WELCOME
The website ‘scienceofconsciousness.com’ is under construction. This page and the navigation panel indicate the planned structure. So far, the only pages inhabited are the the following: Setting the Context, Mystery of Consciousness, and Theories of Consciousness. Any feedback on the structure, suggestions for content, and/or proposed links to useful information / youtube videos, would be welcomed from interested visitors to the website sent to
enquiries@scienceofconsciousness.com
The aim is for the website to be a useful resource for all with an interest or potential interest in developing an expanded science of ‘consciousness beyond the brain’!
The main aim of this website is to provide a source of information for those new to the study of consciousness, or for those who have some awareness, but wish to delve deeper. As far as is possible, the intention is to maintain an openness as to the nature of reality, and to offer the explorer different options in their journey of discovery. However, it is explicitly acknowledged from the outset that the creation of this website has been informed by the belief that consciousness exists beyond the brain. Theories about consciousness From a Materialist Worldview are included, but the main content focuses on different ideas of reality Beyond Materialism, and how these ideas can be investigated, explored and disseminated in Consciousness Research & Education.
The content of the different pages is summarised below, to make it easier to select areas of immediate interest.
Why is ‘consciousness’ becoming an expanding area of attention? For many years, it was seen to be mainly of interest to neuroscientists, with little relevance to wider society. In the Mystery of Consciousness: Introduction, it is explained why this is changing, and why Consciousness as a subject is of significance to all.
Providing a Historical Context offers an overview of past interpretations of consciousness, and how these have led to the present diversity of perspectives and Theories of Consciousness.
Over the decades, Materialist Theories of Consciousness have proliferated. The main discussions have taken place within Science and Neuroscience, and within Philosophy of the Mind. In this section, work in these areas are outlined, with links to resources that will give more detail.
The argument for revisiting the materialist basis of Newtonian science has come from within science itself, primarily from Quantum Physics. The Implications of Quantum Physics have been well-argued for many decades, although the impact of these on wider society has yet to be fully experienced.
Substantial evidence exists which demonstrates the presence of Consciousness Beyond the Brain, including near-death and out-of-body experiences, and the research that has been undertaken with non-speaking autistic children in the Telepathy Tapes. The idea that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe is not a new one; it is central to Eastern Philosophies such as the Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism, and also to many Indigenous Traditions.
There has been a Renaissance in Psychedelics, which can lead to an altered state of consciousness where many reports feelings of unity with the universe. These are often experienced as deeply meaningful and transformative.
Remote Viewing demonstrates that an individual can perceive information about unseen locations or objects, using their mind rather than the five senses.
The recent expansion in the numbers of people who are experiencing Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), and the discussions about these that have been taking place in the United States Congress has led to wide-ranging exchanges about the nature of these phenomena, and the role they might play in the future development of humanity.
Comprehensive models that support ideas of reality Beyond Materialism are continuously evolving, including Bernardo Kastrup on Analytic Idealism, and Federico Faggin, the originator of the microprocessor who provides a strong argument as to Why Computers Cannot Become Conscious.
In many models of reality beyond materialism, there is considerable emphasis on the importance of Living in the Present Moment, as exemplified by Eckhart Tolle.
Consciousness Research & Education
If reality exists beyond the external physical world, and our internal worlds cannot be explained through observing and analysing brain activity, then we will need an Expanded Science which includes Research Methodologies that value interiority as much as exteriority. There is also the need to expand Consciousness Education, so that all members of society are encouraged to rethink their assumptions about reality, and to consider the benefits that expanded ideas of consciousness might bring them. For example, the evidence suggests that they remove fear of death and make life more meaningful, so improving mental health and promoting a positive sense of wellbeing.
It is hoped that this website provides a space where you, the reader, are able to explore what an expanded worldview, and its potential benefits, might mean for you.
Finally, the ontological assumption (that is, the foundational belief about the nature of reality) underpinning the creation of this website is summarised below. In stating it here, you are encouraged to reflect on your own positioning, and how it relates to this statement. It is fully acknowledged that no ontology can be ‘proven’, but that we all have the opportunity to revisit the beliefs which influenced our upbringing and our lives to this point in time. Perhaps in a dynamically evolving universe, we should continuously be doing so. In that spirit, this website is likely to be modified over time.