Unity Of Mind Research Articles

On the Possibility of a Disembodied Mind

Abstract Even though the Cartesian mind-body dualism has largely been dismissed in contemporary philosophy, the idea that the conscious mind can be a bodiless and non-spatial entity is still held to be possible. This paper examines a series of arguments by Jaegwon Kim, Peter Strawson, and Immanuel Kant against the possibility of a disembodied mind. It is argued that although the concept of a disembodied mind is coherent, it derives from a more fundamental concept in which the mind and the body are originally unified. The unity of mind and body, which can be called a person, is logically prior to the concept of the mind as a disembodied person, and thus the possibility of a disembodied mind turns out to depend on the existence of the physical and spatial world.

Emotional Intelligence, Spiritual Intelligence and Subjective Well-Being of Yoga Practitioners

Yoga literally means 'union' in Sanskrit which is the union of mind (psyche), body (soma) and energy (Prana). The present study is meant to assess emotional intelligence, spiritual intelligence and well-being of yoga practitioners and also to understand the relationship of variables under study. Sample consists of regular yoga practitioners (with 3 or more years of practice) and non practitioners. The three study variables used are emotional intelligence, spiritual intelligence and subjective well-being. Tools used in the study are Emotional Intelligence Inventory (EII), Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI). Subjective Well-Being Inventory (SWBI). Data was analyzed using 't' test and Pearson's correlation. The major findings of the study are that there are significant positive differences for yoga practitioners when compared to non practitioners in all the three study variables. And also found that there are significant positive correlations among all the main study variables.

A Very Simple Quantum Model of Mind and Matter

Since the Pauli-Jung conjecture of an ontological unity of Mind and Matter was formulated almost one century ago, there has been a lot of interest in trying to define a model based on the principles of Quantum Mechanics. In particular, Quantum Mechanics seems to offer a possi- bility to bridge the epistemological gap between Mind and Matter to build a model of what the 17th century philosopher Gerhard Dorn has called the ”Unus Mundus”, i.e. the ontological healing of the perceived duality of the Universe. Following other authors who have treated this matter before us, in the current paper we define a very simple model of Mind and Matter represented by two qubits and we discuss their in- teraction and their entanglement. In particular we show how a generic Hamiltonian can be divided in four components. Two of them repre- sent local evolutions of the qubits, each one acting on one of the two qubits and not on the other one. The other two define two different modes of interaction that we describe as the general evolution of the Unus Mundus and the interaction generating synchronicity. We con- clude with a discussion on the different times governing the evolution of the Mind-Matter ensemble.

Consciousness and the unity of mind

Several types of objection have been raised against the arguments I presented in my target article, “Are animals persons?” Among the objections are the following: (1) the claim that animals are persons is of little significance, (2) my use of the Lockean conception of the person is questionable, (3) whether a creature qualifies as a person is a matter of social construction rather than objective fact, (4) reflective consciousness is more important than I realize, (5) my reliance on implicit self-awareness in the account of personhood is ill-advised, (6) my account entails that too many creatures qualify as persons, and (7) types of objection that resist categorization (but I shall argue are sundry misunderstandings). I respond to these objections.

Comparison, Transfer and Entanglement, or: How to WriteModern European History today?

Comparison, Transfer and Entanglement, or: How to Write Modern European History Today?Contemporaries referring to Europe and European history often have European unity in mind as an objective based...

Pattern activation/recognition theory of mind.

In his 2012 book How to Create a Mind, Ray Kurzweil defines a “Pattern Recognition Theory of Mind” that states that the brain uses millions of pattern recognizers, plus modules to check, organize, and augment them. In this article, I further the theory to go beyond pattern recognition and include also pattern activation, thus encompassing both sensory and motor functions. In addition, I treat checking, organizing, and augmentation as patterns of patterns instead of separate modules, therefore handling them the same as patterns in general. Henceforth I put forward a unified theory I call “Pattern Activation/Recognition Theory of Mind.” While the original theory was based on hierarchical hidden Markov models, this evolution is based on their precursor: stochastic grammars. I demonstrate that a class of self-describing stochastic grammars allows for unifying pattern activation, recognition, organization, consistency checking, metaphor, and learning, into a single theory that expresses patterns throughout. I have implemented the model as a probabilistic programming language specialized in activation/recognition grammatical and neural operations. I use this prototype to compute and present diagrams for each stochastic grammar and corresponding neural circuit. I then discuss the theory as it relates to artificial network developments, common coding, neural reuse, and unity of mind, concluding by proposing potential paths to validation.

