Field Of Consciousness Research Articles

Consciousness: An Energy-Based Approach to Information Generation

A fundamental question in the field of consciousness is how and why physical processes in the brain give rise to consciousness, a problem named the ‘hard problem of consciousness’ by David Chalmers. Despite numerous studies, neuroscience has yet to agree on a single account that addresses the hard problem of consciousness. Here, I introduce the energy-information generation (EIG) theory to answer this problem. The EIG theory posits that consciousness emerges when a neuron generates an EM field which represents the information encoded in the neuron through its energy via numerous neural mechanisms. This paper explains how the mechanisms that allow neurons to store information about the environment can control the energy of the electromagnetic field of neurons through their impact on dendritic spikes during rhythmic synchronized activity. This theory proposes an answer to the hard problem of consciousness and could serve as a framework for future neuroscience research.

Toward engaged narratology

Abstract In recent years, strands of contemporary narrative theory have taken a turn toward a politically, socially, and environmentally conscious field of study that could be characterized as ‘engaged narratology.’ Creating and disseminating knowledge about how narratives work, these theories emphasize that narrative forms and strategies are neither universal nor neutral; they carry out, but can also challenge, systems of inequality and marginalization. They also suggest new combinations of theory and activism, pedagogical interventions, and community engagement models, offering tools to create social justice. This article outlines some of these recent developments and reflects on the possibilities of ‘engaged narratology’: how it relates to engaged research and what kinds of practices have been developed so far. As an example of engaged narratological work, it discusses the shared close reading of Roxane Gay’s book Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (2017) in a multidisciplinary narrative medicine classroom.

Effects of Faradarmani Consciousness Field on Hippocampal Structure/Function and Pancreatic Beta Cells in STZ-Induced Diabetic Rats

Effects of Faradarmani Consciousness Field on Hippocampal Structure/Function and Pancreatic Beta Cells in STZ-Induced Diabetic Rats

Influence of Faradarmani Consciousness Field on Spatial Memory and Passive Avoidance Behavior of Scopolamine Model of Alzheimer Disease in Male Wistar Rats

Influence of Faradarmani Consciousness Field on Spatial Memory and Passive Avoidance Behavior of Scopolamine Model of Alzheimer Disease in Male Wistar Rats

Associative Field “Brest Region” as a Way to Model a Fragment of the Linguistic Consciousness of Residents of the Brest Region

Introduction. Modeling geopolitical images using anthropometric methods is a new and relevant direction in modern scientific knowledge. The article examines the image of the Brest region through the prism of the linguistic consciousness of the inhabitants of the Brest region. Methodology and sources. The theoretical basis of this study was the work of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of linguistic research methods (A.A. Zalevskaya, N.I. Kurganova, A.V. Rudakova, O.N. Seliverstova, I.A. Sternin, N.V. Akovantsev, etc.), psycholinguistics and linguistic consciousness (E.I. Goroshko, A.A. Zalevskaya, L.O. Butakova, Yu.N. Karaulov, A.A. Leontiev, A.P. Klimenko, Z.D. Popova, I.A. Sternin, E.F. Tarasov, N.V. Ufimtseva, etc.). The study was carried out within the framework of the project “Brest region through the eyes of people of different professions” together with the main department of ideological work and youth affairs of the Brest Regional Executive Committee. The research material was 1062 associations obtained during a free association experiment, in which 400 representatives of the cultural sphere took part. Results and discussion. During the association experiment, the free association technique was used. In the questionnaires, respondents were asked to write 3–5 associations for the stimulus phrase “Brest region” within a limited time period. Based on the obtained associative reactions, an associative field was formed and 9 thematic groups were identified. Based on the ranking of thematic groups in accordance with quantitative data, layers in the cognitive structure of the image of the Brest region are identified. Conclusion. An association experiment is the most effective method that allows us to identify the attitude of residents of a region to the surrounding reality. This attitude is expressed by linguistic means and reflects the understanding of the world, its conceptualization, as well as the strategy of communication and verbal existence of the individual.

