Ghost in the machine

With Newton, the idea of the Universe as a machine with consistent physical forces driving it all along meant that observation and consciousness played no part. It became the single most powerful notion for the 20^th Century.

It means though that for Quantum Physics, Genetics, chemistry, economics, sociology, science and research generally, a mechanistic physical world view still holds as the only truth.

Recently there was a documentary on Chaos theory, in which the Mandelbrot set was offered as a supreme example of the hidden but orderly physical forces operating in chaos.

 It seems that with only 2 or 3 mathematical mutating rules, most of the cosmos can be explained. But explained mechanistically, with no regard to free will, God, consciousness, or anything outside the physical realm.

However Quantum Physics, even in it’s purely experimental form, shows repeatedly that consciousness is an integral part of what happens inside atoms. Again....Consciousness moves things!

Yet the scientists involved won’t recognise this amazing aspect. They even have a saying.. ”Shut up and calculate”. Their maths are part of the deterministic approach of science that must prove the existence of certain physical qualities, and will ignore the mystery because science doesn’t concern itself with “Philosophy”.

This idea comes from a  time about 100 years ago when science was changing, and at a conference in Copenhagen scientists had to decide what they did for as living. What made them scientists.

They decided that science should only focus on what can be physically determined. Everything else should not be in the province of science because all they would have, as in the past, is argument, speculation, and philosophy and no fixed concrete answer.

Strangely though, this scientific determinism has been turned upside down, so that all things not capable of being scientifically determined are derided as being….get this…”Not scientific”!

Quantum Physics is still hamstrung with this thinking and only the very bravest of scientists, will talk about what actually goes on in the lab, In All Quantum verifying experiments ….IN ALL OF THEM,  consciousness and observation are a unavoidable facts of the quantum physics. What you are thinking about, has a direct impact on the experiment.

Why hasn’t this been a big bang moment hailed by science? It certainly has by everyone else, and science has been ignoring it all the way. Newton has a lot to answer for.

Paul

Meaningful Pairs

We give everything  the meaning it has for us. Quoted from “A Course in Miracles”

Every little thing from a chair to a marriage has personal meaning. But it’s sometimes it’s really hard to know exactly what you think. What do you think about a chair for instance….H’mm?  Something to sit on perhaps…anything else?

But try this…Drag that soft low slung lazy boy wing backed chair to the kitchen table, and all of a sudden it means a lot more than that. Wrong chair, that’s for sure. Perhaps wrong in many odd mismatched ways. It talks of design and personal preference. What about inviting someone like the boss to the table with the wrong chair there and maybe there is embarrassment or anger or laughter, or even a sense of cool or maybe shame, who knows?

This matching pair exercise though, will tell you a lot about what you think about chairs. Mostly about stuff you didn’t even know you cared about. And this is just about chairs!

Now you can decide if the many things you have had thoughts about for years, are just old worn out records in need of replacing .

Here are some more meanings to explore. No more chairs though!

How about Money.

Do Aggression and money work together

Does Peace and money

Does Business and money work together

And does Philosophy and business

Yet again another “For instance”.  if I asked you what aging meant to you, you’d think you’d know wouldn’t you. But do you?

It would be interesting to do the exercise of matching age and a wheelchair, Age and sex, Age and business, Age and aggression, Age and politics…and so on.  Do you think what Age means, might come out different?

These examples are but the tip of a very large submerged iceberg. A personally made hidden iceberg of meanings about how life works.

Most of what we think remains hidden through most of our lives. Sometimes our most deeply felt experiences come as a complete surprise to us. Without any element of control. The Meaningful Pairs

exercise can open you up to your personal  pile of prejudice, choice, beliefs, preferences and reactions. Could be a good thing…no?

Paul