Kant’s racial mind–body unions

Eric Voegelin’s writings on the historical development of the concept of race in the early 1930s are important to philosophy today in part because they provide a model upon which scholars can further integrate modern philosophy with the critical philosophy of race. In constructing his history, Voegelin’s methodological orientation depends on the centrality of both Kant’s work and the problem of the mind–body union to the concept of race. This essay asks how one might hold these premises if Kant seems to reject the dominant approach to the mind–body union in the mid-eighteenth century, physical influx, and then go on to publish several essays on race that do not thematize that doctrine in any way. I argue that Kant’s racial union of mind and body cannot be understood as an interaction in space, as his contemporaries had presumed. Rather, the union must be approached as a repetition in time. In this way, Kant’s four racial categories are not merely a part of the mind–body problem, but instead each is a veritable mind–body union. This permits the conclusion that ‘race’, as Kant understood it, is a viable solution to the mind–body problem.

Boscovich’s Distinction between the Potential and the Actual Space from the Standpoint of Modern Search for the Union of Mind and Nature

The Aristotelian distinction between potentiality and actuality concerning space was developed in Boscovich’s main work Theoria Philosophiae Naturalis (1758), where it served him to upgrade Newton’s conception of forces into a unified dynamic theory of nature. The main aim of this paper is to show that Boscovich’s “Single Law of Forces in Nature” and his distinction between potential space and actual “point-particles” might be relevant and inspiring in the modern search for a unified understanding of nature: not only in regard to the unification of the four basic physical forces in the so-called “Final Theory”, but also in regard to new ways for conceiving the relation between nature and mind.

Christian Anthropology Versus the New Anthropology and the Quest for Human Perfection

In the current debate, we witness a conflict between the Christian concept of man vs. concepts that justify in vitro fertilization (IVF), genetic enhancement, or the reassignment of sexuality. Modern concepts cannot disregard the historic perspective of the consistent doctrines that the Catholic Church has maintained throughout her 2000-year history and which constitute the precursors of contemporary bioethics. Although she has adjusted specifics occasionally to address new developments, she has always based doctrine on immutable core principles. The current conflict lies neither in the novelty of the new proposals, nor in a conflict between religious and lay worldviews, but rather in concepts of man and human perfection. Some human traits may be regarded as disordered and incompatible with a particular concept of human perfection. The new proposals tend to involve physical changes based on technological manipulation, with a goal of developing a superior being, while Christian proposals do not seek to manipulate man’s being, but to develop his existing potential within criteria of acceptable reason. The new proposals rely on a Cartesian view which constitutes a human as his mind (cogito ergo sum), which has dominion over his body including authority to reengineer it according to any project that mind conceives. In contrast, the Christian concept views the human subject as a unity of mind and body, which may not be reshaped to meet a questionable goal of human perfection. The technological tools within the new concepts are in no way superior to the more personal attributes like virtues, perfection of the human will, prayer, and ascesis within the Christian concept.

The Impacts of Physical Exercise on Stress Coping and Well-Being in University Students in the Context of Leisure

This study aims at investigating the in-depth information regarding impacts of physical exercise on psychological well-being in university students with an emphasis on coping with stress in the context of leisure. A qualitative research, based on interview to draw findings in an inductive way, was conducted. Nine university students (N = 9) in a large mid-west university took part in a face- to face, semi-structured interviews using ten open-ended questions with respect to benefits of leisure time physical exercise. The interview on the basis of phenomenological research examined what the participants experienced with leisure time physical exercise in conjunction with stress coping and mental health. Meaningful units of themes were induced with 24 initially drawn themes. These themes were reduced to 8 comprehensive constituent themes: self-efficacy, positive emotion, mind and body, health-behaviors, self-esteem, leisure, problem-focused coping, and positive expectancy. These reduced themes were finally boiled down to 6 integrated themes: positive emotion, unity of mind and body, heightened self-esteem, leisure, problem-focused coping, and self-regulation of health behavior. This research may shed a light in illuminating potential mechanism of how regular physical exercise is conducive to enhanced health behavior as well as effective stress coping in university students in the context of leisure. In particular, this research appears to be meaningful in suggesting that regular leisure-time physical exercise can lead to an effective problem-focused coping through elicitation of positive emotion.

