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How the biological brain generates subjective consciousness remains the principal abyss in the scientific description of reality, a problem complementary to the cosmological theory of everything, and equally as challenging, because it takes the scientific model beyond the confines of objective reality. This paper examines the cosmological basis of consciousness and subjective experience in biological organisms. It draws on principles of symmetry-breaking and interactive non-linear dynamics to establish the cosmological status of biogenesis, and biological tissues as fractal forms of interactive symmetry-breaking. It then investigates the Archaean genetic expansion as a source of the envelope of functional machinery forming the basis of neural activity, based on the universal excitability of all living cells. Finally it examines the biophysical basis for consciousness, both in single cells, and in the human brain and its ‘Cartesian theatre’ of consciousness, to elucidate cosmological principles underlying the mind-body relationship.
The ‘Self-Aware’ ‘Emptiness’ of the Quantum-Epiontic Universe (by Graham P. Graham): http://jcer.com/index.php/jcj/article/view/198
A recent encounter with a quantum physicist has prompted me to examine the claims made by some interpreters of the work of Wojciech H. Zurek, and perhaps by Zurek himself – he does not seem to be clear on this point, that the quantum Darwinian approach to decoherence provides a means to establish the ‘objectivity’ of the classical world through the quantum ‘epiontic’ mechanism. A detailed and rigorous philosophical analysis of Zurek’s perspective indicates that the kind of objectivity provided by the quantum Darwinian physical-metaphysical perspective corresponds to what Bernard d’Espagnat terms ‘weak objectivity’, which is in fact a mixture of objectivity and subjectivity. Some of Zurek’s remarks seem to indicate that he thinks that his analysis undermines the ‘ultimate evidence’ that the classical world is entangled and dependent upon consciousness. However, a rigorous analysis shows that the opposite is the case; Zurek’s epiontic quantum Darwinian classical universe is ultimately dependent upon consciousness. I also indicate some remarkable points of contact with Buddhist metaphysics.
A fascinating hypothesis is made on the central role of serotonin as a guide, as the director of the phenomena that enable the best use of light by the plant world, the growth, the regulation of mood in the complex molecular interactions that characterize the varying levels of consciousness. This hypothesis supports the biological plausibility of the pace of creation written in the genesis by providing biological interpretations of the correspondence of creative steps, from light to man, passing through the vegetable and animal world. http://jcer.com/index.php/jcj/article/view/194
The Ising Model of Spin Interactions as an Oracle of Self-Organized Criticality, Fractal Mode-Locking & Power Law Statistics in Neurodynamics (by Chris King)
This short report highlights properties of fractality and self-organized criticality in the Ising model of ferromagnetism and how these ideas can be applied using wavelet transforms to comparisons with the study of self-organized criticality in neurodynamics. Matlab programs are provided to freely replicate the results. http://jcer.com/index.php/jcj/article/view/195
Sensory Transduction and Subjective Experience: Expression of eight genes in three senses suggests a radical model of consciousness (by Chris King)
Recent research into whole genome mapping of the mouse brain has made possible direct investigation of the brain expression of unusual genes. A search of the Allen Brain Atlas database has provided genetic and neuro-anatomical evidence for widespread specific expression in the brain of eight genes specific to sensory transduction, in vision, hearing and touch. A novel biophysical model is proposed for the function of these proteins, in generating the internal model of experiential reality. http://jcer.com/index.php/jcj/article/view/196
