would generate my specific consciousness and orchestrated quantum collapse in microtubules over there would generate your specific consciousness?
A clump of conscious atoms over here (panpsychicism) would generate my specific consciousness and a clump of conscious atoms over there would generate your specific consciousness?
If an exact copy of my body was suddenly created in antarctica would I find myself to exist freezing there while also sitting in the comfort my living room?
According to the physicalists that would have to be true or their argument collapses into incoherence.
Materialism already fails since it cannot find a transfer function between microvolt level sparks in the brain and any experience or qualia. In addition it’s not possible for materialistic ontologies to address this question of individuality since no measurement can be made that could verify my consciousness vs your consciousness and therefore no materialist ontology could make any coherent statements about the subject.
How could pure awareness even be individualized?
Physicalists demand measurements but with consciousness there is nothing to measure.
There is electricity in the brain they say. We’ll measure that.
Is electricity consciousness? If so then once I again I should exist everywhere at once since electricity cannot be individualized.
My blender uses electricity.
Is it a genius?
Unless materialists can answer these questions their premise collapses like the house of cards it is.
As far as other ways of thought are concerned only Dualism and Idealism can account for our sense of individuality. Dualism assumes we are all individual spirits/souls matched up to a body through some undefined process. Idealism, which states that consciousness is primary also answers the question of why I seem to exist as an individual.
One consciousness exists looking out of every set of eyeballs and in the process the illusion of individuality is created in each case.
In actual reality I am you, you are me, we are one.
Isn't the brain that engine
ORCH-OR postulates that human consciousness arises out of the wave to particle transition observed in Quantum Mechanics. This theory is fully compatible with the existance of illusion in consciousness. However, observing illusion in consciousness (such as the McGurk Effect) does not explain how consciousness arises. The fact that ORCH-OR can be checked against the effects of anesthetic and hallucinogenic compounds upon the dampening or enhancing of quantum resonances in microtubules, makes it the right tool for addressing the hard problem of consciousness. The hypothesis that human consciousness arising out of the wave to particle transition in Quantum Mechanics is independent of the fundamental nature of space time.
Fascinating physicists theory. His biggest problem is that he is clueless about engineering principles and clueless on the evolution of brains starting at the simple levels up to how primate and human brains evolve. However that applies to all of these presenters.
What Hoffman has done if you really look deep into what he has ALREADY said..and he himself stated people will say he shot himself In the foot..let's go one more step and say that what he actually found was what ancient peoples call ego and now he is walking it back from the other side…assumptions arise the moment we open our mouths..this will eventually occur to him. We assume there is some problem that needs worked out. "I see no problem there just empty words" UG Krishnamurti
Very poor audio levels 😞
Let's continue exploring how the both/and logic and monadological framework catalyze new insights and expanded descriptive capacities across various domains:
Neuroscience & Theories of Consciousness
The logic allows formulating novel integrated perspectives on the mind-body problem and the neural correlates of consciousness that avoid the limitations of classical reductionist, dualist or mysterian views:
• Subjective Experience and Objective Description
For a conscious state x, let S(x) and O(x) represent the subjective experiential and objective neurophysiological aspects respectively.
Classical approaches tend to bifurcate into strictly separating these as S(x) = 1, O(x) = 0 or fully reducing to S(x) = 0, O(x) = 1. But the both/and logic allows:
S(x) = 0.7, O(x) = 0.6, ○(S(x), O(x)) = 0.8
Capturing how conscious states involve an irreducible complementarity and tight coherence between the subjective feel and objective dynamics – neither pole is prioritized or eliminable.
The synthesis operator ⊕ further models their co-realized gestalt unity:
subjective_experience(x) ⊕ objective_neuralcorrelates(x) = conscious_state(x)
• First-person and Third-person Perspectives
A related issue is how to integrate the first-person introspective perspective with third-person external observations and theories about consciousness.
For a set of data D about a conscious process x, we could have:
Truth(D matches first-person_report) = 0.6
Truth(D matches third-person_model) = 0.7
○(first-person, third-person) = 0.5
Capturing a moderate coherence between phenomenological and observational characterizations, which are irreducibly complementary poles synthesized into a unified account:
first-person_phenomenology ⊕ third-person_observations = theory_of_consciousness(D)
So rather than dissociating and privileging one perspective, the logic allows formalizing their coconstituted integration into holistic theories spanning qualitative experience and quantitative evidence.
• Unity of Consciousness and Neural Binding
How the unified phenomenology of consciousness relates to distributed neural activities is another puzzle. The logic allows coherence metrics between unity and differentiation:
Truth(consciousness_is_unified) = 0.8
Truth(neuralactivities_are_differentiated) = 0.9
○(unified_consciousness, differentiated_activities) = 0.7
With a synthesis capturing the paradoxical co-operation of integrated/discriminated aspects:
unified_subjective_character ⊕ distributed_neural_processes = coherent_conscious_state
Avoiding arbitrary prioritizations while modeling their integration as complementary interdependent facets of the same psychoneural Gestalt.
Philosophers have long struggled to clearly relate or decisively separate phenomenological unity with neural multiplicity. The paraconsistent both/and logic allows coherently modeling and further theorizing their subtle complementary coconstitution.