MSM book review: The unity of mind, brain and world (current perspectives on a science of consciousness)

MSM book review: The unity of mind, brain and world (current perspectives on a science of consciousness)

Chinese Ideas in T. S. Eliot’s Poetics*

In his creative activities, T. S. Eliot used a systematic mysticism as the basis for the aesthetic principles of modern poetry and criticism. Seemingly, Eliot’s aestheticism resembles much of Romanticist organic unity in mind, poetry, and criticism; but Eliot disliked the personal tastes of poetic romanticism, which were largely an extension of Western romantic idealism. Eliot’s impersonal theory of poetry was, in fact, involved in many aspects of his understanding of Chinese poetry and tradition, as well as F. H. Bradley’s philosophical ideas. Briefly, as we see from Ezra Pound, Eliot is at once Confucian in form and Taoist or Buddhist in spirit. Such enlightened mysticism in Chinese thought has much to do with Eliot’s poetics, especially Bradleyan philosophy, in which philosophy and religion are considered neither academic nor dogmatic, but practical and felt, such that we experience it daily. This is called religio-philosophical experience as found in Eliot’s poetry Four Quartets and also is commonly found in Chinese ideas, especially the middle point (chung-mean) of the temporal (ch’i-spirit) and the timeless (li-principle), and thinking and behaving.

MINDBODY CARE – THE ULTIMATE PATIENT EXPERIENCE?

Spiritual care is no longer an option in the 21 st century NHS, with “Spiritual wellbeing” now included in the World Health Organisation's definition of Health. Within the last 6 years the NHS in Scotland has seen the publication of several key documents to support this concept. There has also been a rapidly accumulating wealth of scientific evidence linking religion and spirituality to both better health and improved healthcare outcomes. One researcher described the link as demonstrating the rediscovered concept of “Mindbody”, illustrating the unity of mind, body, and spirit/soul which the ancient mystical traditions have understood for millennia. The Scottish Government's recently launched Patient Experience Programme will provide an opportunity for Healthcare Chaplains to demonstrate that care of the spirit is also care of the “Mindbody” - and thus provide patients with the ultimate healthcare experience.

Courting the Enemy: McMahan on the Unity of Mind

Jeff McMahan has recently developed the embodied mind theory of identity in place of the other standing theories, which he examines and consequently rejects. This paper examines the performance of his theory on cases of commissurotomy or the split-brain syndrome. Available experimental data concerning these cases seem to suggest that a single mind can divide into two independent streams in ways that are incompatible with our intuitive notion of mind. This phenomenon poses unique problems for McMahan's theory that we are essentially minds. I attempt to use his considered response to these cases as a weapon against his own embodied mind theory by highlighting some of the tensions in McMahan's response. In particular, I argue that in reaching his conclusion McMahan admits to something quite contrary to the very spirit of his own theory and that it is a powerful point in its support that one of the theories McMahan rejects can deal very well with these cases.

Macroscopic Biological Characteristics of Individualized Therapy in Chinese Mongolian Osteopathy

Abstract Objective: Chinese Mongolian osteopathy has been passed down from ancient times and includes unique practices and favorable efficacy. In this study, we investigate the macroscopic biological characteristics of individualized Chinese Mongolian osteopathy, in order to provide new principle and methods for the treatment of bone fracture. Method: With a view to provide a vital link between nature and humans, the four stages of Chinese Mongolian osteopathy focus on the unity of the mind and body, the limbs and body organs, the body and its functions, and humans and nature. Results: We discuss the merits of individualized osteopathy in terms of the underlying concepts, and evaluate the approaches and principles of traditional medicine, as well as biomechanics. Conclusions: Individualized Mongolian osteopathy targets macroscopic biological components including dynamic reduction, natural fixation, and functional healing. Chinese Mongolian osteopathy is a natural, ecological and non-invasive osteopathy that values the link between nature and humans, including the unity of mind and body. The biological components not only serve as a foundation for Chinese Mongolian osteopathy but are also important for the future development of modern osteopathy, focusing on individualization, actualization and integration.

