Time to move beyond the mind-body split
BMJ 2002; 325 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.325.7378.1433 (Published 21 December 2002) Cite this as: BMJ 2002;325:1433
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Like the Incas, the Aztecs, sacrificed many young and old. The
earlier Spanish chroniclers claim that thousands were sometimes sacrificed
in a day. Theconventional understanding of these sacrifices is of victims
being laid out on a stone and having their hearts cut out whilst still
alive. A terrifying thought. Why would a ruler allow so many healthy
people young and old to be sacrificed? What a waste of precious manpower.
How could a ruler remain in power without losing the support of his
peoples if he had so many sacrificed so often?
It transpires that autosacrifice was practiced by severing an artery.
The appeal of autosacrifrice appears to have been that it induced "sacred
visions" (1). If, as would appear from the discussion in these electonic
responses, vivid dreams, visions, near-death and out-of-body experiences
are different manifestation of different degrees of impairment of cerebral
tissue oxygenation the "sacred visions" might have included these
manifestations. In which case victims might have been able to relate to
bystanders not only the content of their "sacred visions" but also that of
near-death and out-of body experiences for these have also been
experienced by persons who are meditating or simply asleep. Its an
appealing hypothesis because it would account for the apparently
irrational behaviour of the Aztec and Inca communities at the time.
One feature of these mental states, which may also be induced by
hypnosis and pharmacological means, is sensory loss and even the loss of
appreciation of pain. Indeed the pharmacological effects of alcohol,
recreational drugs and more recently anesthetic agents have been exploited
to enable painful procedures to be performed on patients. Many patients
have, however, reported having been aware of what is going on during
modern operations. They have reported conversations and even an awareness
of the surgeon pulling but surprisingly few have complained of pain even
though the experinces have usually been frightening for them.
As some point in autosacrifice the victim would lose sensation and
their appreciation of pain making it possible, if still conscious, for
someone to perform an operation on them and even remove their heart
without them complaining. How much of the sacred experiences a victim,
possible prepared with some form of drug, could relate to bystanders in
these circumstances is anyone's guess. With the enormous experience gained
it is possible, however, that those performing the sacrifices had learned
to optimise any articulation of the "sacred" experiences for the benefit
of bystanders.
Another practice of the Aztecs was exo-caniballism, the eating of
parts of enemies, and endo-cannibalism, the consumption of parts of
relatives ground up and inserted into drinks. The purpose of the former
was to benefit from the power, prowess, accomplishments and skills of the
person being consumed. In this context the details of a paper published in
the Scientific American decades ago are of interest. As I recall flatworms
were taught to respond to stimuli and having learned to respond to the
stimuli were killed and an extract containing RNA prepared and given to
untrained worms to consume. It was reported that the untrained worms had
acquired the skills of the trained worms from which the extract had been
obtained. If so there is a rational scientific basis for cannibalism.
Kosher and Halal meat is prepared by bleeding animals to death. The
practice raises the possibility that the human sacrifices performed by
Jews before the birth of Christ might have employed the same means for the
same purposes. Christianity has incorporated many aspects of these
sacrificial practices into their liturgy and protocols. They take bread
and wine when taking communion in rememberance of Christ as instructed by
him before his crucifiction. Roman Catholics believe that the bread and
wine they consume during communion actually changes into Christ's body
and blood (trans-substantiation). Protestants do not.
Might Christ and/or the early Christians have intended to stop people
performing human sacrifices and even autosacrifices with the intent of
having spiritual experiences? Christianity, and indeed western
civilisation, has condemned suicide. Might the Christians who outlawed
suicide have been aware of the large numbers of Aztecs and Incas
apparently willing to sacrifice themselves and wished to avoid the same
happening to Christians?
Whatever the motives there is a distinct possibility that the Aztecs,
Incas and even the early Jews might have been very familar with a
dissociation between the mind and body that, contrary to Braken and
Thomas's assertion, appears to be increasingly real.
1. Jones DM. Mythology of the Aztecs and Maya. Southwater, London,
2003.
up to be sacrificed. like the Incas
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
Unlike mass, which is not a function of gravity, weight is. Thus
whilst the mass of an object is that same on the moon as it is on earth
the weight is not, the object in question being lighter on the moon than
it is on earth. Mass possesses inertia, that is the force require to get
it moving. In terms of Newtonian physics the inertia of the mass of an
object should be the same on the moon as it is on earth. The Alice
hypothesis suggests otherwise.
