Philosophical musings on Quanta & Qualia;  Materialism & Spiritualism; Science & Religion; Pragmatism & Idealism, etc.

Mind controls
matter
by first controlling
Body

 Post 49. August 10, 2018 continued . . .

    Mental versus Physical Causation

   Mind as a Causal Force

 Functions don't exist apart from their physical systems, but they are clearly not properties of any single component. They also don't exist in isolation. For example, the function of a hammer is defined in relation to hands & nails. Likewise, a Mind is a function of whole brains, not neurons – of systems, not cogs. Yet, it seems that anything physical has the potential to produce Mind6, but only when organized & actualized into com-plex mechanisms that act together in concert for collective goals & purposes7. Hence, Mind is an emergent quality of phys-ical systems, yet is not a physical property of any of their atoms or subsystems. Matter is what a brain is made of, but Mind is what it does. Functions are also dynamic & emergent, not static features of matter. They require time & change to reveal their immaterial existence.

In the Enformationism theory, Mind & Brain grow from a single root. Both are forms of a primal generic causal force : EnFormAction (energy/enformy). So matter can be viewed as energy stabilized & localized in space, while Mind is dynamic & non-local, and exists only in the forth dimension of time. In other words, Life & Mind are emergent functions of matter in action. The "substance" of Mind is meaning (information useful to me). All we know of matter is meaningful qualities : colors, etc. Using our unique imagination though, we objectify those properties in order to quantify them. As mental objects, those things can be manipulated in theory instead of practice. Then, by transforming our imaginary concepts into overt behavior, we can reach-out and control the real world via mind-power8.

Scientists accept that Mind is a function of Brain activity, just as Transportation is a function of automobile mechanisms. Yet how Consciousness fits into the picture is still a mystery. Brain states are clearly associated with Mind states, but correlation does not prove causation. So. no one knows exactly how energy & information flowing through neurons “cause” the brain to become aware of its own thoughts. My guess, as expressed in the Enformationism theory, is that Life & Mind are phase changes8 of energy as it transforms over time and in space. Here’s a Cliff Notes synopsis : Energy begins as a continous field of potential, then emerges as discrete particles of matter. Later, from the complex interplay of energy & matter, stars & stuff, animated Life emerges. Then, as Life interacts with other life – as social groups or predator/prey interactions – Mind arises to control external behavior. Finally, Consciousness emerges to moderate the flow of internal thoughts. So, the Brain/Mind Paradox is a problem only because they are intimately con-nected at the root, while displaying different qualities at the crown.

If we begin with the current materialistic scientific paradigm that reality is created by self-existent eternal energy that somehow regulates itself (laws), then the emergence of Mind will remain a mystery. But, if we place Mind at the beginning, instead of the end of evolution, the story makes more sense. Mind is creative in the abstract, but it is also a causal force in the concrete world9. Mind manipulates information, which is the essence of energy10. Like an Evolutionary Programmer, cosmic Mind could imagine a goal, and then create a machine (nature) with encoded logical rules to guide its calculations to an answer, defined only by general parameters. 

End of Post 49

8. Phase Change:
<< Evaporation, Condensation, Freezing, Melting, Sublimation & Deposition. Substances on Earth can exist in one of four phases, but mostly, they exist in one of three: solid, liquid or gas.>>

   Metaphysical phase changes are those we can imagine, but not sense. Somehow, inanimate matter transforms into living beings, yet we can’t detect the exact moment or location of the transition. Similarly, tangled masses of living tissue, such as the slimey tentacles of neurons, somehow cause a new non-physical function to emerge : Mind.
   If you know that these transformations are fundamentally changes in metaphysical information qualities, rather than physical material quantities, then the mystery becomes merely a common case of statistical probabilities, like tumbling dice. Laymen may have a problem with the equations, so metaphysical terms, like “cause” or “create” may be better understood.

9. Extended Mind Power :
For example, the Panama canal was a dream of visionaries ever since the isthmus was discovered. But only by transmitting that idea to many other minds – and then into money and heavy machinery – did the fanciful dream of moving mountains eventually come true.

10. Energy is Information :
• https://bigthink.com/philip-perry/the-basis-of-the-universe-may-not-be-energy-or-matter-but-information
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ blogs/physics/2014/04/is-information-fundamental/

6. Mind in Matter :
Panpsychism is the doctrine that the immaterial quality of consciousness is inherent in all things, but has its highest expression in human minds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panpsychism

7. Goals & Purposes : These are anthro-morphic terms, but they mean essentially the same as mechanical “Functions.& Tasks”. The only difference is that G & P assume a conscious mind to imagine the desired ends, while. “Function” refers only to the actions, not the intentions.

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General Notes :
“Function” is an abstract concept that doesn’t have any meaning apart from a conscious mind. Without a mind to wield it, a hammer has no function, no purpose. So, when anthropologists find unnaturally chipped rocks in ancient sites, they assume that a mind had shaped the stone for an intended purpose.  

Physical causation =
energy exchange =
sensed properties.
   Physical material causation, exemplified by billiard balls, is easy to illustrate with representative pictures.

Mental causation = information exchange = inferred qualities.
   Mental mathematical causation, exemplified by statistical equations, can only be envisioned with abstract symbols & diagrams.