Groddeckian Interventions In Medical Settings

We present Groddeckian psychoanalytic psychosomatics in practice through two case studies. Groddeck pioneered the application of psychoanalysis to organic diseases, but his ideas have not been explored adequately. It is necessary to reappraise his concepts to develop their potential in psychoanalysis. We aim to demonstrate the efficacy of the Groddeckian approach by presenting two cases: a case of conversion of a boy who entered a semi-comatose state due to unattended emotional experiences and a man who developed a "sick role" resisting all medical interventions. In both histories, it is possible to see how disease and subjectivity intertwine in a complex unity of mind and body.

体育哲学におけるデカルト心身論の原理論的考究：従来のデカルト心身論批判の再検討を通して

In the present study, an attempt was made to examine the theoretical basis of the mind-body relationship in the context of physical education. The discussion centred on the mind-body theory of Rene Descartes (1596-1650) and the theory of “Dualicisme,” which are well known in the extant literature. In the field of physical education philosophy, the mind-body relationship continues to draw interest, but to date there is no common academic consensus among researchers. Accordingly, it seems informative to examine the fundamental mind-body relationship from the philosophical perspective of Descartes. According to Descartes, the ontological state of mind and body is “substantial union,” which considers the substance of both mind and body and unites them closely. The interaction between mind and body, on the other hand, is understood according to the “primitive notions” as “the union of mind and body.” Only this idea of “the union of mind and body” can be retained, it allows a full appreciation of the nature of physical education, and a better understanding of the mind-body relationship. Consideration should also be focused on Descartes himself, who has long been misunderstood in the philosophy of physical education, and more enlightened discussion can ensue by elaborating on his mind-body theory.

Macroscopic Characteristics of and Criteria for Biological Fixation of Bone Fracture in Chinese Mongolian Osteopathy

(Self)external fixation using small splints in Chinese Mongolian osteopathy originated from life and practice. Basing itself upon vital natural idea ‘correspondenci of nature and human’(including the ‘unity of mind and body’) integrating limbs and body, consciousness and body, human and nature, it integrates external fixation using small splints with psychological and physiological self fixation, and realizes geometrical, mechanical, kinematical, functional and psychological dynamic fixation of the ends of bone fracture. The fixation is natural, closed and open, by oneself, uncovered biological macroscopic fixing model, so this implicates developing direction and the model of future of modern fracture fixation.

The Epistemic Status of Medicine in Descartes

Through much of his career, Descartes seems confident that he will be able to place medicine on a solid metaphysical foundation and perhaps even succeed in prolonging human life indefinitely. And yet Descartes never develops medicine as a systematic discipline. His failure to do so is inextricably bound up with his increasing focus on the substantial union of mind and body and his increasing awareness of the ultimate irreducibility of the world of sensory phenomena to clear and distinct insight. To the end, Descartes's thought exhibits an irreducible tension between mind-body dualism, with its denigration of embodied experience, and a vague anticipation of the limits of dualism and the need to develop a unified conception of embodied experience.

Implications of a Multiverse String Cosmology

Vafa’s (11+1) F theory is extended by means of Bars’ 2T holographic theory to yield a 14d Multiverse theory that permeates the brane of a 12d Universe in which both the Universe and the Multiverse have (3+1) spacetimes. Given the 2d toroidal compactification of F theory, we conjecture that the Multiverse has a 4d Cartesian compactification that is filled with 3D+T spacetime via the standard 6d elliptic Calabi-Yau compactification, as in both M and F theory. The result is exemplified using supermassive black hole cosmology. Implications of the existence of a Multiverse and at the Planck scale, two Compact Manifolds, one for the Multiverse and one for our Universe, are explored. In particular, the Multiverse is proposed to be the pre-spacetime for which gravity is nonlocal and instantaneous, and which allows quantum entanglement to achieve unity of mind.