Abstract
This article examines the implications of the various theories of consciousness; in particular, the views of scientific philosopher Ervin Laszlo (the turbine, cloud, and hologram theories, respectively). It also examines how taking a spiritual-material worldview, instead of just a materialistic worldview, can lead to new insights upon the nature of human consciousness. The article then goes on to outline the implications of a coherent conscious universe model for planetary society. Aspects of an emerging planetary consciousness are examined in the context of evolving social systems, and what the implications may be for the future of human consciousness on planet Earth.
Keywords
For centuries, philosophers, artists, and scientists have debated the nature of human consciousness: what it is and how it emerges. The question of human consciousness has also been at the heart of many mystical teachings, although these have tended to be based on revelation rather than investigation and discussion. Over the course of time, these debates have been largely divided between materialist and what may be rather loosely termed spiritual-material worldviews. The advance of sophisticated scientific methods and technology in recent decades has enabled scientists to map and study the human brain, including neuronal patterns, brain disorders, and the pathways of human thought. This has led to an increased tendency among many scientists to conclude that the material view of human consciousness is correct. In other words, that consciousness is simply a by-product of the physical brain and as such cannot exist without brain function. Today, this is still the dominant paradigm among materialist thinkers and scientists.
But with further research into nonlocal phenomena and theories of a holographic reality-construct, various investigators have been re-visiting our received understanding of human consciousness. From these renewed insights, a revision of the nature of consciousness is emerging. In this article, I examine, in particular, the views of scientific philosopher Ervin Laszlo and how taking a spiritual-material worldview, instead of just a materialistic one, can generate new insights into the nature of human consciousness. Furthermore, a nonlocal understanding of consciousness can provide cutting-edge implications for an increasingly interconnected human society. The research presented in this article also implies that the future of human evolution upon this planet is largely a question of the evolution of consciousness—specifically, conscious evolution.
In his Consciousness in the Cosmos trilogy, 1 Ervin Laszlo put forth what he termed the “Third Concept of Consciousness.” In brief, Dr. Laszlo outlined various anomalies in current orthodox scientific theories of consciousness. In his exposition, Laszlo clarified how it was unlikely that consciousness could be generated by the brain as a by-product—what he referred to as the “turbine theory.” In this theory, which is the current mainstream model, the set of experiences we define as consciousness is generated by the living brain. This is similar to how a stream of electrons would be generated by a working turbine (hence Laszlo’s naming). Therefore, just as electricity is a by-product of the turbine, so too human consciousness is considered by many to be the by-product of a functioning human brain. This theory postulates that human consciousness is local and is produced from something tangible. Also, when this producer stops functioning—that is, the brain ceases to be alive—then consciousness and related streams of experience likewise stop. Medical science has gone a long way to validate this “turbine theory” of consciousness by repeated experiments on how impaired brain functioning results in distorted consciousness.
The basic premise of this understanding of consciousness is that neuronal networks in the human brain have evolved to such a height of complexity that they produce a level of self-consciousness higher than that of any other animal on the planet (except perhaps dolphins and porpoises). Thus, the “turbine theory” is not limited solely to human beings but is applicable to the vast range of living beings on the planet. Yet the level of complexity in biological evolution is, in this theory, directly related to the degree of consciousness produced by each specific living creature.
Although recent years have witnessed renewed calls for a neurological basis of consciousness, even these pioneering theories still largely maintain an orthodox position. For example, neuroscientist Christof Koch, chief scientific officer at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, has publicly stated that “consciousness arises within any sufficiently complex, information-processing system. All animals, from humans on down to earthworms, are conscious . . . That’s just the way the universe works.” 2 For Koch, consciousness is a by-product of complexity; thus, complex systems produce varying levels of consciousness, and “how much consciousness they have depends on how many connections they have and how they’re wired up.” 3 Another so-called “cutting-edge” theory from science is “orchestrated objective reduction” (“Orch OR”), first put forward in the mid-1990s by eminent mathematical physicist Sir Roger Penrose and prominent anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff. 4 This theory claims that consciousness derives from a deeper level, finer scale activities inside brain neurons. Although controversial when first proposed, it has now gained greater credibility since the discovery of quantum vibrations in “microtubules” inside brain neurons, which appears to corroborate this theory. Nevertheless, many scientists still cling to the old “turbine theory” paradigm. In other words, that consciousness is a secondary phenomenon resulting from primary activity located entirely inside the human brain.
