And Now?

Sometimes it is difficult to write about present times. No one can reach sufficient “height” or have sufficient insight, to see the warp and the woof of the patterns in life that are being woven.

I know that I have written about this before but I still want an answer!

Many will know that I have an abiding interest in psychology – trying to determine why we do the things we do. Allied to this it is always necessary to remember that every action in life, individually or collectively, has consequences – generally unexpected.

But then, firstly, I have tried to establish what we humans actually are – this has puzzled me for a very long time. What are we? Just an accident of nature (but what is nature?) or is there some design and purpose behind the creation of life?

In this regard it is worth remembering that the words Psychology and Psychiatry derive from the Greek ‘psyche’ (pertaining to the Mind or Soul). It would be to the advantage of all not to lose sight of this primary meaning because it should guide our thoughts on these matters. Furthermore, my personal life experiences, a psychology degree, the examination of published papers and extensive reading, have led me to the rather uncomfortable conclusion that research into this subject is trying to reconcile the irreconcilable. There is an attempt to reconcile the objective, quantitative, scientifically measurable aspects of the biological brain with the subjective, qualitative and immeasurable aspects of the mind/consciousness with the intention of arriving at some meaningful answer. 

Any answers arrived at, however, will be dependent on the deep consideration of some difficult concepts that in themselves give rise to many questions. For instance, what is Intelligence? What is “Life”? What is “Consciousness”? Is “Life” the same as “Consciousness”? Is there a difference between brain and mind? What is it that is absent when something that was “alive” is now “dead”? What is a thought or an emotion and how are thoughts or emotions generated? These terms (intelligence, alive, dead, consciousness, mind, thought and emotion) are in the common lexicon, yet there is no agreed definition or consensus as to what they are. The brain is believed to “contain” the mind and consciousness and yet the mind and consciousness may not be confined to the brain – even though they appear to be related in some manner as one affects the other. 

Regarding the brain, while imaging techniques, for instance, have shown that certain areas of the brain are activated when thinking or remembering something, it has yet to be determined whether thoughts or remembrances, by some means, activate the neurons or whether the activated neurons, somehow, create the thoughts and remembrances.

Similarly it will be recalled that all observable forms of matter are constructed from atoms and molecules. This becomes interesting if “Matter” (in the form of the human body and brain) together with “Life” and “Consciousness”, are considered in the light of quantum physics which states (very basically) that Energy = Matter (remember E=MC²?). Einstein, with this famous equation, revealed that the Universe is not just trillions of distinct items separated by inert space but in fact is a dynamic construct in which matter and energy are so inextricably mixed that it is not possible to consider them as separate elements. If this is true, where does this leave ‘life’, the ‘mind’, ‘consciousness’ and ‘intelligence’? How can energy/matter be intelligent or conscious? What is ‘dead’ energy (i.e. some matter which was alive and is now dead) compared to ‘live’ energy (i.e. some matter which is animated and alive)? Furthermore, physics tells us that there is no foundation for a view of life based on the pre-eminence of matter. Energy is indestructible and outside of time, and as a result the total quantity of energy is constant. This is known as the law of conservation of energy. But one of the astonishing results of relativity theory is that there is no law on the conservation of mass (matter).

Something else - humans presume to consider themselves as the epitome of the universe. As confirmation of this assertion the human brain has been described as the most complex single object known to science, with an estimated eighty six (86) billion neurons. The feasible connectivity of these gives rise, literally, to an astronomical number of possibilities. But does this connectivity explain the mind or consciousness? 

There is also this further matter - our freedom to choose – known as the “problem of mental causation”. It is a fundamental fact of science - a maxim - which states that nothing can happen that is not governed by natural laws of material causation (i.e. physical events cause physical effects). Thoughts are non-physical (they are subjective), therefore by definition cannot cause anything physical to happen. How then is it possible for subjective (non-material) thoughts of the “self” to so influence the function of the (material) brain that they compel the brain to direct the (material) body to perform a particular action? This has yet to be resolved.

So where does this leave us?

I really have no idea! That is why I am so interested in this subject.

Worthy or unworthy?

What are we? Just an accident of nature (but then what is nature?) or is there some design and purpose behind the creation of life? Nobody knows!

And further to this conundrum I add that we human beings, generally, seem to be hell-bent on destroying the very environment that allowed all life to propagate.

I know I have written about this before but when it comes to understanding the “Tragedy of the Commons” it is well worth reiterating the facts. These “commons” are those resources which benefit all and that we all rely on, water (including those species that live in and on the water), the soil and the air. Free access and unrestricted demand for finite resources (minerals) ultimately reduces those resources through over exploitation. This exploitation occurs because of the financial benefits that accrue to individuals or groups, hence a desire to maximise the use of the finite resource without regard to the deleterious effects borne by all – even those unaware that such voracious exploitation is taking place.  

The fact that money appears to take precedent over what is best for all is pure greed. I am thinking particularly of the current, apparently intractable, divide between the political Left and Right and the socially unacceptable imbalance between the very wealthy and the vast numbers living in poverty, together with the deniers, generally those whose affiliated to Right-wing politics, who oppose political reform and who have an apparent inability or unwillingness to accept the we, humans, are destroying the very environment essential for survival.  

It would be well for all to reflect on the fact that all wealth – the economy that politicians love to invoke – is totally dependent on the air; the soil and water, both fresh and salt. Without these there would be nothing.  

“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it. If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity––then we will treat each other with greater respect. Thus is the challenge, to look at the world from a different perspective.” (David Suzuki)

I will now quote extracts from a speech attributed to Chief Seattle of the Suquamish and Duwamish people in what is now the State of Washington DC (though there is some dispute as to whether or not this was “ghost written” for him):- 

“What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of the spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected ….. 

….This we know; the earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected ….. 

….You may think now that you own Him as you wish to own our land; but you cannot. He is the God of man, and His compassion is equal for the red man and the white. The earth is precious to Him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator. 

The whites too shall pass; perhaps sooner than all other tribes. Contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste. ….

….Where is the thicket? Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone. The end of living and the beginning of survival.”

And so it seems to be. The sea ice is retreating; the permafrost is melting; much of the World’s ground water is contaminated. Many millions of square kilometres of the land is now so degraded that huge quantities of chemical fertilizers are required to get anything to grow. Many square kilometres of cropped land is sprayed with insecticide and weed killer. Many millions of square kilometres of forested areas are burning in drought-ravaged areas. Many millions of tonnes of waste, of all types, now pollute the oceans. Many millions of tonnes of chemical and noxious gasses are polluting the very air we breathe. 

But all this is accepted because of money; because of the “need” to grow the economy; that same “economy” which only exists because of people whose very lives depend on clean air, unpolluted, productive land and unpolluted water.  

 Makes me wonder!