The Alice hypothesis proposes that a fermionic [ordinary matter]
phase of existence alternates with a bosonoinc [waves of energy] phase in
the order of once every attosecond, that is some 10 to the eighteen times
a second. If this hypothesis and Einstein's equation, E=MC2, are valid
then within each second of time elapsed for each mass:
E.t1+ MC2.t2 = constant
where E is energy present in each bosonic phase of existence and M
the mass present in the fermionic phase of existence and n t1 is the
number of times E appears each second and t2 the number of times M appears
each second.
If then an amount of energy, Y, were to be applied to the object for
a period of t3 within each second to move it E.t1 would increase to
E.t1+Y.t3 to fulfill the reqirements of the first law of thermodynamics
[conservation of energy]and M would be reduced proportionately to MC2 (t2-
t3). As the weight of the object in question is equal to Mg, where g is
the gravitational constant, the weight of the object would be reduced from
M.t2.g to M(t2-t3).g. In other words the weight of the moving object
would be less than that of the stationary object. In the absence of
gravity the weight would be reduced from M.t2 to M.(t2-t3) and the energy
or force required to move it horizontally would be reduced
proportionately. This would be a violation of Newtonian physics.
From my observations of life in space, which is limited to
photographs and television clips, it is much easier to move large objects,
such as the Hubble telescope or a satellite, horizontally than it is on
earth. If this is true then the Newtonian concept of inertia is false.
The observation would, however, be consistent with the Alice hypothesis
and would provide support for the proposal that weight is a gravitational
function of mass density rate rather than mass alone.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
Whilst the mass of an object is said to be constant the weight of
that object is said to change with gravity, a man weighing less in space
than on earth. If the basic principle underlying the Alice hypothesis (1),
that a fermionic (ordinary matter) state alternates with a bosonic (waves
or energy) state about once every attosecond, this thinking will have to
be revised .
Power may be increased either by increasing the amount of energy
being delivered to, for example, lift a boulder or by reducing the time in
which the energy is applied. Of these two ways the latter has infintely
greater potential to increase power than the former (2). The implication
is that the same applies to mass for Einstein's equation states that
E=MC2. In which case the mass density rate of the boulder would be the
same as its weight if the basic principle underlying the Alice hypothesis
were valid. The mass density rate would, in these circumstances, have to
increase in accordance with the laws of gravity in direct proportion with
the product of the mass of the boulder and the mass of the earth and in
indirect proportion with the square of the distance between them. The mass
density rate would also be expected to decrease in proportion with the
absolute temperature for as absolute zero is approached liquid gases defy
gravity by flowing out of their containers.
Defining quantum gravity is one of the remaining obstacles in search
for the elusive Theory of Everything, a theory which Steven Hawking
believes will have to include some exotic modification of the laws of
thermodynamics (3). Might including the effects of changing mass density
rate in accordance with the Alice hypothesis help to overcome some of the
remaining obstacles?
1. Patrick Bracken and Philip Thomas Time to move beyond the mind-
body split
BMJ 2002; 325: 1433-1434 (Electronic responses).
2. Mourou GA, Umstadter D. Extreme light. Scientific American updated from
May 2002, pp77-83.
3. Steven Hawking. The universe in a nutshell. Bantam Press, London, 2001.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
It is difficult to imagine how the genes present in the ovum and
spermatazoum that fertilises it or first cells forming the morula can
dictate just when an animal’s limbs will stop growing let alone how it
will look and behave. It is also difficult to explain with our current
understanding of genetics how identical twins can have such different
personalities. It is especially difficult to explain in terms of gentic
inheritance the findings in the classic studies on flatworms [genus
plantaria], performed by Morgan in 1901, reviewed by Rupert Sheldrake’s
recent book “ The sense of being started at”, and the migration of
Monarch butterflies. Morgan found that when he cut a flatworm in half the
tail grew a head and the head grew a tail forming two new worms. When
instead he divided the worm longitudinally one whole worm was formed. The
Monarch butterflies migrate up and down the American coast returning to
their origin but after the passage of several generations.
