Communication of the “Objective Reality” as Signal to the Senses in Orchestrated Non-Reductive way
A.K. Mukhopadhyay, 2019
Abstract
Consciousness cannot be articulated. In the unconditional state it is inexpressible. However, this Transcendental Reality could be naturalized internally by the human brain, which has been evolutionarily primed to do this. On the other side, externally, this has been a spontaneous happening in nature. Two pathways meet, although over a long time gap, at the sensory apparatus as “perception” of the experience of the Objective Reality (OR). This paper describes the steps in this process with involvement of four primary operations. From ontological point of view the author identifies the operators as consciousness, self, life, mind and information working together with the brain and shows that they form an orchestra which has been traditionally called psyche, which acts as inter-phase between brain-bound and brain-independent consciousness. From epistemological point of view the operations, labeled bottom up as operation I, II, III and IV which although occur in both inside the brain and in the external world, get more emphasis in the description of happenings in the external world. They seem to form a systems of orchestrated communication of the Objective Reality in a non-reductive way to the senses as signal. In this communication, Consciousness remains the First, Mind and its operation is the Final common path, and the Signal signifies the closure of causal drainage at the level of the matter.
Introduction
American Philosopher John Searle has made a significant statement, “consciousness is a philosophical problem, but it will have scientific solution”. What is this solution? Is it development of a fool-proof theory of consciousness? Or, consciousness fully explained! Unlikely! Consciousness cannot be approached or explained by or confined to any Theory. It does not matter how much of rigor from intelligence the theory upholds! Consciousness is intellectually incomprehensible, probably inexpressible and not fully describable in mathematical, verbal or non-verbal language! This property has created all clouds about its nature! However, consciousness is not hotchpotch phenomenon of the psyche, nor it could be ignored as blah, blah within the brain! Consciousness could be made intelligible and sensible at the level of Boolean logic by descending the steps through inferential logic, formal logic and fuzzy logic.
At present there are several competing theories on this consciousness, such as Global Workspace Theory of Bernard Baars [1], Integrated Information Theory of G. Tononi [2], Phenomenal and Access Consciousness Theory of Ned Block [3], and Orchestrated Objective Reduction Theory of Hameroff and Penrose [4], besides several other Representation theories including First Order-, and Higher Order-Representation Theories! All of these theories are in the context of the functions of the brain as if the brain is the source of consciousness! Consciousness is generated “somehow” within the brain from the pattern and dynamicity of neural signalling! And, the rescuer for this “somehow” for most of them is quantum physics, quantum events at the sub-cellular structures of neurons [5], or physics [6], physical phenomena in the external world. My position, in this respect, is different and is also clear [7]. The brain can neither generate, nor can use consciousness. It is consciousness which uses brain for its manifestations! The author is not alone in upholding this idea that the brain is not the source of consciousness!
