Brain and Consciousness Dr Keith Wallace Chair Physiology

Brain and Consciousness Dr. Keith Wallace Chair, Physiology and Health Dr. Fred Travis Chair, Maharishi Vedic Science Director, Brain, Consciousness, and Cognition Center 1

Timeline: 7: 45 – 9: 00 Sun Sept Monday Tuesday 11: Paradigms Wed Thursday Friday 13: Brain Development Mongolia Conference Sept 27: Sleeping 28: TM and TC Oct 2: Science and Pseudoscience Oct 9: Cosmic Consciousness 4: Other Meditations Drfredtravis. com for copy of lecture power points Sat

What is the relation of the brain and experience?

Brain and Consciousness Paradigms 4

Wholeness Paradigms provide the framework to judge individual goals and actions in relation to the larger world view. Paradigms are structured by collective experience. The experience of Transcendental Consciousness is required to change the current materialistic paradigm to a Consciousness-based paradigm.

Paradigms (Science) • Paradigms are the foundation for conducting science. – Body of accepted theory – Successful applications – Model experiments. • Paradigms guide meaning-making. • Latin: “paradigma” (1) pattern, (2) to show side by side. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. 1974

Patterns of values and standards of conduct are part of cultures and societies. They are shaped by experience and they affect our thinking without us being aware of it.

Low Road and High Road CEO Low Road Emotional Centers

Seeing another person in pain (Soccer fans and Red Sox versus Yankee Fans) • If person is part of your team (In- group) – Helping behavior and greater empathy (Anterior Insula) • If person is part of other team (Outgroup) – Pleasure circuit (Nucleus Accumbens) Hein et al, in press, Neuron

Republicans and Democrats …when Republican says a rational point, …when Democrat says a rational point, Republican Democrat CEO Limbic System (emotions) Democrat Republican

Racial Profiling • Policemen will most often see a youth of color pull a gun from their coat; and a white youth pull an ipod from their coat.

Paradigm Blindness • We ignore facts that contradict our paradigm. • We accept a part of the fact that fits our paradigm. • We accept without critical review facts that fit your paradigm.

Travis and Durchholz, (2000) Can an Electronic Device Improve Mood and Well-Being, and Decrease Anxiety? International Journal of Neuroscience, 103: 91 -99.

Travis and Durchholz, 2000

John Searle 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Consciousness is real and irreducible. All conscious states are caused by neuronal processes in the brain. Consciousness is a feature, state or process going on in the brain. Conscious states function causally. Consciousness is a biological phenomenon.

MVS Model of Brain and Consciousness: Gita II 17 It may be made clear here that the omnipresent Being and the spirit within man are not two different entities. They are found to be different because of the different individual nervous systems. As the same sun appears as different when shining on different media, such as water and oil, so the same omnipresent Being, shining through different nervous systems, appears as different and forms the spirit, the subjective aspect of man's personality.

Exercise • Compare the Sun/ reflector/ reflection model of Maharishi Vedic Science with John Searle’s model.

Main Point Paradigms determine meaning making; determine values; determine what actions may be considered right or wrong. Maharishi Vedic Science is a new paradigm that locates within the simplest form of human awareness, pure consciousness, the administering intelligence of each individual and all of Nature.