Yet this perspective has come under increasing attack, owing to a range of experiences that appear to throw doubt upon its validity. Challenges to the turbine theory of consciousness have come from increasing evidence of “after death” conscious experiences. According to the orthodox view, consciousness ceases when the brain dies—that is, no generator, no current. For most of us, this may seem like an obvious deduction. However, many cases are now proving that human consciousness is maintained even though a person is technically declared brain dead.
Near-death experiences (known as the NDE) have been reported by sufficiently large numbers of people who were declared brain dead (nearly 25% of tracked cases), and the NDE phenomenon has now been widely researched and discussed by many credible sources. 5 Furthermore, this phenomenon is not new; there are accounts of NDEs occurring even in medieval times. 6 The existence of consciousness—a by-product of brain activity—in the absence of brain function cannot be accounted for by the mainstream turbine theory. There are also numerous indications that human consciousness exists in cases of permanent death. That is, many years after a person has died, their consciousness remains available for contact and communication; whether through channeling or forms of extra-sensory perception (ESP). However, in these cases, the actual person is unable to return to life to corroborate the experience personally. Yet, there is now enough credible evidence to put doubt into the mainstream theory that consciousness is solely a by-product of localized brain activity.
From this position of critical uncertainty, Laszlo took the next step to suggest that a way to account for such anomalies is to assume that consciousness is in some way conserved beyond the brain, that is, as a nonlocal phenomenon. Laszlo posited the “cloud theory,” to use computer terminology. In this hypothesis, consciousness is something stored outside the brain. In terms of Laszlo’s “computer theory” of consciousness, this is similar to how information would be conserved on digital platforms accessed by computer networks or other cloud-enabled devices.
Using this same analogy, the mainstream theory of consciousness would be akin to an old-fashioned computer without a built-in memory that would lose all its data once it was switched off. In this regard, the cloud theory posits consciousness as nonlocal, rather than localized within the brain. Furthermore, the cloud theory allows not only for individual consciousness to be stored, and be recalled, but also multiple consciousnesses. This perspective of accessing multiple consciousnesses is reminiscent of psychologist Karl Jung’s theory of collective consciousness. This theory would appear to support the observations of psychiatrists and researchers who have induced altered states of consciousness in their clients. When in altered states, a vast majority of people have the capacity to recall almost everything that has happened to them. Moreover, their recall is not limited solely to their own personal experience but can also include the experiences of other people as well. 7 This cloud theory therefore suggests something akin to a collective field of consciousness that makes complete information available relative to the mode of access. This perspective shares similarities with the scientific research on the Akashic Field 8 and Morphic Resonance. 9 Yet, despite the appropriateness of the cloud theory of consciousness, it too, appears inadequate to account for all observations.
In various recorded accounts of altered state consciousness it appears that contact/access is not only made with traces of one’s own nonlocal consciousness but also with distinctive separate conscious intelligences. That is, with an active consciousness that is not the consciousness of a living person. Such experiences, once the realm of shamanic or indigenous traditions, have increasingly entered into mainstream cultures. Such “encounters” were often labeled mystical or else conveniently ignored as a quirky anomaly. However, as Western science has developed its exploration of the inner realms (as in transpersonal psychology and similar practices), such experiences have become more widely acknowledged and thus need to be accounted for.
From this evidence, a remarkable conclusion arises: that human consciousness can connect, and often even communicate, with conscious entities that not only manifest a sense of self but also carry distinct memories and information. This experience cannot be accounted for in either the mainstream turbine theory or the more radical cloud theory of consciousness. According to Ervin Laszlo, the most likely explanation is a “third concept”—that consciousness is a cosmic phenomenon with holographic qualities (the “hologram theory”).
