I have been thinking fondly of you and your writings as I read the following book. I am delighted to have grokked your words.
Joseph E. LeDoux's The Four Realms of Existence: A New Theory of Being Human.
Thank you & be well,
Guy
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Here's the first paragraph of the synopsis:
"Humans have long thought of their bodies and minds as separate spheres of existence. The body is physical—the source of aches and pains. But the mind is mental; it perceives, remembers, believes, feels, and imagines. Although modern science has largely eliminated this mind-body dualism, people still tend to imagine their minds as separate from their physical being. Even in research, the notion of the “self” as somehow distinct from the rest of the organism persists.
Joseph LeDoux argues that we have hit an epistemological wall—that ideas like the self are increasingly barriers to discovery and understanding. He offers a new framework of who we are, theorizing four realms of existence—bodily, neural, cognitive, and conscious.
The biological realm makes life possible. Hence, every living thing exists biologically. Animals, uniquely, supplement biological existence with a nervous system. This neural component enables them to control their bodies with speed and precision unseen in other forms of life. Some animals with nervous systems possess a cognitive realm, which allows the creation of internal representations of the world around them. These mental models are used to control a wide range of behaviors. Finally, the conscious realm allows its possessors to have inner experiences of, and thoughts about, the world.
Together, LeDoux shows, these four realms make humans who and what we are. They cooperate continuously and underlie our capacity to live and experience ourselves as beings with a past, present, and future. The result, LeDoux shows, is not a self but an “ensemble of being” that subsumes our entire human existence, both as individuals and as a species."
Robert, your posts help me to be intellectually clear. Thanks. You and Joan Tollifson keep me honest. By that I mean you never give me answers. Which is the closet thing to Truth we can ever come to in my opinion. The only Truth I know is that I exist now. This question as to which came first consciousness or the brain is like the chicken or the egg question. There is a physical brain and it’s conscious. Your brain is physical and consciousness may have a physical source or not who knows. Awareness is there when we are alive but it doesn’t seem personal to me. It’s definitely here now. Anything else is speculation. By the way the idea that human beings are superior to other living things is absurd in my “opinion”. Talk about narcissism lol. Thanks for indulging me. I love discussing this stuff. Thanks again for being there.
"deal with it moment by moment".....the only guidance necessary for a fully lived life. All that is added to this actually detracts from it. Cheers bro.
Robert,
I have been thinking fondly of you and your writings as I read the following book. I am delighted to have grokked your words.
Joseph E. LeDoux's The Four Realms of Existence: A New Theory of Being Human.
Thank you & be well,
Guy
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Here's the first paragraph of the synopsis:
"Humans have long thought of their bodies and minds as separate spheres of existence. The body is physical—the source of aches and pains. But the mind is mental; it perceives, remembers, believes, feels, and imagines. Although modern science has largely eliminated this mind-body dualism, people still tend to imagine their minds as separate from their physical being. Even in research, the notion of the “self” as somehow distinct from the rest of the organism persists.
Joseph LeDoux argues that we have hit an epistemological wall—that ideas like the self are increasingly barriers to discovery and understanding. He offers a new framework of who we are, theorizing four realms of existence—bodily, neural, cognitive, and conscious.
The biological realm makes life possible. Hence, every living thing exists biologically. Animals, uniquely, supplement biological existence with a nervous system. This neural component enables them to control their bodies with speed and precision unseen in other forms of life. Some animals with nervous systems possess a cognitive realm, which allows the creation of internal representations of the world around them. These mental models are used to control a wide range of behaviors. Finally, the conscious realm allows its possessors to have inner experiences of, and thoughts about, the world.
Together, LeDoux shows, these four realms make humans who and what we are. They cooperate continuously and underlie our capacity to live and experience ourselves as beings with a past, present, and future. The result, LeDoux shows, is not a self but an “ensemble of being” that subsumes our entire human existence, both as individuals and as a species."
Thank you, Guy.
Robert, your posts help me to be intellectually clear. Thanks. You and Joan Tollifson keep me honest. By that I mean you never give me answers. Which is the closet thing to Truth we can ever come to in my opinion. The only Truth I know is that I exist now. This question as to which came first consciousness or the brain is like the chicken or the egg question. There is a physical brain and it’s conscious. Your brain is physical and consciousness may have a physical source or not who knows. Awareness is there when we are alive but it doesn’t seem personal to me. It’s definitely here now. Anything else is speculation. By the way the idea that human beings are superior to other living things is absurd in my “opinion”. Talk about narcissism lol. Thanks for indulging me. I love discussing this stuff. Thanks again for being there.
"deal with it moment by moment".....the only guidance necessary for a fully lived life. All that is added to this actually detracts from it. Cheers bro.