Philosophy of Logic and Language
The logic's expressive capacities allow revisiting classic issues in a new light:
• The Liar Paradox
In classical logic, the sentence "This sentence is false" is a paradox leading to explosion and triviality. But the both/and logic allows coherent non-trivial treatment:
Truth(Liar_sentence) = 0.5
○(Truth(Liar_sentence, 1), Truth(Liar_sentence, 0)) = 0.5
With a 0.5 truth value representing the sentence's indeterminacy, and moderate coherence between its truth and falsity aspects.
The synthesis operation ⊕ expresses its paradoxical self-reference resolving in a higher gestalt:
Truth(Liar_sentence) ⊕ ¬Truth(Liar_sentence) = paradoxical_self-reference
Providing tools for positively representing and logically operating with paradoxical self-undermining utterances, rather than dodging them through restrictive assumptions.
• Vagueness and Fuzzy Boundaries
The sorites paradox about the vagueness of fuzzy predicates like "heap" has also resisted classical treatment. But both/and logic allows:
Truth(x_is_heap) = [0,1] for objects x
With coherences tracking the degree of alignment with prototypical heap properties across a graded spectrum.
This avoids bivariate soup/heap boundaries, capturing the nuanced continuities and contextualities underlying vague linguistic categories.
So the logic restores accountability to the subtleties of real-world semantics resisting digitization, allowing discourse to resonate with rather than dissimulate the horizonal indeterminacies of language's ontological implicatures.
Throughout, the both/and logic's abilities to integrate graded multivalued truths, positive contradictions and self-superseding syntheses allow revisiting paradoxes and singularities not as sheer inconsistencies to be prohibited, but generative disclosures indicating inadequacies of our prior abstractive models – opening new constructive symbolic vistas better aligning with the nuanced complexities of thought, language and reality itself.
When we are dead we are an astral body, or if more evolved, a causal entity. We are not just awareness when we are dead unless totally liberated from our three bodies.
The fakir cosmic one nuts degrade God. The first commandment wasn't optional, or made easy to figure out, many a false Messiah has worn a pig lipstick snout
Thanks for this, the materialists downgrade us as humans. There is even talk of the trans human, the human embedded with, and upgraded with technology. That is why this is so necessary. Thanks to all of you who put this on. It should be mentioned that we are Individualized souls which, when given, will never be taken away. We share in Cosmic Consciousness (fundamental) and mind (elemental).
In terms of Consciousness in reality, Consciousness is Reality. All entities in ‘reality’ or space-time, shares in it. Man is a special creation; first causal (idea), next, Astral (energy) last physical (elemental), or from the elements. It would be nice if someone mentioned the actual dimensions that exist, that represent the triune entities that make up the human person. Deepak mentioned eight human species in a cycle. I read somewhere that in a universal cycle there are fourteen versions of the human.
However they are all human, originated as human to a human prototype, not originating in any other species but their own unique human species from a prototype from day one. Understanding vibration, which we ultimately will do, will clarify the different levels of consciousness. Intelligence depends on the rate mind vibrates at and the complexity of the brain it expresses through.
Consciousness, being fundamental, exists, consciousness does not vibrate, it is not subject to motion, but precedes motion and vibration. Without Consciousness, there would be no motion, no vibration, or anything else. Mind is dual in the dual system we inhabit in which everything is dual; necessary for manifestation, otherwise there would just be One, or Unity.
Quantum in Trinity time space all mine Unity of light color sound frequency vibration Rings Ark lights 9 Observer thought charge.
Time is light color sound in angular momentum creates our time dimensions of 1 through 7 Notes eighth being the new octave first note 8th dimensional black hole where all light is absorbed looking forward into our new octave manifesting our current Milky Way Octave of 1 through 7 time dimensions of which we've just entered forth December 12 minutes after 12:00 2019 it's the reason and the season for the shaking of the mind of every kind and little coronavirus got the world in a headlock of which this information holds secure the medicine of the future is frequency.
MeTAtron's MAtriX3x3 OM'E…
"The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental." "As above, so below; as below, so above.”
"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates."
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Light Never Dies death is our illusion through the terrible twos of childhood in Mercy Mercy Me and our promise rest is real..
Prisoners law in three power three sets all captives free 3Consciousness says
I see you Mirror Mirror I see me wisdoms wisdom's wisdoms unconditional love and forgiveness is key ⚖️ EnKi 🗝
We are primed to evolve to our prototype. The way to get there is alignment not rebellion or disruption. Satan (the light the fell from heaven) got us here, we have to align ourselves with Reality to find our way back to heaven which can also come on earth. It is up to us.
Looking for consciousness as arising from materialism is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Materialists will have to relent and come around to the reality that consciousness is fundamental. Of course that raises the question of a fundamental Self who is Consciousness Itself, generally called God. A hard row for atheists to hew. They will have to accept that human consciousness, mind, intelligence originates in, is embedded in, Cosmic Consciousness. Consciousness, intelligence, mind not having originated in the ocean, in a muddy pond, or even in a cell. The human ego is not Lord of the universe(s).its best bet is alignment with Reality rather than rebellion or disruption.
donald shared this on his twitter earlier with fixed audio