For Laszlo, the hologram theory posits that consciousness may manifest “in” spacetime yet is a source that exists in a realm beyond spacetime. In other words, consciousness has its origins in a deeper dimension (in a “unitary cosmic matrix”), but is manifested as a holographic projection within our quantifiable reality. This, Laszlo tells us, posits that all forms of localized consciousness are manifestations of an integral consciousness that exists beyond spacetime. The implications of this understanding are that consciousness is not “in” the brain, “produced” by the brain, or “stored” beyond the brain but is the localized aspect of a conscious intelligence that infuses the cosmos from a source beyond spacetime. Such understanding takes us beyond linear thinking, where consciousness is seen as a by-product of the brain, to integral thinking that says the brain receives and interprets consciousness, which is infused in the cosmos but does not produce it. This realization, aided by the very latest scientific findings, points toward the possibility that a unified cosmic matrix (also called zero-point, cosmic plenum, or vacuum) generates what we perceive as spacetime. The materiality of spacetime is thus a holographic projection, coded from an underlying cosmic matrix, which is the source of conscious intelligence. All things that emerge into our reality are holographic projections from a deeper dimension.
The understanding that consciousness belongs to a deeper dimension of reality has been the domain of a centuries-long tradition that has been embraced by many well-known spiritual figures, artists, and even a handful of intuitive scientists. Now it is emerging as the new scientific paradigm for our era. And the evidence for this, it appears, lies in the incredible coherence of the cosmos.
Coherence in the Cosmos
If our observed universe is indeed a projection—“in-formed”—from an underlying conscious matrix (as suggested by the hologram theory), then we would expect the universe to manifest a marked degree of order. That is, there would be evidence that the universe we inhabit is not the end result of a random assembly of forces. In fact, cutting-edge science has now shown that our universe is remarkably coherent. This coherence, which is statistically far beyond randomness, 10 reveals that coherence is the dominant driver (“attractor”) in the universe. From quantum behavior—the smallest observable entities—to atoms, complex molecules, and living organisms, coherence appears to be an underlying purpose. There are, it seems, coherent relationships between events from one end of the universe to the other. The universe may not be a fully coherent system, yet coherence appears to be an innate universal orientation. This nonrandom nature of the universe suggests order above chance. Such order has now been scientifically measured in two principle forms: the numerical parameters of the universe and the alignment (or fine-tuning) of its physical constants.
In terms of the universe’s numerical parameters, there are a number of “coincidences.” One of the earliest to be discovered (by Arthur Eddington and Paul Dirac in the 1930s) was the ratio of the electric force to the gravitational force, which is approximately 1040. Similarly, the ratio of the observable size of the universe to the size of elementary particles is likewise about 1040. There are also other numerical alignments, such as the ratio of elementary particles to the Planck-length (which is 1020) and the number of nucleons in the universe. 11
Likewise, the physical processes that underlie our universe appear to be incredibly fine-tuned. It is not possible within the scope of this article to list all the staggeringly precise universal constants that “just happened” to occur for life as we know it to arise in the universe. One example concerns the expansion rate of the early universe. If the expansion rate had been one-billionth less than it was, then the universe would have re-collapsed almost immediately. Similarly, if the expansion rate had been one-billionth more, it would have flown apart so fast that matter would not have been able to form. Another precise fine-tuning exists between the strength of the electromagnetic field relative to the gravitational field. If the difference had been other than it is stable, stars like our own sun would not have formed. Thus, the evolution of life on planets would not have been possible according to known laws. Yet another example is the difference between the mass of the neutron and the proton. If the mass of the neutron were not precisely twice the mass of the electron, then no substantial chemical reactions could take place.
Our universe has a stable configuration, in terms of matter, precisely because the electric charges of electrons and protons have an accurate balance. In other words, our universe is incredibly fine-tuned beyond any possibility of chance. It could be said that we exist in a “just-right” universe. According to the calculations of mathematical physicist Roger Penrose, the probability of coming across such a universe, fine-tuned to life, by random selection is 1 in 1010123. Physicist Bernard Haisch has wryly noted that there is a greater probability than this that our universe is teeming with intelligent life! There are no other words for it—our universe is spectacularly coherent beyond our comprehension. And this drive toward emergent coherence also pervades our biological evolution. According to Laszlo, this trend is reflected throughout life on planet Earth.
