Do We Have Minds of Our Own?

This article is a good summary of ancient and modern theories of mind, and recent books that support them. Novel ideas like “enminded matter,” and “spread-mind theory” are sure to tickle your mind. I find myself most resonant with panpsychism, that consciousness exists along a spectrum from dirt to divinity. What is mind/consciousness and where does it exist remains one of the most debated topics in history, and some quite sharp thinkers are lending their voices. Definitely worth a read:

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This was quite interesting. I also tend to gravitate towards something like panpsychism, consciousness being pervasive throughout the universe – but maybe that’s just due to a glitch in my biocomputer :thinking:

Sometimes I wonder if there might be higher levels as well…as suggested in this quote someone tweeted recently:

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~ArthurG

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I can’t access the article, but what came to mind was “hive mind.”

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Hive mind, you say?

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(source of image)

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Hi @mycoses try this link… https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/do-we-have-minds-of-our-own

Are you still unable to access?

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Got it!

I was just - ha, “just” - trolling the internet for I think Rupert Sheldrake or one of the many names that Andrew tosses out in the various online offerings. One touched on this. The example that resonated was mice. Once ONE mouse figured out the maze, all mice around the world figured it out.

That triggered “self-similarity” to what I learned about with astrology (a side binge). Once a new planet or NEO (near earth object, lol! Matrix!) had been identified, the ‘archetypal energy’ it was determined to hold coincided with new discoveries or cultural shifts among humans. (or vice versa). Example: when Pluto was found, the “unconscious” was becoming a Thing ala Freud & Co.

(an aside: Karen Horny, unfortunate last name, was Freud’s disciple. She refined the “phallic ideation” to describe the age and developmental stage when a child learns about “power” - usually held in the father’s role).

The mystery - how does one organism breaking a mind-barrier automatically make that capacity available to all others [of that species]? I guess the answer could be found in the body, if the right analogy/fractal was used. Coral Reefs look like brains, some near identical. Turns out their ecosystem is somewhat of a brain in the sea. For example.

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@mycoses, do you have a reliable source for “Once ONE mouse figured out the maze, all mice around the world figured it out”? It sounds like a variation on the alleged “hundredth monkey” phenomenon, which is definitely something some people believe to be true :thinking:

~ArthurG