To explain these phenomena it is necessary to ascribe a paranormal
quality, precognition, to DNA. Whilst this may be untenable in terms of
conventional physics it can be easily explained in terms of the Alice
hypothesis (1). This hypothesis proposes that a timeless, bosonic (waves
of energy extending throughout the universe) form of existence alternates
with a timely fermionic (static phase of existence consisting of ordinary
matter) form of existence in the order of once every attosecond. Whilst in
the timeless form there is no distinction between past, present and
future. The timely form, in which DNA exists, exists in the present
only. Thus precognition is the norm in the timeless bosonic form but not
possible in the timely fermionic form of existence.
The evolutionary cosmologists would have us believe that energy
density, or an energy density rate [bosons], preceded the development of
ordinary matter [fermions]. They would further have us believe that the
amount of energy density in the universe has decreased steadily since the
Big bang and that the amount of ordinary matter has increased. In which
case a timeless bosonic phase of existence may have preceded, and
therefore determined, the timely fermionic phase of existence encoded in
DNA. In other words all the information present in an adult is encoded
within the timeless, bosonic phase of existence from conception.
Additionally all of the deficiencies in the conventional understanding of
genetic inheritance listed above, including the difference in personally
in identical twins, may be explained in terms of the Alice hypothesis.
Jung proposed that the collective unconscious might be genetically
determined. In which case the personal unconscious, and the consciousness
actions Libet’s studies suggested it might dictate, is acquired from
interactions with others and with the environment in the course of aging.
In which case Descartes mind-body split is an integral part of
understanding the psyche and its pathological perturbations.
1. Richard G Fiddian-Green
Mind-body split: the Alice hypothesis
http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/325/7378/1433#28056, 21 Dec 2002
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
Jung , who died in 1961, had a pulmonary embolus after he had
fractured his ankle and nearly died (1). During this illness he had an out
-of-body experience. He himself did not know if it was “a dream or
ecstasy”. In his wonderous vision, as he called it, he ascended into the
heavens and looking down saw the wide curve of the ocean and seas bathed
in a “gloriously blue light”. Later he "discovered how high in space one
would have to be to have such an extensive view— altitude was
approximately a thousand miles”. The reminder of his wonderous vision,
which included him visiting an Hindu temple, was much more fanciful.
Jung’s vision of the earth is strikingly similar to the photographic
images of the earth taken from space particularly in regards to the
blueness. One might argue that Jung’s wonderous vision was in part an
image from his memory of a National Geographic photograph of the earth
taken by an astronaut. If so why did Jung, or rather the person who told
him the altitude he would have to have ben at to have such a vision, say
1000 miles and not 160 miles? Surely the who told him that must have known
the altitude at which astronauts have taken their photographs of earth.
The answer is clearly not for Jung had his vision in 1944 and had
documented it years before the first photographs of earth was taken from
space. Yury Gagarin, the Soviet cosmonaught , was the first man to travel
into space in 1961. His maximum altitude was just 187 miles. John Glenn
was the first US astronaut to travel into space in 1962. The highest he
got was 162 miles, much lower than the 1000 miles Jung had been told he
would have to have been to have had his wonderous vision of the earth.
One possibility is that Jung might have seen photographs of the earth
taken by an astronaut but they were top secret photographs. In which case
one would have assumed that his wonderous vision was partly the product of
his memories. This seems a most unlikely explanation given our
understanding of the technology available at the time. Another possibility
is that it was known in 1944 how to place someone in space using a space
elevtor created out out a beam from a laser or more realistically from
eletromagnetic waves on the lines that Clarke has proposed. This too is
unlikely given the need for a space suit which was not developed until
decades later.
Out-of-body experiences have been reported many times since, but none
that I have read is as vivid or as credible as that of Jung. In terms of
the Alice hypothesis, which postulates that fermionic (ordinary matter)
phases of existence alter with bosonic phases (waves of energy), they are
bosonic events (2). The bosonic phases of existence are analogous to the
cat being in the box, in Schrodinger’s thought experiment, and the
fermionic phases being analogous to those seen when the box is opened. In
which case a person might exist as a superposition of states anywhere in
the universe in the bosonic phases of their existence be they on the
ceiling, as hypothetically in my father’s out-of-body experience, and some
160 miles above earth as in Jung’s out-of-body experience.