The Unity of Consciousness and the Practical Ethics of Neural Organoid Research

This article investigates a critical yet underexplored structural aspect of consciousness in the context of the practical ethics of neural organoid research: the unity of consciousness. We advocate for the necessity of the unified field, which has garnered substantial support from both philosophical and empirical standpoints, although the debate remains unresolved. We highlight the brainstem as a potential source of the unified conscious field, a structure already under scrutiny in neural organoid research in relation to conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and post-COVID-19 syndromes. We argue that if unity is a necessary feature of consciousness, consciousness is contingent upon a specific biological system without which consciousness cannot arise, thereby narrowing the range of neural organoids of ethical concern. Furthermore, the transplantation of neural organoids into animals has emerged as a practical concern, with ethical implications varying based on the necessity of the unity of consciousness. We argue that transplantation evades a significant ethical dilemma if unity is necessary and if the organoids to be transplanted lack the neural basis for the unified field of consciousness.

The Varieties of (Un)Boundedness

I analyse six different senses in which a conscious mind can be said to be either 'bounded' or 'unbounded', and evaluate how well they might capture what people mean when they say either that human consciousness is necessarily bounded, that it introspectively appears bounded, or that mystical and psychedelic experiences remove its apparent boundedness. I then argue that, although human consciousness is certainly bounded in one important sense (informational boundedness), this does not entail that it is phenomenally bounded, in the sense of being divided into separate fields of experience. In fact, if panpsychists are right that consciousness is fundamental and nature is uniform, it is likely that human consciousness is phenomenally unbounded: the whole universe is likely to be a single field of consciousness, with each of us being an informationally dense region of it. I close by noting some ways that this claim of phenomenal unboundedness ('continuism') impacts debates among panpsychists about how to solve the combination problem.

Theories of consciousness: A concise overview

Consciousness or conscious experience is a mental phenomenon that is familiar to all of us, but the way in which it is produced escapes us to a large extent. Each person has a vague idea of what it means to be conscious, but consciousness is rather hard to define, albeit easy to identify. It is that function of the brain that makes us conscious of external or internal stimuli and of our thoughts regarding these subjective experiences. Conscious experience is a first-person perspective of mental states and events tracking as they unfold. It includes mental phenomena such as a perception, emotion, memory, idea, continuous temporal sequence of events. A mental process and its adjoining neurophysiological phenomena represent two aspects of the same event. We have direct access to the mental aspect, while we can observe the neurophysiological aspect only when we study the event as a biological process. The psychological study of consciousness describes the special properties of this brain function, its origin and utility in the global economy of an animal organism. The neurobiological study aims to find the neural correlates of consciousness, aims to establish causal relations between the neural phenomena and the different conscious states. Lastly, the formulation of an explanatory theory can provide a satisfactory understanding of the phenomenon. This review aims to bring some clarification in the field of consciousness, selecting the hypotheses which mostly fulfill the requirements, in order to be confirmed as explanatory theories. A valuable test for confirming an explanatory hypothesis is its predictive power. Using this criterion we have evaluated comparatively, some of the proposed explaining hypotheses.

Facing up to the hardest problem: The human information field and the ontological primacy of subjective consciousness

Instead of bringing intellectual closure, the philosophical debate surrounding the nature of consciousness has found itself at an impasse. Extreme positions, from those denying the existence of consciousness to those who wish to imbue the entire universe with it, testify to the lack of common understanding of what consciousness is and how best it could be described and studied. In this paper, reality has its source in a subjective conscious field called the human information field, which is the only source of experience and whose centre is unknowable. Objective reality equals a consensus between individual fields, which underpins the stability and durability of social organisation. The conceptual importance of matter is due to its easy distinguishability from the self. The concept of the human information field offers answers to the hard and the “hardest” problems of consciousness, that is the explanatory gap between consciousness and its material apparatus and the ability of science to understand its own source, respectively. Its limitations constrain our ability to understand the world but are also the prime movers of exploration, development, and learning.

