Multidimensional realityA discussion document. |
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| FRONT PAGE Photography and Digital Imaging
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 Figure 1 illustrates my interpretation of the reductionist view. It suggests that the whole of reality is physical in nature. The division into two parts is just a matter of our current understanding. Part of reality we do understand; part of it we don’t. The division moves to the right as our understanding grows. Whilst parts of the brain are understood, the workings of the human mind/brain system are not. Thus human beings lie across the division and are represented by the circle in the centre. Reductionists expect that an understanding of reality calls only for more time, and increasingly complex applications of the set of current scientific laws. In particular, there are neuroscientists who maintain that the mind emerges from the from brain, so that all our subjective perceptions (qualia) are physical in origin, even though we do not yet understand the mechanisms involved. Figure 2 illustrates another view, according to which there are dimensions other than those of space and time with which we are intimately familiar. There is no agreement yet among specialists on the number of dimensions of the physical world.or even on the nember of spatial dimensios that we live in. (see Tegmark Pitkanen and Greene). In any event the fabric of space is far more intricate than our senses would suggest, and the physical world is just one special component of a greater reality. Science is cannot provide a compete picture of reality until it can embrace the mind and subjective experience, and that may be never. How can one give an objective description of subjective experience? My suggestion is that the mind belongs to other non-physical dimensions and that it communicates with the physical brain through some form of interface, like a television transmitter and receiver. See the mathematical model proposed by R. P. Stanley:- Qualia Space, Journal Of Consciousness Studies; 6, No. 1; 1999; pp 49 - 60
'The interface is beyond man’s current knowledge and understanding. In Fig. 2, two human beings are represented by circles which cross the boundary of spacetime, the brain being in the physical world, whilst the 'mind' exists in these other dimensions. The subjective mind is somehow partitioned from other parts of the wider reality. It must be, otherwise we would be aware of everyone else’s thoughts as well as our own. Mystics and esoterics provide insights into the realms beyond the physical world and thereby provide subjective vidence for their existence. Also the bizarre world of quantum theory may be pointing towards them, but there are different interpretations of quantum theory and these await resolution, althoiugh at this point in time there are strongly held and conflicting views about whether quantum theory has the potential to explain consciousness. The fuzzy link between the two subjects represents such phenomena as telepathy and healing. Such links are not well understood and are in empirical studie the prove to be far less reliable than physical phenomena like electromagnetic or acoustic links. Yet the evidence for this kind link between minds is strong. Because the link is indistinct compared to our sensory images, it is described as fuzzy. Healers refer to "subtle" links. Anecdotal evidence of such links is legion and evidence from scientifically conducted tests continues to mount. Links to various laboratories performing scientific studies are in the section:- According to this multidimensional model society needs to experience a major shift of perception in order to get a better understanding of the wider reality. Subjective experience remains outside the domain of science and whilst it dos reductionists will never be able to explain it. A further illustration is given in Figure 3.
Two questions:- Science deals only with objective phenomena. Humans experience embraces objective and subjective phenomena. 1) Does all of objective reality and all of subjective experience emerge from a common source? 2) Does reality extend beyond both the domain of science and the domain f subjective experience? "Panentheism" maintains that there are aspects of reality both beyond our experience and beyond our rational understanding. Thus ultimate reality, represented by the ball at the base of the figure, contains a number of dimensions represented by the yellow band. Nobody knows how many dimensions are involved: the number could even be infinite. The magenta strip represent the dimensions required to represent the whole of human experience, subjective and objective. Qualia are non-physical items such as love, truth and beauty. They are not in themselves dimensions, but the suggestion is that they can be expressed in terms of fundamental dimensions, (R. P. Stanley, Qualia Space, J. Consciousness Studies; 6, No. 1; 1999; pp 49 - 60) paralleling science in this respect. Think of vision. There are only three primary colours yet we can distinguish between over a million different shaded. Perhaps feelings likewise have only a few primaries which give rise to our vast spectrum of experience. The cyan strip represents the number of dimensions required to represent the physical world alone. Particle physicists and cosmologists are still developing their models but the number of dimensions required is reported to be in excess of ten. The proposed number depends on the model. |