The bosonic phase of existence also appears to be analogous to the
timeless values [values in a timeless world], addressed by Lord Dahrendorf
in his discussion of the Blair/Schroder paper on the Third Way published
in Foreign Affairs. The fermionic phase is analogous to the timely values
[values in a timely world]. These terms, timeless and timely, appear to
be references to the claims that the bosonic phase of existence is
universal and timeless and that the fermionic phase is local and timely.
In other words timeless properties apply to an existence as waves of
energy extending throughout the universe and timely properties to a static
existence as ordinary matter in one location.
I have observed, defined, classified and reconfirmed the existence of
events that I was unable to explain in terms of my understanding of
physics. They can be defined as “paranormal” events but appear to be
normal. Hence my formulation of the Alice hypothesis. This in effect
states that Julian Barbour’s jumping cat Lucy is a succession of timely
Lucys interspersed by a succession of timeless Lucys. Changes in the speed
at which Lucy appears to be jumping are the product of timeless events
observed and measured in our timely [ordinary] world. [Steven Hawking
might consider them events occurring in imaginary as opposed to real
time]. A striking feature of these “paranormal” observations in humans is
that they seem to be either voluntary or induced by a third party in a
manner that achieves precisely co-ordinated events in which those involved
are not in the least bit aware of them being “paranormal”. It would
appear, therefore, that “paranormal” events might be induced by
pathological changes in the brain, such that have occurred in persons
having in out-of-body experiences, by volition or be induced by a third
party. The latter includes physical actions and might include thoughts and
words.
If Jung indeed saw the earth from a vantage point is space in what
form did he exist when he saw it? It cannot have been as ordinary matter
because he would have died in an instant unless protected by a space suit
that had yet to be developed. He had to have existed as a conscious wave
form. The same applies to my father’s out-of-body experience in which he
watched his partners attend to him from a vantage point near the ceiling.
If earthy events can be witnessed whilst in a timeless existence might
astral projection be a reality? More importantly might teleportation of
macroscopic objects be a reality? From my observations the answer to the
second question unequivocally “yes”.
Causality is a property of the timely world for it is only in the
timely world that events can be seen to happen and be measured. Causality
cannot be a property of a timeless world because events cannot be seen or
measured and are, by definition, timeless unless timelessness a timely
property of a timeless world in another dimension. In this case this
timeless world might well be a timely property of yet another timeless
world and the cycle might be repeated ad infinitum. In which case it is
not possible to prove that causality does not exist in a timely world
because we see it every day. Neither is it possible to conclude that
causality does not exist in a timeless world because the probability of it
not existing will tend to zero as the number of hypothetical cycles and
dimensions in which it might exist increases. It is never statistically
correct to claim that treatments have no effect or that there is no
difference in the effects of treatments for although the probability might
tend to zero it too can never reach zero (3).
If causality exists and cannot be proven not to exist it is
irrational to be an atheist. Being an agnostic is not an intelligent
option as argued in a recent issue of a popular British journal of
Philosophy. Being a theist is the only rational option even if in claiming
to be a theist a person were to claim that he/she were the Son of God.
Given the little the authors of the New Testament are likely to have
known of modern physics some of their claims are remarkably apt. “Your
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost” (Corinthians Ch 5, v7). “The
kingdom of God is within you” (St Luke Ch 17, v1). “When two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (St Matthew
Ch18,v20). These and other Biblical quotations could easily have been
referring to a timeless existence, or the effects of what Jung has
called a collective conscious, Sherrington called a has called a spiritual
pool or words to that effect, and what Sheldrake has called a morphic
field. I have no doubt that the same applies to selected quotations from
other religious texts.
As Jung was unable to determine whether he had a “dream or ecstasy”
might a psychoanalyst, psychologist or psychiatrist have done so? Not if
they did not appreciate the possibility that he might have indeed seen the
earth from space whilst in a timeless form. Might then he have indeed
visited an Hindu temple in an astral form? It is not possible to answer
that question with the same confidence because there must undoubtedly have
been visions of Hindu temples amongst his memories.
1. A life of Jung. Ronald Hayman, Bloomsbury, 1995.
2. Richard G Fiddian-Green
Body-mind split and brain death
http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/325/7378/1433#28128, 23 Dec 2002
3. Phil Alderson and Iain Chalmers
Research pointers: Survey of claims of no effect in abstracts of Cochrane
reviews
BMJ, Mar 2003; 326: 475.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
Sir,
God is not dead he is only resting!