The intricate elements and processes that make up what we call life all exhibit forms of entanglement that, according to quantum science, show remarkable coherence. Physicists Eric Cornell, Wolfgang Ketterle, and Carl E. Wieman demonstrated that complex molecules, cells, and even living organisms exhibit quantum-type processes (they received the 1995 Nobel Prize for this discovery). What this tells us is that complex organisms could not have evolved on this planet without some form of quantum coherence. The human body is one example, where each cell produces 10,000 bio-electro-chemical reactions every second, and there exists a constant flux of inter-reactions and processes connecting molecules, cells, organs, and fluids, throughout the brain, body, and nervous system. Recent findings in biophysics have demonstrated that a form of quantum coherence operates within living biological systems through what is known as biological excitations and biophoton emission. This means that metabolic energy is stored as a form of electromechanical and electromagnetic excitations. Furthermore, quantum-level correlation in organisms is not limited to individual organisms themselves but also operates among organisms. That is, a complex ecology of organisms exists on this planet that is “fine-tuned” via coherent fields establishing a biosphere that is interactive and participatory. Life on this planet is a dance of coherence between organisms and their environment.
Physical, chemical, and biological coherence leads ultimately to a degree of perception/comprehension regarding types of relations and interconnectivity (Laszlo uses the term “prehension,” which he borrowed from Alfred North Whitehead). What this implies is an element of conscious interconnectivity between the various subparts of any system. That is, as parts of a given system become more complex and interdependent, there arises a greater degree of “emergent perception” regarding the relations of interconnectivity. In other words, coherence becomes a conscious purpose.
As coherence is the dominant driver/attractor in physical, chemical, and biological (species) development, so it may be an expression of social development. Hence, a society may display chaotic, random, and disruptive behavior and yet be governed at an innate and essential level by remarkable coherence. This may, in fact, be a necessity and fundamental prerequisite not only for sustaining life but also for its future development. The implications here are that social and cultural disequilibrium (including disruptions, chaotic events, and anomalies) may function as essential “tuning adjustments” for developmental potentials in the social environment. This perspective positions social disruptors (“chaotic disruptors”) as mechanisms for adjusting potentials to allow for greater degrees of coherence. Stated plainly, social disruption and chaotic events could be viewed as physical occurrences that assist in the drive toward greater coherence within the social realm.
The trend toward coherence exists throughout the physical universe—in its laws and processes (chemical and physical)—as well as in and among living organisms (the biological realm). This trend, it appears, is toward ever-more sensitive and -stable coherence, as well as toward emergent conscious interconnectivity. Behind this phenomenon, it has been hypothesized, exists a cosmic matrix of conscious intelligence. Upon this planet, the ultimate physical manifestation of coherence may very well be social order on a planetary scale—a planetary civilization. Could this be the arena where immanent universal order meets a transcendent emergent consciousness?
Social Coherence on a Planetary Scale
A grand sweep of history depicts the rise and fall of countless civilizations, empires, and cultural manifestations. From another viewpoint, it also shows a marked shift in the perceptive traits of human consciousness. How we see the world, and our place in it, has influenced how we participate in the world around us. And until very recently, the consensus has been to view the world as exterior to us—separate and fragmented. Previous empires sought to conquer and control and to create, as far as was possible, their idea of a uni-polar world. Yet, no empire ever truly succeeded in this endeavor. Previous city-states, societies, civilizations, and empires have represented the emergence of groupings (“systems”) seeking greater stability and out-reach—in a word, coherence. This fundamental need for coherence and stability that came with complex groupings was often critically centered on resources. The overshoot of a society/social system in the face of dwindling resources often resulted in sudden collapse. 12 As in the physical, chemical, and biological examples mentioned previously, the dominant attractor is coherence. The drive toward achieving greater levels of coherence—especially among increasingly complex systems—appears to be a universal trend. According to this hypothesis, by applying the coherent attractor to social systems the ultimate scale-up on this planet would be a planetary civilization. Are we currently on the cusp of a developmental impulse toward such a planetary civilization? Is this the purpose/drive behind the coherent order underlying existence in our spacetime?
We have entered a period where a uni-polar world is no longer possible—the age of empires is at an end. Our present multi-polar world reflects a level of deep interconnectivity between the dominant, and the not-so-dominant, nations, states, and regional blocks. Paradoxically, however, this early stage of global interconnectivity and interdependence is creating increased conflict among the major players—the very opposite of what we would expect to see in a drive toward coherence. So, where is the underlying coherence behind this display of social disruption?
