Where do thoughts go?

The concept of duality within the self has been rejected by many great minds who study cognition. It is argued that since alteration of the physical structure of the brain results in alteration of the thoughts of an individual, it is impossible for thoughts to be distinct from the brain that created them.

A very compelling argument to be sure, if one does not have a brain then they cannot have thoughts... But I wonder about it...

A thought does not have a physical form, in fact we cannot isolate an area of the brain where a specific thought forms. We have found areas of increased activity associated with different actions and specific thought patterns and behaviours, but this does not effectively isolate where that thought really comes from. As such, we cannot truly know what happens to these thoughts.

As a hypothetical experiment, let us examine the possibility of dualism and presume that the material body is what gives expression to the thought. That is, our bodies exist for the sole purpose of giving life or voice or expression to our thoughts. Our thoughts and psyche represent an ephemeral existence that lies somewhere within the physical form that gives it expression. If this were to be the case, death of the brain would result in a mind that may not die with the body, but exists without a receptacle or body to give it expression.

When you think about anything, these thoughts find expression as a "voice in your head." This voice can then interact with the world through physical expression or it can remain within "your head." Either way, the fact that there is an "ear to listen" to the voice means that it is being heard, it has a physical expression... This can be likened to the philosophical dilemma made popular by Bart and Lisa Simpson, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" If a soul exists as thoughts, and no one is around to hear it, does it have physical expression? Does it exist?

The same can be said of our tree in the forest, if no one is around to hear it, perhaps the argument can be made that it does not make a sound, for the existence of sound requires a listener. However, the existence of the tree and the forest... that is more difficult to debate. If no one knows of the existence of a forest, does that negate it's existence?

Of course, this whole premise rests on several assumptions, and in science the theory that makes the fewest assumptions is presumed correct until a null hypothesis can be found to disprove the initial theory. This means that looking at it from a scientific perspective, dualism meets with a great deal of resistance. The concept requires too many assumptions for a scientific mind.

... If a theory makes many assumptions but cannot be dis-proven does that mean it is wrong?

Searching for the True Self

What are you searching for?

Everyone looks for something in their lives. Whether we go on a perpetual quest for love (the REAL kind, you know in the movies?!), for money, for spiritual satisfaction. Whether we are looking to find ourselves, a purpose, a job, a meal, a life. Everyone's always looking, searching and occasionally, if we're lucky - finding. What do we look for, and why?

A Persian Poet named Hafiz speaks of search in his poetry. Throughout his life he was searching for his beloved - God. In his poetry, Hafiz refers to the world and things in the world as reflections of God, kind of like how the moon reflects the light of the Sun. The Moon is incredibly beautiful, but the reason we see beauty in the moon is because of the Sun. In this way, things in the world are a reflection of the divine.

Looking at it from this perspective, we are searching in the material world, but we search for reflections of the spiritual. When we look at beauty in another human being, we are seeing a reflection of the beauty that is God. When we feel love for another, we are feeling a shadow of the love that is God. When we search for happiness, we often find only a reflection of true happiness. That's a bit sad to think of. The reason we will only find reflections and shadows is because our mind and sense of consciousness work together to enable us to interact with the world. This means that the mind uses consciousness as a medium with which to interact - it acts as the intermediary between the exoteric and the esoteric. So the flaw is in the medium... the mind is an esoteric entity, but the conscious mind is one that is forever trapped in the exoteric. Finding the truth is a true challenge, but hey, as I've said for many years, "How can you ever find yourself if you don't get lost?"

Best of luck in the search