Mr. Praline: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'E's dead,
that's what's wrong with it!
Owner: No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting. [1]
[1] dead parrot sketch, Monty Python, 1969
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~ebarnes/python/dead-parrot.htm
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
1988 was a period of supreme productivity for Nietzsche, the German
philosopher born in 1844. His last essay concerned the Anti-christ. He
collapsed on the street shortly after it was published and is said to have
lost control of his mental faculties. He was just 44 at the time but had
apparently suffered from dysentery and had never been free of some degree
of ill health. His creativity ceased and he died prematurely 11 years
later in 1900.
A conflicting account claims that Nietzsche became mentally ill
after he had been observed hugging a horse in the street. His landlady
added fuel to the fire after watching him though a keyhole and claiming to
have seen him dancing naked but alone in his room. Another conflicting
account claims that Nietzsche was never ill and he had just pretended to
be mentally ill. It is difficult to ascribe a modern psychiatric
diagnostic label from these accounts.
God is dead, proclaimed Nietzsche, because people realise they
invented him. "The God-hypothesis as a notion is utterly without warrent",
he claimed, "owing its acceptance only to naivety, error, need, or
ulterior motive". But "the death of God is an awful yet exhilerating
thought" he asserted. "Awful because we feel abandoned by our ..
protector, yet exhilerating because suddenly our world opens to infinity.
Anything is now imaginable". "The God outside of man may be dead but the
God who is known to live through him and in him is still alive. God is a
name for the creative power of man".
Certainly the view of God from a religious perspective has been
rigidly fixed for millenia and leaves little or no room for speculation
and new hypotheses. In declaring God is dead Nietszche was, therefore,
opening the door for speculation and invited new hypotheses. Modern
physics, space exploration and the Hubbel telescope's dramatic images
including the "pillars of creation" have certainly done that. There
exists, therefore, an ever increasing conflict between religious dogma
and scientific facts.
Nietzsche was highly critical of Darwinism claiming that people
tended to use it as a source for atheism and that the monkey had replaced
God as an object of enquiry. "If evolution has lead to man", he wrote,
"why should it stop with man?...Why might there not be an even higher form
of life, an Ubermensch [literally meaning above man]as a higher biological
type?" Hence his notion of man and a superman, a new species, or a higher
caste. "Ubermensch is free of religion", he wrote. [I interpret this as
meaning freed from the religion]. "He has not lost it, but reclaimed it
for himself".
Nietzsche also claimed, however, that Christianity had sapped the
will to life. "It is only a symptom of this deterioration, a monumental
revolt of the weak against the strong", he wrote. Certainly not words that
would have been pleasing to the Church or to most Christians in his day
and age. Does that mean he was an atheist or an enlightened theist?
Whatever Nietsche himself might have thought decades after this death
some Nazis interpreted his thoughts very differently even though
Neitzsche himself had been strongly opposed to nationalism.
Was Nietzche in effect saying that man must be allowed to evolve into
a higher form or caste or was he saying that man had already evolved into
a higher life form or caste? If he was saying that man had already
evolved into a higher form he would in effect have been saying that he had
evidence that he had evolved into that form or caste. But caste is an
Indian term. Nietzche's use of the word raises the possibility, therefore,
of there being a logical connection between the Nazis and the Indian caste
system. The swastika is the mirror image of an ancient Indian sign. The
sign may be found at the beginning of some of the earlier editions of
Rudyard Kipling's books about India. Why did the Nazis choose it?
The circumstances surrounding the aquisition of Nietzsche's mental
illness are reminicent of those surrounding Nash's [a beautiful mind].
Nash attributes his recovery from his extended "mental illness", and his
rehabilitation culminating in his receipt of a Nobel prize for his work
on game theory, to his suppressing or modifying his views so that they
were no longer considered politically incorrect. He did not state what
these views were. They might, however, have been related to his
reconciliation of Einstein's theories and quantum theory. Nash worked
with Einstein and had devoted considereable efforts to these issues just
before developing his mental illness.