In recent years, we have witnessed the rise of an empathic consciousness among the diverse peoples of the world. 13 A major catalyst behind this emergence has been our global technologies of communication. As was previously noted, a developing degree of “perception” of the interconnection between parts of a whole serves as both an expression of coherence and a driver toward further coherence. The World Wide Web—our global Internet—represents an exterior form of this underlying need for manifesting interconnectivity. Earlier commentary on the rise of global interconnectivity discussed this in terms of a “Global Brain.” 14 We know from recent neuroscience that the mind operates throughout the human body and is largely centered in the human heart. The concept of the human brain and its functioning is increasingly referred to as an extended mind. Our technologies of connection and communication serve as the tangible expression of our species’ extended mind and as such function as channels for our conscious communication. The postindustrial world is establishing a global environment where unprecedented information flows, through distributed (and wireless) networks, are allowing for new levels of connection, collaboration, consciousness, and compassion.
We have become increasingly conscious of our inherent interconnectivity upon a social/physical level, as well as upon a virtual/digital and nonlocal one. Moreover, as the older borders and boundaries (both real and invented) separating us on this planet further dissolve, we find that there is greater unity within our diversity than we realized—and our social fears dissolve too.
How we see the world also influences how we interpret our received consciousness. It is likely that the current drive toward social coherence on planet Earth will first emerge through the individual consciousnesses of us, the people. From the Internet to smart phones, from social media and video-sharing—we are connected, passionate (and compassionate), striving as never before to collaborate as a species. And much of this shift is taking place under the radar of the mainstream status quo. The fundamental universal drive toward greater coherence may very well be manifesting through a marked shift in human consciousness that is increasingly being played out on a global scale.
Emerging Planetary Consciousness
The philosopher Karl Jaspers referred to the period from 800 to 200 BC as the Axial Age. This was a time, according to Jaspers, when new yet similar ways of thinking appeared in Persia, India, China, and the Western world. He also asserts that the Axial Age represented an in-between period, where old certainties had lost their validity and new ones were yet to emerge. The new religions that arose in this time—Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and monotheism—influenced new thinking in terms of individuality, identity, and the human condition. These new emerging religions 15 helped to catalyze new forms of thinking and expressions of human consciousness.
Yet, over time, we have seen that none were wholly successful in developing coherence in a social context. Author and educator Duane Elgin has recently referred to our present time as the 2nd Axial Age, 16 in that religions of separation are being replaced by a new spirit of communion. In other words, says Elgin, the world is moving into spiritual communion and empathic connection with a living universe. There is nowhere else to go, Elgin tells us, when the universe already exists within us. A major feature of this emerging empathic consciousness is that it actively seeks conscious participation. Furthermore, it exhibits a direct-intuitive perception rather than a linear-rational one. The more individual consciousnesses that connect across the planet the greater will be the perception (“prehension”) of this interconnectivity, which in turn catalyzes the innate fundamental drive toward seeking still further coherence. This realization of our communion in consciousness further initiates the receiving of a consciousness that seeks to manifest coherence as a universal natural order.
This is speculation, yet the purpose of sentient human life upon this planet may well be the drive toward manifesting a coherent planetary consciousness; in other words, the “bringing in” of the consciousness field (outside of spacetime) into greater spacetime manifestation—in our case, upon the Earth. There is a correlation here with Aurobindo’s concept of the Supermind, in that a form of higher consciousness can be made immanent upon the material plane. This would require the preparation of human consciousness to actualize this—a form of transcendence in consciousness. That is, raising localized aspects of consciousness (individual perceptions and awareness) to increase the coherence of consciousness throughout the whole. And this can be made tangible by local conscious actors—each one of us—becoming aware and participating through our everyday acts of right thinking, right behavior, and right being.