К вопросу об эпистемологии, сознании и интеллекте

This paper is devoted to issues of epistemology, which has recently acquired par­ticular relevance in the national philosophy. The role of cultural-historical episte­mology in the modern theory of knowledge is revealed, where the authors hold the idea that knowing the origin and development of knowledge itself, and its cultural conditioning in specific historical experiences contributes to a better un­derstanding of its significance and the scope of use. The authors present their vi­sion of the problem of transition from gnosiology to epistemology as from a strict prescribed methodology to the choice of one’s ways and methods of con­ducting science, where a significant role is given to such disciplines as computer science and logic. In this context, the relationship between consciousness and in­telligence with the theory of knowledge, in particular with cultural-historical epistemology, is also analyzed, since both the philosophy of consciousness and epistemology seek to understand the nature of knowledge and beliefs based on our conscious experience. This approach, considering the influence of social norms, values and cultural traditions on our cognition and thinking, stimulates the development of the theoretical basis of epistemology and its practical appli­cation. The authors conclude that modern research in the field of consciousness and artificial intelligence and their application in the methodology of epistemo­logy contribute not only to rethinking views on the nature of subjectivity but also to establishing the objectivity of our judgments. Ultimately, this leads to the inte­gration of collective and individual consciousness as an important factor in un­derstanding the world and forming scientific knowledge

Pattern Theory of Selflessness: How Meditation May Transform the Self-Pattern

For many centuries, scholars and philosophers from wisdom traditions in different cultures have reported and discussed non-self states of consciousness. These states can be both short-term (state, transitory) and long-term (trait, lasting) conditions. However, in psychology, the importance of a healthy self is usually emphasized, and some theorists have dismissed the idea of “selfless” modes of functioning. This disagreement hinders further empirical progress in the study of self and the way it might be affected by meditation. This paper addresses this issue by providing an interdisciplinary conceptual discussion, grounded in the pattern theory of self (PTS). According to PTS, what we call “self” is a complex pattern of dynamically related constituent processes, which include embodied, experiential (prereflective), affective, psychological/cognitive, reflective, narrative, intersubjective, ecological, and normative processes. We propose that Buddhist and secular meditative practices induce a reorganization of the self-pattern, allowing individuals to experience a “selfless” state, both temporarily and persistently. We then put forward a heuristic model, the pattern theory of selflessness (PTSL), possibly experienced through meditation practices. The proposed PTSL model consists of six transformations that contribute to self-pattern reorganization in a nonlinear and iterative manner: consolidating and integrating the self-pattern; cultivating concentration and present-moment awareness; cultivating mindful awareness; self-deconstruction (non-self) states; self-flexibility; and self-liberation as a trait. This conceptual analysis and integrative view contributes to the growing field of consciousness and contemplative research by advancing the contemporary understanding of non-self experience and its relation to Buddhist and secular meditation. The proposed model serves as a basis for interdisciplinary efforts to guide empirical research in this area.

Capturing the ghost in the machine: a process for development and validation of measures of phenomenal consciousness in delirium.

Delirium has conventionally been considered a disorder of consciousness. Alertness and arousal are used as surrogates in clinical practice but are insufficient for the purposes of a more dimensional assessment of consciousness. We present a process of development and validation of candidate measures of phenomenal consciousness that could be applied to the diagnosis of delirium. First, a narrative review of available instruments in the fields of phenomenal consciousness, including prereflective consciousness, the phenomenal-sensed experience and reflective thought, was undertaken. Eligibility of tools in the context of applicability to delirium was based upon objectivity in test interpretation and the requirement for tester administration. Second, where there was a gap in suitable cognitive tools, new items were derived using the silent generation technique. A process of face and construct validity using a diverse panel of experts was performed, and readability was evaluated. 814 articles were screened from the literature review. Fourteen candidate tools were reported from the three domains of phenomenal consciousness. One of these met the eligibility criteria for a delirium assessment. Fifty-seven new tests of phenomenal consciousness were identified. After a process of item reduction, a total of 26 individual tests were identified. After content validity, 22 of the 26 items were retained. The scale average content validity index was 0.89. The agreement between raters was between 80% and 97%. 100% of responses for face validity were rated as positive. Flesch Reading Ease Score was 91.6 (very easy to read). Candidate measures of phenomenal consciousness are described, and early validity studies are promising.