This and other seemingly suppressed scientific evidence or
interpretation of it, such as that concerning time travel to which Steven
Hawking has alluded, suggests that Nietzsche's mental illness might have
been voluntary or was imposed upon him. In which case what was it that
might have been considered politically incorrect? His views on God and/or
Christianity or evidence that an Ubermensche or superman [innate or
acquired] already existed? George Bernard Shaw's play, Man and Superman,
may have been inspired by Nietzsche's writings (1).
1. Richard G Fiddian-Green
This is no George Bernard Shaw comedy.
http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/326/7402/1287#33373, 16 Jun 2003
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
In the concluding chapters of the penultimate chapter in his very
recent (2003) and well written book, "Alpha and omega" (Transworld
Publishers, London), Charles Siefe quotes John Carlstrom as having said
that "such an observation [spirals in the sky--the signature of
gravitational waves] could make or break inflation theory". He also quotes
PJE Peebles of Princeton as having said that "gravitational waves might
tell us whether inflation is right, or if something else, like the big
splat, is". Siefe concludes that "within a decade we may see the face of
God". Steven Hawkings had previously suggested that we might see the face
of God when we knew the cause of the "Big Bang".
The data upon which the validity of the inflationary hypothesis, upon
which this eventuality depends, will Charles Siefe writes be established
from data that have yet to be gathered from experiments performed at the
laser inferometer gravitational wave observatory (LIGO) opened in
Washington state in October 2000. If it were ever to be shown that the
universe was not expanding the credibility of the "Big Bang" hypothesis
would be debunked and the hopes of seeing the face of God lost.
Siefe appears to say the very opposite in his footnote and appendix
on tired-light. The objection to the inflationary hypothesis he states is
the claim that "reddening [the red shift upon which the inflationary
theory is based]is due to tired-light [light slowing down as it passes
through spacet]rather than objects moving away [as claimed in the
inflationary hypothesis]". "The idea [tired-light] has been thoroughly
debunked" he concludes thereby seemingly contradiciting the opinion he
expressed in the text of his book by implying that the Hubble's
inflationary hypothesis is proven.
Siefe bases his opinion on tired-light upon two facts. First clocks
of distant galaxies are slower because of time dilation. As speed is
distance divided by time that should make the speed of old light faster
than that of new light for the same distance would appear to have been
travelled in a shorter time. Indeed in his recent (2003) book, "Faster
than the speed of light" (William Heinemann, London), Joao Magueijo
concludes that old light or liquid light as he calls it was very much
faster than new light at alpha, the hypothetical origin of the universe.
The second fact, upon which Charles Siefe bases his rejection of tired-
light, is relativistic abberration which distorts shape. "These two
effects", Siefe adds, "apply only to moving and not to stationary
objects" as the tired-light hypothesis would have it.
The central issue in this difference of opinion would seem to revolve
around whether or not theoretical physicists believe Einstein was correct
in stating that the speed of light was constant. Siefe evades the issues
in stating that it is the fabric of spacetime that is exanding faster than
the speed of light [in the inflationary hypothesis]. This, he states, does
not violate Einstein's law which "reflects speeds of things along the
fabric of spacetime".
But entanglement [that is the instant communication between pairs of
particles located on opposite sides of the universe] has been verified
experimentally since Einstein's death. Furthermore Einstein himself
acknowledged that his theory of relativeity would be wrong if
entanglement, or "spooky-action-at-a-distance" as he called it, were ever
shown to be real for it would mean that it is indeed possible to travel
faster than the speed of light.
In effect, therefore, Siefe is contradiciting himself in stating in
the text of his book that the inflationary hypothesis remains unproven and
in his footnote and appendix that the speed of light is constant and
Einstein's theories of special and general relativity remain intact. Is
Einstein's credibility so important that it is necessary to protect his
reputation by disguising its failings with weasel words?
This is an important issue vis-a-vis understanding the nature of the
body-mind split. If the laws of physics are obscured by the weasel words
of the theoretical physicists and popular science writers and the results
of experiemts and their translation into new technology is hidden from
doctors what hope is there of them understanding the workings of the mind
and its pathological disortions? Perhaps it is those privy to classified
information and wishing to manage it for political ends that are
responsible for the this disinformation. Steven Hawking said as much in
discussing time travel in his book "Universe in a nutshell".
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
I thought we killed Hitler, but I guess his ideas of eugenics are
alive. You are concocting your philosophy from your own will's notions.