We are no longer merely isolated individuals or an inarticulate mass—we are localized consciousness acting through aware individuals who seek to consciously connect, collaborate, and care about the future. Each individual—as a localized consciousness—is a reflection of nonlocal consciousness, and in this way we also reflect one another. This analogy was beautifully expressed in the concept of Indra’s Net 17 where each jewel in the net reflects all the other jewels—it is a simple metaphor for the interconnectedness of our reality. This energetic reality, validated by quantum science, is now increasingly manifesting in our localized spacetime environment. We now have the means to interconnect nonlocally—through our technologies—as well as through our physical networks (made easier through increased social mobility). These are the signs of an emerging planetary civilization that respects diversity as well as unitary coherence. And as we connect and share our consciousness—our thoughts, ideas, visions, and so on—we will be helping to strengthen the signal—the reception—of consciousness and thus the bringing in of a coherent cosmic consciousness. A planetary consciousness upon Earth, as expressed through a sentient, individualized humanity, may not only be a real possibility—it may very well be a fundamental cosmic purpose.
Human Consciousness and Purpose
It has been suggested in this article that an underlying cosmic matrix that is beyond spacetime codes our known universe, which behaves in a way consistent with what we know as a holographic projection. In other words, the universe is in-formed from a deep consciousness beyond it. The universe thus acts as a whole nonlocal consciousness field, of which sentient life acts as localized manifestations. It has been inferred through various religious and sacred texts and traditions that the universe (material reality) came into being as a way for its Source “to know itself”—I was a hidden treasure and wanted to be known. This is reminiscent of Know Thyself, the famous maxim from the Delphi oracle. Self-consciousness is ascribed to those creatures at the peak, or greater actualization, of consciousness. Self-reflection is one of the prized attributes of self-consciousness—yet how can the whole reflect upon itself? Self-realization is something we credit to each attained individual consciousness. As speculation, I wonder what self-realization upon a greater scale would be like? Self-realization as a planetary consciousness? . . . as a galactic consciousness? . . . and finally as a cosmic consciousness fully realized and self-conscious through all of its localized manifestations? Astounding initiation.
Human consciousness is a part of the greater whole. As sentient beings, we receive part of the consciousness that pervades spacetime, and thus we are affected by it—animated by it —as well as feeding back into the whole. Our individual expression of consciousness in manifested spacetime also reflects back into the greater nonlocal consciousness field. The greater our individual perceptions and conscious realization, the greater the total reflection of the consciousness hologram in its entirety—just like the further polishing of each jewel in Indra’s Net will influence the overall radiance of the whole net. The cosmic matrix of consciousness is thus in-formed through emerging conscious awareness of its subparts. As each one of us wakes up, the cosmic net shines that little bit brighter. If enough localized consciousness awake upon this planet, we may catalyze a localized planetary field into conscious awareness—a planetary net is sufficiently prepared (polished) to “bring in” the greater consciousness pervasive in the cosmos: the immanence of the Supermind, to use Aurobindo’s terminology. In this case, we are each a conscious agent of cosmic realization and immanence. We each have an obligation in our existence on this planet to raise our individual, localized expressions of consciousness. In doing so, we both infect and inspire others in our lives to raise theirs, as well as reflecting back our conscious contribution into the source. The hidden treasure that is at the very core of our existence wishes to be known—for us to be known—by our individual journeys of self-realization, and to bring it all back home (to paraphrase Bob Dylan).
After individual self-consciousness comes collective and planetary consciousness. The emerging technologies and social movements upon this planet may well be part of this process, in-forming an extended mind and empathic embrace across the face of the earth. And one day we may witness a grand awakening, unprecedented upon this planet—and this may very well be the purpose for sentient life, as conscious agents of evolutionary unfolding. This is likely to be more reality than fantasy. We are not alone—a great planetary future awaits us: as a great treasure that wished to be known.
In Summary
The views of investigators such as Ervin Laszlo and this author represent a recent emergence of thinkers who are attempting to broaden the discussion on the nature of human consciousness. Principally, by taking a spiritual-material worldview based on cutting-edge research in quantum physics and investigations into the nature—and construct—of material reality, we are able to propose new insights into one of the most important questions of our time: what is human consciousness? We are now on the cusp of great advances in understanding, particularly concerning the nature of human cognition and perception.
Today the age-old divide between science and spirituality is finding ever-increasing areas of convergence and commonality. At the same time, a spiritual-material worldview is gradually becoming more acceptable to mainstream investigators. By revising our constructs of knowledge on this subject, it is also possible to re-engage with questions over the potential future of human evolution on this planet. As our species moves ever closer to the reality of a planetary civilization, there has never been a more opportune time than the present.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.