Analysis of the Technical and Tactical Characteristics of Li Shifeng in 2023

Objective: To explore and understand the skills and tactics used by the world's top badminton players in the competition, so that ordinary badminton lovers can understand and use the skills and tactics of badminton, improve the level of skills and combat, and expect to provide reference for improving the skills and tactics of the athlete Li Shifeng. Methods: Using the literature method, video observation method and mathematical statistics method, we analyzed the serve, reception, front court ball processing, midfield ball processing, back court ball processing and gain and loss in the competition, and summarized the characteristics of his skills and tactics in the competition. Conclusion: 1) Li Shifeng's serve is mainly backhand ball, and the serve is concentrated in areas 1 and 5 in front court; other areas are involved but not frequently. At present, there is a tendency of men's singles in badminton. 2) Li Shifeng's use of receiving service skills and tactics is mainly to rub and put the net and pick the ball, while the use of other technical balls is involved but not much. He has a high sense of defense, but also actively attack, trying to break free of the control of the opponent, actively strive for the initiative of the game, so the net in the return stage is also particularly important. 3) The use of forward ball skills often requires more energy into dealing with the opponent's return to gain the chance to dominate the game. Li Shifeng's front court attack is more active, like to rub the ball and pick the ball skills and tactics, so as to win the advantage in front of the net. 4) There is no obvious technical and tactical gap in the performance of Li Shifeng and his opponents in the midfield, and all the ball techniques are used. The straight line technology before the net is the most used, followed by the diagonal and pick the ball, and the flat ball is the lowest frequency. 5) Li Shifeng in the back using the ball and kill the ball tactical ability is better, the back is Li Shifeng in the back of the highest utilization technology, using the ball back, facilitate the best time to use the ball, and consciously and accurately control the point and Li Shifeng in the back is given priority to with the ball score, steady, fast, drop ball point precision, to the field of control consciousness is strong, control the rhythm of the tactical intention.6) Li Shifeng loses too much points actively, which is in a phenomenon that he wants to actively grab the advantage but loses points due to poor technical treatment.

Expansions of the theatre at the times of quantum: Temptation by radicalism

Relevance. This article explores the emerging field of �quantum theatre� and critically examines attempts to apply quantum concepts to theatrical theory and practice. Purpose. This article aims to evaluate the current state of quantum theatre research and propose new theoretical frameworks. Methodology. The author conducts a critical analysis of existing literature on quantum theatre, including works by Carol Fisher, Naomi Iizuka, Anne Bogart, and others. The methodology involves examining these works through the lens of quantum physics principles, while cautioning against simplistic analogies. Results. The analysis reveals that many current approaches to quantum theatre rely on superficial analogies to quantum phenomena without sufficient rigor. The author argues there is not yet a true �quantum theatre�, but rather early explorations of quantum-inspired ideas. The author proposes new theoretical frameworks drawing on Rupert Sheldrake�s morphogenetic fields and V.V. Nalimov�s �fields of consciousness� to understand theatrical phenomena. Conclusions. This article concludes that more rigorous interdisciplinary approaches drawing on quantum physics, biology, and consciousness studies offer promising directions for future research. The author suggests that theatre and artistic culture in general as open non-linear systems operating based on self-organization, self-regulation and self-development, with high degrees of freedom, can provide a unique understanding of quantum phenomena at the macro level, potentially contributing to the fundamental principles of cognitive theory. Keywords: morphogenetic fields; quantum biology; non-linear theatre; space-time in performance; post-non-classical art science

CONFLICTS OF NATIONAL IDENTITY FORMATION IN THE POST-COMMUNIST SPACE (IN THE CASE OF POST-COMMUNIST UZBEKISTAN)

Because of national independence, post-colonial, post-communist Central Asian values, such as democracy, pluralism, human rights and freedoms, entered the region. Such an important historical event occurred in 1991 after the collapse of the totalitarian, violent communist political regime called the USSR. The violent political system and its ideology disappeared, but its social psychology and mentality remained to a certain extent in the life of society and came into conflict with the values of the new, democratic thought. This was observed in the field of national identity, national self-awareness. The article analyzes the conflicts between the new, democratic values and the national perception inherited from the past in the field of social consciousness after national independence in the post-communist space, on the example of Uzbekistan, one of the leading countries of the Central Asian region, which is building a democratic society.

Testing the Field Nature of Consciousness: A Pilot Test

Researchers are exploring consciousness as a field permeating the world around us, rather than just a feature of human experience. If consciousness is a field, then one should be able to affect others by acting from the field of consciousness. This study used a random-assignment, double-blind design to probe effects of nine students practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique on the subjective experiences and physiological patterns of another student also practicing Transcendental Meditation. For 12 recording sessions, the group (sender) either practiced the Transcendental Meditation technique or read a textbook. When the group was meditating, the individual (receiver) reported more settled meditation experiences, and they exhibited higher alpha EEG power, a correlate of deep meditation experiences. Effect sizes for all measures were large. This was a pilot study to identify markers of field effects of consciousness. Future research could replicate these findings with a larger sample size, modify the distance between the sender and receiver, explore EEG synchrony between the senders and the receiver, called hyperscanning or collective neuroscience, and explore differential effects between friends, family, and strangers to test social influences. This design could meaningful probe the nature of consciousness.

Disjunctivism and the phenomenology of attention

J. Campbell`s disjunctivist theory of perception is based on an outdated model of attention, which maintains that the focus of attention is analogous to the beam of a spotlight. Meanwhile, some studies challenge this view and suggests that attentional selection can be object-based. The narrow target of this article consists in clarifying what is at stake between attention-first and consciousness-first strategies. The latter assumes that one could explain what attention is by specifying how some proper subset of the conscious field comes to be foregrounded. Campbell who adopts it faces a serious challenge in explicating the phenomenon of unconscious attention.

A Comparative Study on the Painting Forms of Western Oil Painting and Chinese Ink Painting

Since modern international students introduced oil painting on a large scale to China, oil painting has been developing in China for over a hundred years. In citing the process of progress, learning, integration, and improvement, the change in titles from “Western painting” and “Western painting” to “oil painting” and then to “Chinese oil painting” indicates that oil painting, as an art form, has deeply embodied the characteristics and connotations of traditional Chinese culture. During this period, its development is closely related to the historical background of the entire China, reflecting the continuation and evolution of traditional Chinese freehand brushwork spirit in the complex and changing context of the times. This article compares oil paintings imported from abroad with domestic ink painting, taking the artistic realm of painting in both the East and the West as the starting point. The main axis that runs through them is Chinese ink painting and Western oil painting landscapes. Showcasing the similarities and differences between Chinese ink wash landscape painting and Western oil painting landscapes, Chinese landscape painting emphasizes the expression of emotions and a sense of awe and emotion towards nature, with the main idea of “learning from nature”; The Western oil painting landscape emphasizes the realism of the scenery, which is a re-creation of nature, allowing people to have a realistic feeling of being there when watching the painting. The main reason there are these differences between Chinese ink painting and Western oil painting landscapes is due to different social and cultural backgrounds and fields of consciousness.

Theories and Methods of Consciousness

This work explores the ontological theories, and their methodologies, regarding the origins and nature of consciousness in the multiverse. The paper critically assesses Mocombe’s consciousness field theory within the larger body of contemporary ontological debates, and their methodologies, regarding the nature, origin, and constitution of consciousness, especially human consciousness, in the world.

The priming of stimulus-elicited involuntary mental imagery

Percepts, urges, and even high-level cognitions often enter the conscious field involuntarily. The Reflexive Imagery Task (RIT) was designed to investigate experimentally the nature of such entry into consciousness. In the most basic version of the task, participants are instructed not to subvocalize the names of visual objects. Involuntary subvocalizations arise on the majority of the trials. Can these effects be influenced by priming? In our experiment, participants were exposed to an auditory prime 300 ms before being presented with the RIT stimuli. For example, participants heard the word “FOOD” before seeing two RIT stimuli (e.g., line drawings of BANANA and CAT, with the former being the target of the prime). The short span between prime and target allowed us to assess whether the RIT effect is strategic or automatic. Before each trial, participants were instructed to disregard what they hear, and not to think of the name of any of the objects. On an average of 83% of the trials, the participants thought (involuntarily) of the name of the object associated with the prime. This is the first study to use a priming technique within the context of the RIT. The theoretical implications of these involuntary effects are discussed.