This is an abuse of intellective function, since the intellect rightly
motivates the will to serve the good. Since your rational meaning for
society is defective, possibly you can begin to do meaningful experiments
on your body, and thus be of some use for the good.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
Special relativity and the body-mind split
Understanding inertia would seem to be central to establishing
whether the hypothetical Cartesian mind-body split is false, as Braken and
Thomas claim, or true as proposed in the Alice hypothesis. Inertia is the
amount of force required to get a mass moving, that amount of force being
greater than the amount needed to keep it moving and giving it momentum.
Before Einstein's theory of special relativity the momentum of a
moving object (p) was thought to be equal to m (mass).V(velocity) and
E=Eo +1/2mv2, where Eo=rest energy. In special relativity adjustments are
made for an increase in Mo (mass at rest) which is said to be equal to
E/C2 where C is the speed of light, which is said to be constant in a
vacuum. When speeds are very small relative to the speed of light, and
that includes all speeds on earth and even in space travel, Lorentz
transformation simplify Galilean formulas and the laws of Newtonian
physics hold sway. As the speed of light is approached, however, the mass
of an object is predicted in terms of Einstein's theory of special
relativity to increase exponentially to infinity.
To the best of my knowledge the proposal in special relativity that
mass increases in proportion to the amount of energy being applied to it
has not been verified for the simple reason that it has not been possible
to increase the speed of an object to the levels necessary for a
significant increase in mass to be detected. From a lay perspective the
mass of the space shuttles, satellites and even Gallileo would appear to
have remained exactly the same. In any event the notion of a mass
increasing to infintity as it approached the speed of light is contrary to
any observation in Nature.
"The Alice hypothesis proposes that a fermionic [ordinary matter]
phase of existence alternates with a bosonoinc [waves of energy] phase in
the order of once every attosecond, that is some 10 to the eighteen times
a second. If this hypothesis and Einstein's equation, E=MC2, are valid
then within each second of time elapsed for each mass:
E.t1+ MC2.t2 = constant
where E is energy present in each bosonic phase of existence and M
the mass present in the fermionic phase of existence and n t1 is the
number of times E appears each second and t2 the number of times M appears
each second".
In addressing the problem of inertia in terms of the Alice hypothesis
it was concluded that "the weight of the moving object would be less than
that of the stationary object". "If then", it was added in earlier
communications on this subject, "an amount of energy, Y, were to be
applied to the object for a period of t3 within each second to move it
E.t1 would increase to E.t1+Y.t3 to fulfill the requirements of the first
law of thermodynamics [conservation of energy]and M would be reduced
proportionately to MC2 (t2- t3)". This conclusion is in direct violation
of Einstein's special theory of relativity but would appear to be the more
rational alternative.
In terms of the Alice hypothesis all movement occurs at the speed of
light in the intermittent bosonic phases of existence. If it is assumed
that the speed of light is constant in a vacuum as the theory of special
relativity proposes then speed is in terms of the Alice hypothesis a
function of the proportion of time spent in the bosonic phases of
existence during the course of a second and will approach the speed of
light exponentially as the energy-density-rate increases towards unity and
the mass-density-rate decreases to zero. The mass of an object would,
however, remain exactly the same but should become invisable as the
proportion of time spent in the fermionic phases of existence decreased to
zero. Although the mass should remain the same during each fermionic phase
of exsistence the weight would not, for it might decrease in proportion
with the reduction in mass-density-rate. Contrary to what I suggested
earlier the inertia of an object would remain the same in space as it is
on earth unless its mass-density-rate were reduced by energy other than
that being applied to move it.
In terms of the Alice hypothesis the momentum of an object is an
illusion created by a succession of static fermionic images, much as
Julian Barbour has proposed. Inertia is the amount of energy required to
decrease the mass-density-rate to a degree that gives it momentum relative
to the position on earth or space from which it is being moved. This
conclusion evades the unreal notion of the mass of a moving object
increasing to infinity as the speed of the object approached the speed of
light as proposed in special relativity.
If the Cartesian mind-body split is false as Braken and Thomas claim
the mass of a moving body should approach infinity as its speed approaches
the speed of light. If it is true as proposed in the Alice hypothesis then
the mass should remain the same until it became invisible.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests