in the brain's network of neurotransmitter neurons [ref N]
activates a thought by "firing" [ref O]
when the electrical impulse's voltage is increased by an inferred action of the five material senses detecting material objects outside of the brain [ref Q]
which activates a neuron cluster in the brain, [ref P]
then modified by a superpose action [ref R]
during the brain's "cognition" states [ref S]
which combines an in-brain electrical impulse [link T]
with an out-of-brain electrical impulse from an omnipresent source of thoughts. [ref U]
prior
Where Do Our Thoughts Come From? (5 Experts Explain)
Have you ever wondered where your thoughts come from?
The human mind is incredibly complex, and trying to define our thoughts and their origin is not an easy task by any means.
We asked a selected group of experts to answer the question: "Where Do Our Thoughts Come From?"
Here’s what they said.
Most Of Our Thoughts Come From Our Subconscious Mind.
(Jennifer Fidder, Mindset Coach and Personal Trainer:
Most of our thought processes originate from our subconscious mind and are oftentimes outside of our conscious awareness.
And that’s what makes changing our thought processes so hard. To make it easier we have to initiate the change where these thoughts originate from, the subconscious mind.
You Can Accept Or Reject Any Thought.
(Stuart Doughty, Personal Development Mentor Consultant with The Proctor Gallagher Institute)
But we rarely give any thought to where those ideas and concepts come from. They just are. While labeling or describing the thinking process helps to bring order to our mind, we have never adequately understood why we think or how thoughts arise in our conscious awareness.
As human beings, we think. We do not need to know any more about the origins of thought or the mind. It’s more important to understand how to use it and how to take conscious control over our thinking.
The majority of a person’s thoughts are automatic and arise from the subconscious mind. We do not consciously choose most of our thoughts. They simply appear from that constant flow of mental chatter.
When we consciously apply reason or perception to originate thoughts and ideas, we can influence our future, but mostly we are guided through our days by our subconscious mind delivering familiar thoughts, ideas, observations and judgments into our conscious mind.
We have the power and right to accept or reject any thought that enters our mind.
We have the option of choosing to believe and follow a thought, or to reject it and replace it with a better one.
(Anne-Marie Emanuelli, Creative Director and Founder of Mindful Frontiers)
Basically, when a person meditates using open awareness, which is a type of meditation practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment.
(Vanessa Broers, Life and Performance Coach)
Just like you cannot control the actual life energy that flows through you keeping you alive, you also cannot control the thought energy that is flowing through your mind and creating your thinking.
You cannot control your thoughts, but you can control the attention you pay to them.
Your Thoughts Are Not As Random As You Might Think
(Girish Dutt Shukla, Digital Marketer and Author of Maroon In A Sky Of Blue)
Your thoughts are a culmination of your experiences, the stimulus you receive from around you, and your beliefs and principles.
Your sudden thoughts are not really that random. The precursors must have been simmeringin your subconscious for a while. This is often indicated by sudden slip of tongue or impulse actions, because sometimes the filter in our conscious is overpowered by our subconscious.
On the other hand, our evolutionary prehistory is essentially the experiential history of our ancestors. Many scientists believe that we are only in control of a tiny fraction of our thoughts.
As the majority of our thinking is done by the subconscious, we have little to no control over it. What our brain receives and processes is not under our power.
But in the end, you do have the power to change the direction of your thoughts with reasoning and facts. You can also take conscious steps to take the right action.
(https://humanwindow.com/where-do-thoughts-come-from/)
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...memmories---Did they possess specific locations in the brain?
He found that memories are not preserved in any particular part of the brain, like books lying on the shelves, but were rather spread out or distributed throughout the brain as a whole.
No matter what portion of the brain was removed their memories could not be eradicated, because they were omnipresent, in the brain at the same time.
But Karl Pribram knew of no mechanism or process that could be responsible for the memory distribution of this kind, until he was confronted with the concept of holography, for the first time.
Every portion of the brain also appears to contain the whole of the brain's memories, which means the brain is itself – a hologram!
If it is possible for every portion of holographic film to contain all the information necessary to create a whole image, then it is equally possible for every part of the brain to contain all of the information indispensable to recall a whole memory.
(https://www.messagetoeagle.com/our-brain-is-a-holographic-machine-existing-in-a-holographic-universe/)
The holographic model of consciousness says that consciousness is not stored in any special place in the brain, but throughout the brain and whenever the information is used, it is a selection taken from all sides, just as happens to the brain from outside hologram...
(https://www.academia.edu/1075101/The_mind_as_an_hologram)
Pribram was drawn to the holographic model by the puzzle of how and where memories are stored in the brain. For decades numerous studies have shown that rather than being confined to a specific location, memories are dispersed throughout the brain.
An impressive body of evidence suggests that the brain uses holographic principles to perform its operations. Pribram's theory, in fact, has gained increasing support among neurophysiologists.
Pribram believes memories are encoded not in neurons, or small groupings of neurons, but in patterns of nerve impulses that crisscross the entire brain in the same way that patterns of laser light interference crisscross the entire area of a piece of film containing a holographic image. In other words, Pribram believes the brain is itself a hologram.
Bohm believes the reason subatomic particles are able to remain in contact with one another regardless of the distance separating them is not because they are sending some sort of mysterious signal back and forth, but because their separateness is an illusion.
(https://www.burlingtonnews.net/holographicuniverse.html)
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Thus: The location from which thoughts are accessed is unknown.
Thus far, the human brain has defied attempts by neuroscience,s best and brightest to decode its fundamental workings. We know much of how a single neuron works, but how can we ever hope to figure out precisely how a specific thought is formed from the combined operation of billions of neurons sending and receiving signals through trillions of connections to say nothing of possible (additional) biological complexities we haven;t even begun to figure out?
(https://www.thebiggestquestions.com/consciousness/)
But as much as brainwaves loom in our understanding of the brain, not a single scientist has any idea where they come from.
(https://www.inverse.com/article/34269-brainwaves-mystery-neuroscience-eeg-neurons)
For Cohen, brainwaves are the common thread that can unify neuroscience. But the problem is, most research deals only with the electrical activity produced from tens of millions of neurons at a time, which is the highest resolution a typical EEG machine can capture without needlessly cutting into an innocent study subject's head. The problem is that this big, rough EEG research in humans isn't very compatible with the intricate, neuron-scale research done in lab rats.
Consequently, we have plenty of information about the brain's parts but no understanding of how they work together as a whole.
“The problem with these answers is that they’re totally meaningless from a neuroscience perspective,” Cohen says. “These answers tell you about how it’s physically possible, how the universe is constructed such that we can make these measurements. But there’s a totally different question, which is, what do these measurements mean? What do they tell us about the kinds of computations that are taking place in the brain? And that’s a huge explanatory gap.”
(https://www.inverse.com/article/34269-brainwaves-mystery-neuroscience-eeg-neurons)
Even if it is possible one day to map all the connections of the neurons in the brain, the current widely held assumption that neurons operate by the linear summation of inputs reaching a threshold and then firing is incorrect. Recent studies show that neurons use multiple interacting non linear mechanisms to make the final decisions to fire.
(https://jonlieffmd.com/blog/neuronal-connections-and-the-mind-the-connectome)
To make matters worse, from the same input two individual neurons can fire differently leaving the final decisions to a democratic vote of different neurons further down the circuit.
(https://jonlieffmd.com/blog/neuronal-connections-and-the-mind-the-connectome)
The mouse brain has a mere 70 million brain cells (humans have 100 billion) and the mouse cortex 14 million. The maximum number of connections for one mouse neuron seems to be 45,000. Even this is a monumental project.
(https://jonlieffmd.com/blog/neuronal-connections-and-the-mind-the-connectome)
Pribram was drawn to the holographic model by the puzzle of how and where memories are stored in the brain. For decades numerous studies have shown that rather than being confined to a specific location, memories are dispersed throughout the brain.
Pribram believes memories are encodedn not in neurons, or small groupings of neurons, but in patterns of nerve impulses that crisscross the entire brain in the same way that patterns of laser light interference crisscross the entire area of a piece of film containing a holographic image. In other words,
Pribram believes the brain is itself a hologram.
(https://www.burlingtonnews.net/holographicuniverse.html)
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The highlighted text in the third paragraph of this reference poses the basic question to be addressed in this blog.
Have you ever wondered if the Bible and science can be reconciled? In a world where faith and reason often seem to clash, exploring the intersection between these two seemingly disparate realms can be both enlightening and enriching. In this blog post, we delve into the age-old question of whether the teachings of the Bible can coexist harmoniously with the principles of science, offering insights that may help bridge the gap between these seemingly conflicting perspectives.
By examining how the Bible and science can be reconciled, we aim to provide readers with a deeper understanding of the inherent compatibility between faith and reason. By exploring the ways in which these two disciplines can complement each other, we seek to showcase the benefits of embracing both spiritual truths and scientific discoveries. Ultimately, this exploration serves to foster a greater sense of unity and intellectual curiosity, encouraging readers to approach the age-old debate with an open mind and a willingness to explore the wonders that lie at the crossroads of faith and science.
In the ongoing dialogue between religion and science, one of the key questions that often arises is whether the teachings of the Bible can be reconciled with the findings of scientific inquiry. On one hand, the Bible is considered by many to be a sacred text that offers insights into the nature of the universe and humanity’s place within it. On the other hand, science is a systematic method of understanding the natural world through observation, experimentation, and evidence-based reasoning.
The tension between the two arises when scientific discoveries seem to conflict with literal interpretations of biblical passages. For example, the theory of evolution challenges the creation story in Genesis, while the age of the Earth determined by geological evidence contradicts a strict interpretation of the biblical timeline. However, many theologians and scholars argue that the Bible should not be read as a scientific textbook but rather as a spiritual guide that conveys deeper truths about God, humanity, and the world.
Some attempts to reconcile the Bible and science have been made through the concept of “theistic evolution,” which posits that God guided the process of evolution to bring about the diversity of life on Earth. This view allows for an acceptance of evolutionary theory while still affirming the belief in a divine creator. Others have suggested that the creation accounts in the Bible should be understood metaphorically rather than literally, allowing for a more symbolic interpretation that is compatible with scientific understanding.
It is important to recognize that both the Bible and science offer valuable insights into different aspects of reality. While the Bible provides a theological framework for understanding the purpose and meaning of life, science offers a method for exploring the physical laws that govern the universe. Ultimately, the question of whether the Bible and science can be reconciled may depend on how one approaches each – as conflicting sources of truth or as complementary ways of understanding the mysteries of existence.
In conclusion, while tensions may exist between certain biblical teachings and scientific discoveries, it is possible to find harmony between faith and reason by interpreting the Bible in light of current scientific knowledge and vice versa. By approaching both with humility, openness, and a willingness to engage in dialogue, we can deepen our understanding of the world and our place in it.
Science cannot prove the existence of God, as God’s existence is a matter of faith. The Bible teaches that faith is believing in something that cannot be seen or scientifically proven. While science can provide evidence for the complexities and wonders of the universe, it cannot definitively prove or disprove the existence of God. The Bible itself emphasizes the importance of faith in understanding and accepting the existence of God. Ultimately, the question of God’s existence goes beyond scientific proof and delves into matters of faith, spirituality, and personal belief.
(https://biblewisdomhub.org/can-the-bible-and-science-be-reconciled)
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The higlighted phrase in the first paragraph of this reference, as illustrated in Reference K and addressed in Reference R, is the basis of this blog's concept of Christian thouhghts.
René Descartes (1596–1650) famously argued that the mind and the body are two fundamentally different substances: the res cogitans (thinking substance) and the res extensa (extended substance). This view emphasizes the unity of consciousness, as mental states cannot be divided into parts like physical objects. However, Cartesian dualism faces the interaction problem — if the mind is immaterial and the brain is material, how do they interact?
Materialism (or physicalism) asserts that the mind can be fully explained by physical processes, just as we explain other natural phenomena through physics and chemistry. This perspective dominated psychology and neuroscience in the early-to-mid 20th century. However, Menuge and Egnor argue that materialism is self-refuting and conceptually incoherent because it denies the very existence of subjective mental states, even though human experience is built upon them.
One major problem with materialism is that mental properties, such as intentionality (the mind’s ability to think about things), subjective experience, and abstract reasoning, do not resemble any known physical processes. Unlike neurons, which can be measured and located in the brain, thoughts themselves have no physical properties. If materialism were true, subjective experiences — such as pain, love, or reasoning — should be reducible to mere brain activity, but such reductions consistently fail to capture their first-person, qualitative nature.
Additionally, materialism cannot account for the fact that we know the mind directly (through experience), whereas we only know physical objects indirectly (through perception). Yet, materialists attempt to explain away the most immediate and certain aspect of human experience — the mind — while elevating less directly known physical structures as primary reality.
(https://mindmatters.ai/2025/03/beyond-materialism-exploring-the-mind-brain-relationship/)
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The proposal in this blog rephrases the fourth paragraph---thoughts are a product of both materialism and duaism.
The nature of thought remains one of philosophy’s greatest mysteries, with deep implications for neuroscience and artificial intelligence. Two main theories compete: materialism, which sees thoughts as brain states, and dualism, which holds that thoughts are non-physical entities.
While neuroscience has mapped correlations between brain activity and mental states, it cannot yet explain how physical matter gives rise to conscious experience. Thought experiments like Mary and the color room highlight the potential limits of physical explanations.
If dualism is true, machine consciousness may remain elusive. Understanding the nature of thought could redefine how we view minds—both human and artificial.
Materialism vs. Dualism: Thought may be either a product of brain activity (materialism) or something beyond the physical (dualism).
But what exactly are thoughts? This is a mystery that has long troubled philosophers such as Descartes – and which has been given new life by the rise of artificial intelligence, as experts try to figure out whether machines can genuinely think.
There are two main answers to the philosophical question of what thoughts are.
The first is that thoughts might be material things. Thoughts are just like atoms, particles, cats, clouds and raindrops: part and parcel of the physical universe. This position is known as physicalism or materialism.
The second view is that thoughts might stand apart from the physical world. They are not like atoms, but are an entirely distinct type of thing. This view is called dualism, because it takes the world to have a dual nature: mental and physical.
However, if dualism is true, then putting in place the basic laws and physical components of reality will not produce thoughts. Some non-physical aspects of reality will need to be added, as thoughts are something over and above all physical components.
Why be a dualist?
That said, the correlations between brain states and thoughts are just that: correlations. We don’t have an explanation of how brain states – or any physical states for that matter – give rise to conscious thought.
We have no comparable explanation for a link between thoughts and brain states. After all, there seem to be many physical things that don’t have thoughts. We have no idea why brain states give rise to thoughts and chairs don’t.
(https://neurosciencenews.com/thoughts-consciousness-neuroscience-28619)
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The highlighted text in the first paragraph summarizes this blogs's intent.
What is God? A Spiritual Science approach
Spiritual scientists make an effort to merge science and religion. As humanity becomes more evolved and is in the search of a paradigm that helps to reconciliate science and religion, spiritual science has the potential to start to spread around the globe and become the new paradigm for the man of the future that does not longer need organized religions but only support and guidance to discover the God within. The discovery of God is a personal matter that requires more than a life time, however, it is the final goal of man to become unified with God.
The second great question is relative to God's will in the universe and God's program for putting that will into effect.
It means that the only place that we can really find God is within. The only way or place that we can discover and comprehend the will of God is within, and the only successful and satisfactory program for the execution of God's will is to be discovered within.
On the other hand, science examines phenomena and looks for the cause in every manifestation. It is not concerned with stated belief, but must know the truth of every proposition. It claims to believe nothing that it cannot fully understand; nevertheless, its own findings contradict that claim. The light of scientific research has brought forth many inventions and discoveries, some of which no one can fully explain. Neither do scientists have a clear understanding of where their knowledge comes from.
Spiritual science uses concepts from different fields including metaphysics, quantum physics, and parapsychology...into a unified system that describes the multi-dimensional nature of man and the universe. The article proposes quantum physics as a possible answer to the scientific explanation of God’s living within our consciousness and presents the spiritual science paradigm as a scientific method for the understanding of God.
Psychic phenomena and parapsychology support the unity of God with man... Perhaps the most known psychic phenomena that has been proven many times is telepathy. Science has many examples of successful telepathic experiments.... If every man is connected to God through its own consciousness, then every man is connected to any other man. Science and intellect helps humanity in the search of the purpose of man on earth by probing that men relate to each other through a common field that is God. Man is connected through God through quantum entanglement and at the same time each person is connected to each other by using the same process....
(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329799784_What_is_God_A_Spiritual_Science_approach)
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These Biblical phrases essentially declare that human thoughts are constantly monitored out-of-brain.
PSALM 139:7
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” – Psalm 139:7
PROVERBS 15:3
“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” – Proverbs 15:3
JEREMIAH 23:24
“Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? ” – Jeremiah 23:24
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:13
JOB 34:21
“His eyes are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step.” – Job 34:21
PROVERBS 5:21
“For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.” – Proverbs 5:21
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, Sheold behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:7-10 NKJV
These Biblical phrases express the state of the human brain in the activation of thoughts---activation cognition products by the HOLY SPIRIT.
“I will meditate on all your activity and ponder over your dealings. Psalm 77:12.
I eagerly ponder over the work of your hands. Psalm 143:5
Ponder over these things and be absorbed in them, so that your advancement may be plainly seen by all people. 1 Timothy 4:15
The heart of the righteous one meditates before answering. Proverbs 15:28.
I remember you while upon my bed; I meditate on you during the watches of the night. Psalm 63:6.
Let the sayings of my mouth and the meditation of my heart become pleasurable before you, O Jehovah my Rock and my Redeemer. PSALM 19:14.
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.Joshua 1:8
---but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.Psalms 1:2n
The Hebrew word here translated “meditation” comes from a root word literally meaning “speak with oneself.---
(https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/g20000908/Meditation-That-Is-Beneficial/)
The last phrase expresses the execution of a superpose event as addressed in Reference R.
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things ... (John 14:26)
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—(John 14:16)
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears,... ” (John 16:13)
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you. I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. The LORD says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
(Psalm 32:8)
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:13-14.
[prior]
This includes their location, activation and in particular where and how the electrical impulses are "tuned" to express specific brain functions.
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[prior]
The neuroscience perspective that brainwaves are not permanently stored in the brain but are universally accessable in all human brains infers that brain functions are "pretuned" to execute a specific thought from a constant "flowthrough" from a supernatural source.
[highlighted text supplied]
What are brainwaves?
At the root of all our thoughts, emotions and behaviours is the communication between neurons within our brains.
Brainwaves are produced by synchronised electrical pulses from masses of neurons communicating with each other.
It is a handy analogy to think of brainwaves as musical notes – the low frequency waves are like a deeply penetrating drum beat, while the higher frequency brainwaves are more like a subtle high pitched flute. Like a symphony, the higher and lower frequencies link and cohere with each other through harmonics.
Our brainwaves change according to what we’re doing and feeling. When slower brainwaves are dominant we can feel tired, slow, sluggish, or dreamy. The higher frequencies are dominant when we feel wired, or hyper-alert.
Brainwave speed is measured in Hertz (cycles per second) and they are divided into bands delineating slow, moderate, and fast waves.
Delta Brainwaves
0.5 to 3 Hertz
Delta brainwaves are slow, loud brainwaves (low frequency and deeply penetrating, like a drum beat). They are generated in deepest meditation and dreamless sleep.
Delta waves suspend external awareness and are the source of empathy. Healing and regeneration are stimulated in this state, and that is why deep restorative sleep is so essential to the healing process.
Theta Brainwaves
3 to 8 HertzTheta brainwaves occur most often in sleep but are also dominant in deep meditation.
Theta is our gateway to learning, memory, and intuition.
In theta, our senses are withdrawn from the external world
and focused on signals originating from within. It is that twilight state which we normally only experience fleetingly as we wake or drift off to sleep. In theta we are in a dream; vivid imagery, intuition and information beyond our normal conscious awareness. It’s where we hold our ‘stuff’, our fears, troubled history, and nightmares.
Alpha Brainwaves
Alpha brainwaves (8 to 12Hz) are dominant during quietly flowing thoughts, and in some meditative states. Alpha is ‘the power of now’, being here, in the present. Alpha is the resting state for the brain. Alpha waves aid overall mental coordination, calmness, alertness, mind/body integration and learning.
Beta Brainwaves
12 to 38 Hertz
Beta brainwaves dominate our normal waking state of consciousness when attention is directed towards cognitive tasks and the outside world.
Beta is a "fast" activity, present when we are alert, attentive, engaged in problem solving, judgment, decision making, or focused mental activity.
Beta brainwaves are further divided into three bands; Lo-Beta (Beta1, 12-15Hz) can be thought of as a "fast idle", or musing. Beta (Beta2, 15-22Hz) is high engagement or actively figuring something out. Hi-Beta (Beta3, 22-38Hz) is highly complex thought, integrating new experiences,
high anxiety, or excitement. Continual high frequency processing is not a very efficient way to run the brain, as it takes a tremendous amount of energy.
Gamma Brainwaves
38 to 42 Hertz
Gamma brainwaves are the fastest of brain waves (high frequency, like a flute), and relate to simultaneous processing of information from different brain areas. Gamma brainwaves pass information rapidly and quietly. The most subtle of the brainwave frequencies, the mind has to be quiet to access gamma.
Gamma was dismissed as "spare brain noise" until researchers discovered it was highly active when in states of universal love, altruism, and the "higher virtues". Gamma is also above the frequency of neuronal firing, so how it is generated remains a mystery. It is speculated that gamma rhythms modulate perception and consciousness, and that a greater presence of gamma relates to expanded consciousness and spiritual emergence.
(https://brainworksneurotherapy.com/about/faq/what-are-brainwaves/)
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Brain functions electrical impulse are pretuned (to hertz valuea as addressed in reference M) to execute material and immaterial effects during consciousness and subsconsciousness.
These perspectives of brain functions suggest that they are a universal fixed set of body controling states that are not subject to individual function inclusion or exclusion in the brain, an all-or-none presence in all brains, and thus represent an ominpresent state of brain functions that are not altered by material actions, a grounding perspective for this blog's assessment of a supernatural thought source. (summarized in references U and V)
The brain, being an intricate organ, performs a lot of functions. The two sides of the brain communicate with one another to perform all vital bodily processes.
The brain’s two lateral halves also known as left hemisphere and right hemisphere have neurons/receptors which are used for various bodily functions. The left hemisphere of the brain is in-charge of the cognitive functions such as speech and language.
The right hemisphere of the brain is more on creativity and face recognition. Although the functions of the brain is divided based on its hemisphere, even a particular functions to be executed, it would still need the entire brain.
Detailed information about the functions and characteristics of the left brain.
It has the ability to understand the sum of any situation/look at things from.
It involves the movement of large muscles such as walking.
It plays an important role in maintaining balance.
It is responsible for non-verbal communications.
It can sense smell, taste, and sound.
It is responsible for emotional functions.
It regulates avoidance behavior.
It controls the immune system.
It is in charge of involuntary body functions like digestion, the beating of the heart, and breathing.
It is stimulated by new experiences.
It affects the person’s ability to pay attention to details.
Fine motor skills.
Convert sounds to language and translates meaning.
(https://human-memory.net/left-and-right-hemisphere-of-the-brain/)
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Neurons act as neurotransmitters that propagate electrical impulses in a network.
The nervous system is made up of neurons, the specialized cells that can receive and transmit chemical or electrical signals, and glia, the cells that provide support functions for the neurons....a neuron can be compared to an electrical wire: it transmit a signal from one place to another.
The electrical signals are action potentials, which transmit the information from one of a neuron to the other; the chemical signals are "neurotransmitters", which transmit the information from one neuron to the next.
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers which are released from one neuron as a result of an action potential; they cause a rapid, temporary change in the membrane potential of the adjacent neuron to initiate an action potential in that neuron.
...a single neuron does not act alone: neuronal communication depends on the connections that neurons make with one another (as well as with other cells,...200,000 other neurons.
(https://organismalbio.biosci.gatech.edu/)
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He and his colleagues first discovered individual nerve cells can fire off signals even in the absence of electrical stimulations in the cell body or dendrites...Then, when the neuron reaches a threshold, it fires off a long series of signals, or action potentials, even in the absence of stimuli.
(https://study buff.com/what-causes-a-neuron-to-fire/)
There are many spontaneously active neurons. This has been known for many years...There are multiple sources that could make a neuron spontaneously fire. In cortical culture of neurons where there is no external input into the system, neurons are spontaneously active,...
...even if you block synaptic transmissions, and some neurons do fire spontaneously.
(http://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/15252/does-a-neuron-ever-generate-an-action-potential-without-stimuli)
Neurons of the cerebullar nucleu fire spontaneos action potentials both with synaptic transmission blocked...
Many neurons fire regular, spontaneous, sodium-dependent action potentials, even in the absence of synaptic input.
(Linas and Sugimori, 1980; Williams et al., 1984; Jahnsen, 1986a; Grace and onn, 1989; Yung et at., 1991; duLac and Lisberger, 1995; Mouginot and Gahwiler, 1995; Uleshev et al., 1995; Bayliss et al., 1997).
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This figure depicts a neuron firing sequence with the last neuron having reached an energy level to fire to execute a thought.
The black colored neurons indicate a "resting" state.
Each neuron in the brain is "tuned" to propagate a specific brain function.
Thus, each neuron in the sequence "fires" at a lower voltage level, a lower "summation" state, than the final neuron' voltage level.
If an earlier neurob "fires" the thought, why is the last neural need to fire and propagate the thought?
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This figure expandes the question in the prior reference to a state of three differennt thoughts firing in the same brain.
This condition implies that all neurons in the brain's system are in some some state of a sequence ready to "fire", referred to as "multiple presynaptic neurons" in Reference P.
[prior]
Most neuroscience references previously addressed in thes blog treat "thoughts" as electrical impulses as neuron states [prior] and only general perspectives of "thought" location and storage and summarized as follows.
[text color supplied]
"Where Do Our Thoughts Come From?"(Ref A)
"What our brain receives and processes is not under our power" (Ref A)
"memories are encoded not in neurons, or small groupings of neurons, but in patterns of nerve impulses that crisscross the entire brain." (Ref B)
a single neuron does not act alone: neuronal communication depends on the connections that neurons make with one another (as well as with other cells,...200,000 other neurons.) (Ref N)
memories are not preserved in any particular part of the brain, like books lying on the shelves, but were rather spread out or distributed throughout the brain as a whole. (Ref B)
...the current widely held assumption that neurons operate by the linear summation of inputs reaching a threshold and then firing is incorrect. Recent studies show that neurons use multiple interacting non linear mechanisms to make the final decisions to fire. (Ref C)
Just as neurons in a brain are linked together to create patterns of thought. (Ref U)
This figure is intended to create a visual impression of neuroscience's perspective of neuron cluster basis of thoughts and their involved brain brain regions which are "essential for forming and storing" thoughts as summarized in the following references.
The red colored text in following references address the various states of thought processing associated with neuron clusters.
Distributed Memory Processing
Memory is not stored in a single location within the brain; instead, it is distributed across various regions. The hippocampus, for instance, is essential for forming and storing the overall experience, while the prefrontal cortex stores the individual details. This distributed nature of memory processing ensures that memories can be recalled efficiently through different pathways.
For example, the entorhinal-hippocampal pathway is crucial for forming and storing experiences, but the recall of these memories involves a different circuit that engages the prefrontal neurons. This separation between memory formation and recall pathways has significant implications for understanding and treating memory-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (memory pathways).
The Retrieval Process: Bringing Stored Memories Back to Life
Memory retrieval is the final stage in the memory formation process, where stored memories are accessed and brought back into conscious awareness. This process is crucial for learning, problem-solving, and everyday functioning. The retrieval of memories involves the reactivation of the neural pathways that were formed during the encoding and consolidation phases.
When you recall a memory, the brain replays the neural activity patterns that were created when the memory was first formed. This reactivation can be triggered by various cues, such as sensory stimuli, emotions, or even specific contexts. For instance, the smell of a particular food might trigger a memory of a family dinner, highlighting the powerful role of sensory inputs in memory retrieval.
The Role of Neuroplasticity in Retrieval
Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change and adapt, plays a crucial role in memory retrieval. As memories are retrieved, the associated neural pathways are reinforced and can be modified based on new experiences. This dynamic process ensures that memories are not static but can evolve over time.
For instance, the process of synaptic consolidation and systems consolidation continues to refine and strengthen memory traces even after initial encoding, making retrieval more efficient and accurate.
What is retrieval?
Retrieval is the stage of memory in which the information saved in memory is recalled, whether consciously or unconsciously. It follows the stages of encoding and storage. Retrieval includes both intentional remembering, as when one thinks back to a previous experience or tries to put a name to a face, and more passive recall, as when the meanings of well-known words or the notes of a song come effortlessly to mind.
What is a retrieval cue?
A retrieval cue is a stimulus that initiates remembering. Retrieval cues can be external, such as an image, text, a scent, or some other stimulus that relates to the memory. They can also be internal, such as a thought or sensation that is relevant to the memory. Cues can be encountered inadvertently or deliberately sought in the process of deliberately trying to remember something.
False and Distorted Memories
Memories have to be reconstructed in order to be used, and the piecing-together of details leaves plenty of room for inaccuracies—and even outright falsehoods—to contaminate the record. These errors reflect a memory system that is built to craft a useful account of past experience, not a perfect one. (For more, see False Memories.)
How do memories become distorted?
Memories may be rendered less accurate based on conditions when they are first formed, such as how much attention is paid during the experience. And the malleability of memories over time means internal and external factors can introduce errors. These may include a person’s knowledge and expectations about the world (used to fill in the blanks of a memory) and misleading suggestions by other people about what occurred.
How are false memories created?
False memories can be as simple as concluding that you were shown a word that you actually weren’t, but it may also include believing you experienced a dramatic event that you didn’t. People may produce such false recollections by unwittingly drawing on the details of actual, related experiences, or in some cases, as a response to another person’s detailed suggestions (perhaps involving some true details) about an imaginary event that is purported to be real.
[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/memory/how-memory-works?msockid]
The Intricate Process of Memory Storage
Memory storage in the brain isn’t just about keeping facts or experiences locked away. It’s a dynamic process that involves several key steps: encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. Each of these steps relies on the brain’s ability to form and modify connections between neurons, the nerve cells that make up our nervous system.
Encoding is the first step where sensory input—what we see, hear, touch, or feel—is transformed into a format the brain can understand. This process occurs mainly in the hippocampus and surrounding areas of the brain’s temporal lobe. Once encoded, memories don’t instantly become permanent. Instead, they undergo consolidation—a process that strengthens these encoded traces over time, making them more stable and resistant to interference.
Consolidation often involves transferring memories from short-term storage in the hippocampus to long-term storage in various regions of the cerebral cortex. This transfer can take hours to days and is influenced by sleep, repetition, and emotional significance. Finally, retrieval allows us to access stored memories when needed by reactivating the neural pathways formed during encoding and consolidation.
Neurons: The Building Blocks of Memory
At the heart of memory storage lies neurons communicating through synapses—the tiny gaps between cells where chemical signals are exchanged. When you learn something new or experience an event, specific neurons fire together in patterns unique to that memory.
This firing strengthens synaptic connections in a phenomenon known as synaptic plasticity. One famous form of this plasticity is long-term potentiation (LTP), where repeated stimulation increases the efficiency of signal transmission between neurons. Think of it as carving a deeper path in a forest; the more you walk it, the clearer and easier it becomes to follow.
On a molecular level, LTP involves changes such as increased receptor sensitivity on post-synaptic neurons and growth of new synaptic connections. These changes underpin how memories become more durable over time.
Memory Storage Locations in The Brain
The brain doesn’t keep all memories in one spot; instead, it distributes them across specialized regions depending on their nature.
Consolidation often involves transferring memories from short-term storage in the hippocampus to long-term storage in various regions of the cerebral cortex. This transfer can take hours to days and is influenced by sleep, repetition, and emotional significance. Finally, retrieval allows us to access stored memories when needed by reactivating the neural pathways formed during encoding and consolidation.
Neurons: The Building Blocks of Memory
At the heart of memory storage lies neurons communicating through synapses—the tiny gaps between cells where chemical signals are exchanged. When you learn something new or experience an event, specific neurons fire together in patterns unique to that memory.
This firing strengthens synaptic connections in a phenomenon known as synaptic plasticity. One famous form of this plasticity is long-term potentiation (LTP), where repeated stimulation increases the efficiency of signal transmission between neurons. Think of it as carving a deeper path in a forest; the more you walk it, the clearer and easier it becomes to follow.
[https://snuggymom.com/how-does-the-brain-store-memories]
Building Memories: The Neural Processes
The formation of memories involves physical changes at a cellular level. The fundamental units are neurons, or nerve cells, and the connections between them, called synapses. The brain’s ability to remodel these connections based on experience is known as synaptic plasticity. This process is where connections that are frequently used become stronger, while those used less often may weaken.
[https://biologyinsights.com/memory-circuits-how-the-brain-forms-and-stores-memories]
This figure is intended to create a visual of neuroscience’s perspective of neuron “memory” complements involving brain lobes which are “essential for forming and storing” thoughts as summarized in the following references.
Retrieval in these references is the term applied to the process of converting a "stored" memory's electrical wave function to a different electrical wave function.
Retrieval is activated by an "internal" or "external" que that specifies the memory, the cluster of neurons, to be altered.
The references use of "memory" requires an interpretation:
Retrieval may consist of "clusters" with complete neuron replacement of the initial cluster as illustrated in Figure B, or replacement of only part of an initial neuron "cluster" as illustrated in Figure A.
This blog extends the retrieval process to include "mechanism"---"how" the process is managed.
In short, how does one electrical impulse change the electricaL impuLse of another eleectrical impulse?
This blog proposes that the electrical impulse are manipulated inbrain by a supernatural Agent in "cognition" state (adddressed in Reference S) by superposing the electrical impulses (addressed in Reference R) from an omnipresent "flow" of electrical impulses (addressed in References U and V).
[prior]
This reference extendes the neuron "firing" problem to its achievement by it's "summation" by accumulation of voltage level from from prior neurons in the sequence.
The question in this perspective: neurons are neorotransmitters of electrical impulses, not objects that add voltage to the electrical impulse being propagated.
[Pertinent Abstracts From The Publication][Highlighted Text Supplied]
Summation: How Neurons Decide to Fire
Article Overview:
Summation is a fundamental process that neurons use to integrate multiple signals and decide whether to fire an action potential. Temporal summation builds up signals over time, while spatial summation adds up simultaneous inputs from multiple presynaptic neurons.
Neurons are the building blocks of the brain, responsible for transmitting signals that allow us to think, feel, and move. But have you ever wondered how neurons decide whether or not to send an electrical impulse, known as an action potential?
This process is called summation, and it’s one of the most critical concepts in neuroscience. In this blog, we’ll explore how neurons weigh incoming signals and “decide” whether to fire an action potential.
The Role of Excitatory and Inhibitory Inputs
Neurons don’t make decisions in isolation. Each neuron receives thousands of inputs from other neurons through connections called synapses. These inputs can either excite or inhibit the neuron, affecting its likelihood of firing an action potential.
Excitatory Inputs: Excitatory neurotransmitters trigger excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs), which depolarize the neuron’s membrane and bring it closer to the firing threshold.
Inhibitory Inputs: Inhibitory neurotransmitters produce inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs), which hyperpolarize the membrane, making it less likely to reach the threshold and fire.
Imagine a neuron as a balance scale, with EPSPs and IPSPs pulling it in opposite directions. The neuron will only fire if the combined effect of these inputs reaches the critical threshold.
... A single neuron can receive inputs from as many as 10,000 other neurons!
Summation is the process by which neurons add up all incoming EPSPs and IPSPs to determine whether they will fire an action potential. There are two main types of summation: temporal summation and spatial summation.
Temporal Summation: Timing is Everything
Temporal summation occurs when a single presynaptic neuron fires multiple action potentials in quick succession. Each action potential releases neurotransmitters, creating EPSPs or IPSPs in the postsynaptic neuron. If these signals arrive fast enough, they stack up or “summate,” pushing the neuron closer to the threshold.
In cases of EPSPs, repeated depolarizations from rapid-fire signals can add up to reach the threshold, causing the neuron to fire. For IPSPs, repeated signals can hyperpolarize the membrane, making it even less likely to fire.
Spatial Summation: Strength in Numbers
Spatial summation involves multiple presynaptic neurons sending signals to the same postsynaptic neuron at the same time. .
If enough excitatory inputs arrive simultaneously, their combined effect can depolarize the membrane and reach the threshold, resulting in an action potential. Conversely, if inhibitory inputs outweigh excitatory ones, the neuron will hyperpolarize, preventing it from firing.
...Spatial summation can involve hundreds or even thousands of presynaptic neurons at once!
The Decision to Fire an Action Potential
Ultimately, whether a neuron fires an action potential depends on the combined effect of temporal and spatial summation. Neurons are constantly integrating incoming signals from multiple presynaptic neurons, and only if the net effect reaches the threshold will an action potential occur.
(https://kingofthecurve.org/blog/summation-how-neurons-decide-to-fire)
prior
This reference's perspective of nuron "firing" involves a single "pattern" detected by the material senses in the out-of-brain world and compared to a comparative "pattern" previously stored in the brain, referred to as "Content Addressable Memory".
These questions are relatively obvious.
The five senses only detect material "patterns" but not immaterial electrical impulses.
What constitutes the detected "pattern".
The "comparative patterns" are not permanently stored in the btain.
What process performs the "association".
And critically: Where and how does the process detect immaterial states, the common featire of brain waves?
A content-addressable memory is a type of memory that allows for the recall of data based on the degree of similarity between the input pattern and the patterns stored in memory. It refers to a memory organization in which the memory is accessed by its content as opposed to an explicit address like in the traditional computer memory system. Therefore, this type of memory allows the recall of information based on partial knowledge of its contents.
Suppose we are given a memory of names of several people as shown in the figure below. If the given memory is content-addressable, using the erroneous string "Crhistpher Columbos" as key is sufficient to retrieve the correct name "Christopher Colombus." In this sense, this type of memory is robust and fault-tolerant, as this type of memory exhibits some form of error-correction capability.
An associative memory is a content-addressable structure that maps specific input representations to specific output representations. It is a system that “associates” two patterns (X,Y) such that when one is encountered, the other can be recalled.
Associative memory is a depository of associated pattern in some form. If the depository is triggered with a pattern, the associated pattern pair appear at the output. The input could be an exact or partial representation of a stored pattern.
(Associative Neural Network - ResearchGate)
It is also known as associative memory or associative storage and compares input search data against a table of data, and returns the address of matching data [a thought].
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content-addressable_memory)
Associative memory is one type of neural network model for human memory. The network stores input–output pattern pairs to recall a stored output pattern when a noisy or incomplete version of a stored input pattern paired with it is presented [[a thought]].
(https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/)
An associative memory is a content-addressable structure that maps specific input representations to specific output representations. It is a system that “associates” two patterns (X, Y) such that when one is encountered, the other can be recalled.
(https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/bionb330/readings/)
This reference is an elaboration of the storage problem performed by the five material senses.
Problems involved with this processes are beyond this blog's intent but several are pertinent.
The process is conducted in a physical "medium"
Assembly of the "entire brain-wide distribution" of the Patterns" is not addressed.
Holonomic brain theory, also known as The Holographic Brain, is a branch of neuroscience investigating the idea that human consciousness is formed by quantum effects in or between brain cells.
This is opposed by traditional neuroscience, which investigates the brain's behavior by looking at patterns of neurons and the surrounding chemistry, and which assumes that any quantum effects will not be significant at this scale.
A hologram is made by superimposing a second wavefront (normally called the reference beam on the wavefront of interest, thereby generating an interference pattern which is recorded on a physical medium. When only the second wavefront illuminates the interference pattern, it is diffracted to recreate the original wavefront.
(http://www.hologram.net/theory/theory.htm)
A main characteristic of a hologram is that every part of the stored information is distributed over the entire hologram....Both processes of storage and retrieval are carried out in a way described by Fourier transformation equations....As long as a part of the hologram is large enough to contain the interference pattern, that part can recreate the entirety of the stored image, but the image may have unwanted changes, called noise.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holonomic_brain_theory)
[prior]
The continuation references suggest science's quest for a "material" state for the currently unanswered question of where thoughts originate. [link]
The electrical impulse of the new thought must be "tuned" before the superposition action to a frequency that is compatable with the frequency of the in-brain thought in order to alter its original function, as addressed Reference K.
As addressed in Reference M, the "tuning" is proposed to have occurred before the superposition by a supernatural source addressed as a "Cosmic Mind" in References U and V.
The "WORD" addresses superposition as: (emphasis supplied)
What happens when two waves with different frequencies superpose?
When two waves with different frequencies superpose, they create a complex wave pattern known as beat frequency.
When two waves of different frequencies interact, the phenomenon of superposition occurs. This is a fundamental concept in wave mechanics, which states that the total displacement of the medium at any point is the vector sum of the displacements of the individual waves. In simpler terms, when two waves meet, they add together. Understanding the superposition principle is crucial for grasping how these interactions work.
However, when these waves have different frequencies, the superposition results in a more complex wave pattern. This is because the peaks and troughs of the two waves do not always align, causing constructive and destructive interference at different points. Constructive interference occurs when the peaks of the two waves align, resulting in a larger amplitude, while destructive interference occurs when a peak of one wave aligns with a trough of the other, resulting in a smaller amplitude or even cancellation of the waves. The concepts of types of waves and their characteristics can further explain why these phenomena occur.
This varying interference creates a pattern known as 'beats'. The beat frequency, which is the frequency of the amplitude variations, is equal to the absolute difference between the frequencies of the two superposing waves. For example, if two waves with frequencies of 100 Hz and 102 Hz superposition, the beat frequency would be 2 Hz. This means that the amplitude of the resulting wave would increase and decrease twice per second. The formation of such patterns can be better understood through the study of wavefronts and rays, which depict how waves travel and interact in space.
This phenomenon of beats is not only theoretical but has practical applications in various fields. For instance, in music, beats can be used to tune instruments. By playing two notes with slightly different frequencies, musicians can hear the beats and adjust the frequencies until the beats disappear, indicating that the notes are in tune. Similarly, in radio transmission, beats can be used to modulate signals, allowing for the transmission of information.
In conclusion, the superposition of two waves with different frequencies results in a complex wave pattern with a beat frequency. This beat frequency, which is the absolute difference between the frequencies of the two waves, is a result of the varying constructive and destructive interference of the waves. The interaction of waves and the creation of nodes and antinodes are key to understanding the complexities of wave interference and the resultant patterns observed.
(https://www.tutorchase.com/answers/ib/physics/what-happens-when-two-waves-with-different-frequencies-superposition)
[prior]
This reference describes cognition as a mental action or process of acquiring knowledge or understanding, the process executed in a subsconsciousness dreaming state by the access of immaterial electrical impulses from a supernatural deity, as in references H,I, and J, designated as a Supernatural Agent, proposed herein to be the HOLY SPIRIT.
The following abstracts from the referenced publication (Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeley https://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts) are detailed but incorporate states on which the foregoing summary is based .
"...dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences..."
[link].
"...dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts..."
[link].
"...These dream based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems...and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life..."
[link].
"...We present a theory of the creativity of dreams...with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions..."
[link].
"...hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns..."
[link].
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts..."
[link].
"...We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation..."
[link].
"...dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values..."
[link].
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparisonbetween intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions..."
[link].
"...the cognitive foundations of agency...lend themselves to attributions of special powers to "special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning..."
[link].
..The brain is not an isolated organ; every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming..."
[link].
[prior]
The primary purpose of this figure is to graphically emphasise the shift from the "one-neuron-per-feature+ in a superpose to "each neuron contributing to many features, and each feature is spread across many neurons". . The reference refers to this as "Mechanistic interpretability". [link]
The "proposed model" section illustrates this as six "thought states" (six electrical impulse segments) (the box to the left of the summation oval) that are combined in the summation oval and supperposed on another thought---referred to in the "Introduction" box as a "quantum comparison".
Presumably, the six thought states are requireed to reach "summation" (a superposition) simultaneously for the thought to be activated (fired). The mechanism, the quantum comparison, to execute this was not addressed.
The "Abstract" box states "We showed that unknown and random behavior of neuronal spikes through time can be described by this quantum fact that a neuron can be in many states at a same time, therefore any spike patterns or combination of spike patterns can be understandable. Based on neuronal spikes patterns, sometimes we observed an unknown pattern can be explained by this phenomena that a neuron can exist partially in axxxWhy a neuron can produce different types of spikes under same conditions.
The model does not describe how the impulse segments (segments of a brain function as addressed in References M and Ma) were selected , nor how superposing an in-mind electrical impulse with another in-mind electrical impulse, referred to as Mechanistic Interpretability, can produce a new thought [link] ---picture a specific brain function in the Reference K figure as electrical impulse segments to be superposed with each other to activate one of the brain functions, for example activating a "Rational Thought" as addressed in Reference Ma.
The model appears, at some stage in the superposition process, to propose that the thought "electrical impulse segments" are permanently stored in the brain's system of neurons, a perspective contrary to neuroscience observations, and as such is a circumstance that aligns with the omnipresent supernatural "flow-through of thoughts" perspective addressed in Refrerences T and U.
[prior]
This reference further elabrates on the multistates of neurons.
Mechanistic interpretability—the study of how neural networks internally represent and compute—seeks to illuminate the opaque transformations learned by modern models. At the heart of this pursuit lies a deceptively simple question: what does a neuron mean? Early efforts hoped that neurons, particularly in deeper layers, might correspond to human-interpretable concepts: edges in images, parts of faces, topics in language. But as interpretability research matured, it became clear that many neurons stubbornly resisted such neat categorization. A single neuron might activate for multiple, seemingly unrelated inputs. This phenomenon of polysemanticity complicates efforts to reverse-engineer networks and has led to a key theoretical insight: the superposition hypothesis. The superposition hypothesis proposes that neural networks are not built around one-neuron-per-feature mappings, but rather represent features as directions in high-dimensional activation spaces. Each neuron contributes to many features, and each feature is spread across many neurons. This leads to overlapping, linearly superimposed representations. Superposition, in this view, is not a flaw or an accident. It is a natural consequence of attempting to store more features than there are neurons to represent them. Neural networks, constrained by finite width and encouraged by sparsity in data, adopt a compressed representation strategy in which meaning is woven through a shared vector space. This hypothesis explains why neurons are often polysemantic and why interpretability must evolve beyond a neuron-centric view. (https://thesequence.substack.com/p/the-sequence-opinion-667-the-superposition)
[prior]
This reference makes a clear distinction between the two electrical impulses in a superposition event.
One principle perspective holds that the "self" useses its own means to determine the medntal state of the :other:.
The alterrnative proposes that the "other" thoughts are developed by the "self" "learning process"--the two "selfs" contrasted against and related to each other.
Regardless of the operational differences in these two concepts, both are based on humman states of thought.
The "agent" that activates the superposition, the "process of learning", is not defined.
The summary statement a "self pre-exists","a pre-existing frame (a self) is filled with contents from the beginning" is a condition in which a supernatural "frame" and its superpose executing cannot be arbitrarly refuted.
The problem of other minds has puzzled philosophers and scientists for centuries. Since the twentieth century, studies on this problem have been based on two dominant theories: theory-theory (TT)1,2,3 and simulation theory (ST)4,5,6. Theorists of TT argue that understanding or “mindreading” of others is achieved through naïve-psychological (or “folk-psychological”) conceptual schemes that agents use to understand other agents’ unobservable mental states. In contrast, theorists of ST claim that in order for agents to understand the mental states of others, they need a kind of mental simulation in which the agents use their own mental states to infer the corresponding mental states of others. Based on these ideas, neuroscientists have attempted to uncover the brain processes related to other minds from the perspectives of TT and ST7,8,9,10. However, one important point seems to be missing from these theories. Both presuppose that “self” and “other” are pre-given as two different frames. Based on this presupposition, they attempt to clarify how the self can make inferences about other minds using only the resources available within the self. However, do we have pre-given frames of self and others from the beginning of our experience as newborns? It is even possible in adult social cognition that information about self and others is not always processed separately based on the separate frames of “self” and “other” given in advance. For example, de Bézenac et al. argue that ambiguity in self-other processing plays an important role in the adaptive, flexible, and healthy sense of self in children and adults11.
There are some researchers who challenge the standard view of TT and ST and argue against their individualist and mentalizing explanations of social cognition. These researchers are proponents of interaction theory (IT)12,13,14,15,16, which claims that interactions between agents play a fundamental role in human development and sociality. They criticize the view that human agents unilaterally observe other agents and make inferences about others’ mental states using their own internal resources, such as theories of mind and simulation mechanisms. We believe that this is an important theoretical advance. However, interaction theorists do not (at least explicitly) relativize the assumption that there are pre-given frames that are recognized as self and other. They stress that mutual interactions play a constitutive role in social cognition from the beginning of human life but do not seem to be attempting to demolish the pre-existing concepts of “self” and “other.” We question this remaining assumption. It is more natural to assume that the contrasting concepts of “self” and “other” can be obtained only in a process of learning. In other words, we can assume that a human agent does not have the concepts of self and other from the beginning of its existence; rather, they are acquired through the process of learning by gradually being contrasted against and related to each other.
In summary, the standard views (TT and ST) assume that the self pre-exists and acquires representations of others step by step using theories of mind or simulations. This can be illustrated as follows: a pre-existing frame (a self) is filled with contents from the beginning, and the self uses its own resources to fill the content of another empty frame (the other) .... Some researchers, namely, interaction theorists, oppose this view and claim that there are mutual relationships between the self and others right from the outset and that these frames (self and other) are simultaneously filled with contents through interaction in the development process.... We do not enter into the debates between TT, ST, and IT in this paper. However, we would like to point out that none of these theories explicitly questions the pre-existing concepts of self and others. We assume that there are no pre-existing frames of self and other and that these concepts themselves are acquired through learning.... From the viewpoint of an agent, the concepts of self and other are acquired in one and the same process of experience, starting from a situation where there is neither self nor other.
(https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06717-3---Superposition mechanism as a neural basis for understanding others)
[continue]
[prior]
This figure depicts electrical impulses propagated out of the brain in a consciousness state, althought executed brain-to-brain, are not contained brain-to-brain, but are universally propagated.
Electronics of brain waves outside the body
Many people question the existence of brain waves and say that electrical impulses in the brain don't ever get outside the body. Electrical impulses are well known to travel inside the brain and to the rest of the nervous system. But brain waves not only play an important role inside the human body, their energy can be used to make wonders outside the body as well for controlling electronic devices/displays, telekinesis, hypnotism, etc.
The energy of brain waves (as wave function) in the open will also suffer different energy losses like attenuation, absorption, dispersion and scattering, and so energy of the waves will decrease fast with distance and time. However, with strong concentration/meditation to generate brain waves of required energy level, one can perform the activities mentioned below.
Telekinesis
It is one of the bases of many super powers in human beings, which is often used for controlling/manipulating of matter. Telekinesis is a general term for any ability that involves using the mind to influence/manipulate/move matter or objects. Further, it may evolve to the point where it can control anything at a subatomic particle to universal level.
Telepathy
The electrical nature of the brain allows sending and receiving of brain waves as electrical pulses. These can be delivered in a non-invasive way using a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Using a combination of technologies like EEG, the Internet and TMS, researchers are able to transmit a thought over a very large distance, such as from India to France.
Brain-computer interface
Recent advances in brain-computer interface are turning the science fantasy of transmitting thoughts directly from one brain to another into reality. In this field, brain-to-brain interfaces allow direct transmission of brain activity in real time by coupling the brains of two individuals. Users want to control electronic devices through brain waves without use of even hands, which brain-computer interface is now enabling.
Hypnosis
It is based on the use of brain waves for guided relaxation, intense concentration and focused attention, to achieve a heightened state of awareness that is sometimes called a spell. During hypnotic spell, a person’s attention is so focused that anything going around the person is temporarily blocked out or ignored.
Working of our brain cells, or neurons, using electrical signals to communicate and coordinate for higher brain function as well as brain influence outside the brain itself are the biggest questions in all of science. Recently, researchers have been able to design an electronic chip capable of performing high-sensitivity intracellular recording involving thousands of connected neurons simultaneously, identifying hundreds of synaptic connections of brain. With such developments in science and technology, may be in near future, we will be able to understand more about the electronics of brain and brain waves.
(https://www.electronicsforu.com/technology-trends/must-read/putting-electronics-brain-waves)
Electroencephalographic hyperscanning was used to investigate interbrain synchronization patterns in dyads of participants interacting through speech. Results show that brain oscillations are synchronized between listener and speaker during oral narratives. This interpersonal synchronization is mediated in part by a lower-level sensory mechanism of speech-to-brain synchronization, but also by the interactive process that takes place in the situation per se.
These results demonstrate the existence of brain-to-brain entrainment which is not merely an epiphenomenon of auditory processing, during listening to one speaker. The study highlights the validity of the two-person neuroscience framework for understanding induced brain activity, and suggests that verbal information exchange cannot be fully understood by examining the listener’s or speaker’s brain activity in isolation.
(https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-04464-4)
[prior]
These two Biblical phrases are sufficient as supernatural examples of the foregoing "scientific" out-of-body electrical impulse propagation.
"Jesus knew what they were thinking" (Luke 5:22-26)
"But say the word, and my servant will be healed." (Mar, 5:22)
[prior]
This figure depicts electrical impulses propagated out of the brain in a subsconsciousness state as addressed in the cognition references.
This concept, in association with Reference V [here], of the omnipresent flow of functionally complete thoughts is proposed to be the source of neuron-set assembly as addressed in Reference P.
A Cosmic Mind
Imagine the universe not as a collection of isolated, random events, but as a vast, interconnected organism — a living, breathing brain. We, as individuals, are mere extensions of this cosmic brain, much like the neurons in a nervous system. We exist to communicate, learn, and evolve, all while feeding information back into the greater system. Every birth is a new synapse firing; every death is a synapse passing away. The universe, in this view, is one giant, living mind, constantly learning from its own experiences.
This metaphor might seem abstract, but it is a concept that can help us understand the vastness of existence, and also the connectedness of every living being. In fact, the movie Cloud Atlas presents a fascinating exploration of this idea, highlighting how our actions echo throughout time and space, shaping not only our own lives but the world as a whole.
The Universe as a Nervous System: A Collective Consciousness
The idea that the universe operates like a brain is not a new one. Philosophers, mystics, and scientists alike have pondered whether all of existence is interconnected and whether we, as humans, are merely individual threads in a larger web.
The concept of panpsychism, which suggests that everything in the universe has some form of consciousness or awareness, aligns closely with this idea. According to panpsychism, even non-living things may have a level of sentience. If we think of the universe as a brain, every element within it, from the smallest particle to the grandest galaxy, might be viewed as part of a neural network. Every living being, every star, every planet plays a role in transmitting information through this system, helping the universe learn, adapt, and evolve.
Like neurons firing in the brain, we are all individuals transmitting signals back and forth to each other. Our thoughts, actions, and experiences send waves of information through the system, contributing to the collective knowledge of the universe.
The Cycle of Life: Birth and Death as Synapses Firing and Fading
One of the most compelling aspects of this metaphor is the idea that death and birth are part of an endless cycle that feeds the growth of the cosmic brain. In this framework, death is not an end but a transformation, a way for the system to reset and reconfigure itself. Much like a synapse firing and then dying in a brain’s neural network, our own lives come and go, yet the information we have gathered and shared remains within the greater consciousness of the universe.
In Cloud Atlas, the characters experience repeated cycles of life and death, with their souls reincarnating through different times and spaces. Each life, no matter how seemingly insignificant, impacts the larger narrative of existence, leaving behind traces of wisdom, knowledge, and experience. This reflects the way in which the universe’s “brain” continues to grow, adapt, and change as new information is added with every soul that is born and every life that ends.
We may never fully comprehend the grand design of the universe, but the concept of life and death as part of an ongoing learning process makes sense when viewed through the lens of interconnectedness. Every individual contributes to the cosmic brain, helping it evolve into a higher form of consciousness, all while teaching and learning from each other in a continuous loop.
The Echoes of Cloud Atlas: Reincarnation of the Soul and the Cosmic Web
The film Cloud Atlas, directed by Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, and Lilly Wachowski, beautifully illustrates the concept of interconnectedness over time. The movie spans multiple centuries, with characters’ actions in one life affecting those in future lives. The idea that our lives echo through time and that we, as individuals, are all part of a larger narrative fits well into the notion of the universe as a giant brain.
Just as neurons in a brain are linked together to create patterns of thought, each individual life in Cloud Atlas is part of a larger, cosmic storyline. The movie illustrates that every action we take, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, reverberates across time and space. The souls of the characters are reincarnated again and again, contributing to the ongoing learning process of the universe.
In the same way, we as individuals are part of a broader cosmic mind. The experiences we have, the relationships we form, and the lessons we learn are all part of a grand, evolving process that contributes to the overall growth of the universe’s consciousness. We may not remember our past lives or be able to see the direct effects of our actions on the future, but in a universe that functions like a brain, every action we take adds information to the system, helping it evolve.
Learning and Teaching: The Role of Every Individual
In this cosmic brain, every individual is both a learner and a teacher. We learn from the world around us, taking in information from our experiences, relationships, and environment. We then transmit this information to others, whether through words, actions, or influence. Just as the brain receives input and sends out output, we share knowledge and wisdom with others, helping them grow as they help us grow in turn.
This reciprocal exchange is essential for the universe to evolve. The more we learn and teach, the more the cosmic brain expands. Every new thought, every new discovery, every new invention, and every new relationship is a step forward for the universe, helping it become more intelligent, more aware, and more connected.
The Greater Connection: How Our Individual Lives Matter
This idea raises an important question: What role do we, as individuals, play in this vast cosmic brain? Are our lives just a small part of something much greater, or do we have the power to influence the whole?
The answer lies in understanding that every life matters, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant. Each person’s actions, thoughts, and experiences contribute to the collective consciousness, just as each neuron in the brain plays a role in the overall functioning of the mind. Even though we may not be able to see the direct impact of our actions on the larger system, we are still part of the ongoing evolution of the universe.
By understanding ourselves as extensions of the cosmic brain, we can better appreciate the interconnectedness of all things. Our lives are not isolated; we are part of a much larger web of existence, and every thought, word, and action matters.
Conclusion: Embracing Our Role in the Cosmic Brain
The concept of the universe as a giant brain offers a fascinating and thought-provoking lens through which to view existence. We are not isolated beings, but rather extensions of a greater mind, constantly learning, teaching, and evolving. Birth and death are merely the cycles of the brain’s synapses firing and fading, each contributing to the ever-expanding consciousness of the universe.
In the movie Cloud Atlas, the characters’ lives span time and space, illustrating how our actions can echo through eternity. We, too, are part of this vast, interconnected web. As we learn, grow, and contribute to the collective knowledge of the universe, we become an integral part of the cosmic brain, helping it evolve toward a higher state of awareness.
We may not fully understand the grand design of the universe, but by embracing our role in it, we can appreciate the profound interconnectedness of all things.
(https://medium.com/@theparnoidoracle/the-universe-as-a-brain-we-are-all-extensions-of-a-greater-mind-8192f365dd64)
[prior]
The One Universal Mind is said to be the first manifestation (or emanation) of The Absolute, also known as The One, The All or God. Now, the first attribute of the Absolute is that it is Omnipresent, meaning that it is All-Present. As the Mind of The Absolute, it follows that the One Universal Mind is also absolute in nature and Omnipresent.
Being absolute and omnipresent means that the One Universal Mind is present everywhere, at the same time and at every point in Its entirety. In turn, this means that not just one part of Universal Mind is present within you, while another part is present within someone else, and yet another somewhere else. If this were the case, then the One Universal Mind would be relative not absolute and it wouldn’t be omnipresent or all-present either.
...the nature of the One Universal Mind beyond being Omnipresent. The other attributes of The Absolute or The One is that It is Omniscient, meaning All-Knowing, Omnipotent, meaning All-Powerful and Omnificent, meaning All-Creative.
...the attributes of the One Universal Mind are present within you at all times in their potential form whether you recognise it or not. .... Knowing your True Self means to know that you are one with The Absolute. It means to know that your mind is one with the Divine Universal Mind.
By identifying with your superconscious mind and directing the creative power of your subconscious mind by way of what you choose to think, assume, believe and imagine, you begin to align yourself with the Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnificence of the One Universal Mind.
...the attribute of the Omnificence or All-Creative aspect of Universal Mind. It tells us that the One Universal Mind is the creative force behind the manifested universe. It is what animates all things and gives rise to all life or reality as we experience it. Going back to the Greek philosopher Anaxagoras, we come to the same conclusion that he did 2,500 years ago, which is that Mind is the ultimate reality and that all other things, including the material objects we see and touch, are mere reflections, emanations or projections of this fundamental principle.
And since there is only One Mind, what you think, Universal Mind thinks. What you imagine, Universal Mind imagines. What you desire, Universal Mind desires. It can be no other way because there is only One Mind. And so it is that what you believe, assume or persistently imagine, is manifested or projected in form through the creative aspect of Universal Consciousness that is the One Universal Mind; that is one and the same with your mind.
Reality as a Dream of The Absolute
... given the mental nature of the Universe—that ALL is MIND—physical reality can be said to be akin to a dream of Universal Mind. In the same way that a dream is a projection of consciousness of the dreamer yet feels very real, three-dimensional, and physical to the dream protagonist in the dream. And since Universal Mind is the Mind of The Absolute or God, it stands to reason that the manifested Universe is akin to a dream of The Absolute or God.
...absolute nature of Universal Mind means that your consciousness is one and the same with Universal Consciousness in Its entirety. Since there is only One Consciousness that is one and the same with your consciousness,...
...since reality is akin to a dream of The Absolute or God, and your True Self is a Divine Spark of The Absolute created in Its image, then your reality is akin to a dream of your True Self. The dreamer is not the physical you that is in the dream.
...The degree to which you can intentionally manifest what you imagine is directly correlated to the degree to which you are aware of your oneness with the One Universal Mind, or else, the Divinity of your True Self as a Divine Spark of The Absolute.
In a nutshell, there is One Universal Mind, which is the single Universal Consciousness pervading the entire Universe. As the mind of The Absolute, It is All-Knowing, All-Powerful and All-Creative, and It is present everywhere at the same time in Its entirety. Your mind or consciousness is not just part of the One Universal Mind in the sense that one part is in you, and another part is in someone else. Rather, your consciousness is Universal Consciousness in Its entirety. Your mind is Universal Mind in Its entirety.
(https://www.mind-your-reality.com/universal-mind.html)
These dream-based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems according to rules of Lleweelyn’s ancient art of memory model and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life.
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions.
We suggest that
dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences
[return]
with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison
between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions: if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process. The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming. Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)
These dream-based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems according to rules of Lleweelyn’s ancient art of memory model and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life.
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions. We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because
dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
[return]
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison
between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions: if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process. The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming. Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)
These dream-based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems according to rules of Lleweelyn’s ancient art of memory model and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life.
[return]
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions. We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison
between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions: if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process. The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming. Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)
These dream-based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems according to rules of Lleweelyn’s ancient art of memory model and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life.
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions.
[return]
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison
between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions: if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process. The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming. Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)
These dream-based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems according to rules of Lleweelyn’s ancient art of memory model and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life.
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions.
[return]
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison
between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions: if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process. The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming. Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)
These dream-based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems according to rules of Lleweelyn’s ancient art of memory model and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life.
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
[return]
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison
between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions: if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process. The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming. Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions. We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts.
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation
[return]
practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison
between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions: if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process. The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming. Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)
These dream-based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems according to rules of Lleweelyn’s ancient art of memory model and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life.
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions. We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation
practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that
dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values
[return]
provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison
between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions: if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process. The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming. Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)
These dream-based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems according to rules of Lleweelyn’s ancient art of memory model and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life.
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions. We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions:
[return]
if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process. The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming. Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)
These dream-based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems according to rules of Lleweelyn’s ancient art of memory model and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life.
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions. We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison
between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions: if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and
the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning
[return]
and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process. The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming. Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)
These dream-based SAs are salient characters that are processed in sleep-related memory systems according to rules of Lleweelyn’s ancient art of memory model and therefore more easily remembered and reflected upon during waking life.
We present a theory of the creativity of dreams as well as psychopathology of religious delusions with respect to production of fundamental forms of religious cognition—specifically supernatural agent (SA)cognitions. We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts:
The characters populating these dreams can be described, in the language of the cognitive science of religion, as supernatural agents (SAs) non-human entities with autonomous powers and intentions. Their bodies may not be clearly seen, but they do have minds and they frequently have unusual powers far beyond the capabilities of ordinary agents
More specifically, these SAs can be characterized as “minimally counterintuitive.” “Counterintuitive (CI)” means their unusual abilities violate our intuitive assumptions about what normal agents can and cannot do. They are “minimally” CI because they violate some of our intuitive assumptions, but not all of them. They are just CI enough to draw attention and arouse curiosity without overwhelming comprehension,...
The notion of “minimally counterintuitive” SAs is intended to designate a cognitively optimal set of features that give god concepts a strong, innately compelling appeal to the human mind.
In this paper we present evidence in favor of the hypothesis that supernatural agent cognitions are significantly influenced by nightly dream content patterns.
We conclude with a presentation of a theory as to how dream cognitions generate SA cognitions.
Dreams have therefore played a major role in the historical evolution of religions.
We have seen that dreams likely played a role in creation of religious consciousness at the dawn of the human adventure. They have continued to play a role in religious consciousness ever since... All the world’s religious traditions have pointed to dreams as spiritual events of extreme importance in the transformation of the self and with respect to communication with the spirit world.
We now present a theory as to how dreams act as a source for religious cognitions.
We suggest that dream cognitions are particularly efficient at producing highly memorable and impactful experiences with SAs because dreams involve three processes that are prerequisites for the generation of god concepts
...mental simulations of alternative worlds or of ultimate realities can be either oriented to the past, in which case they are counterfactuals, or they can be oriented toward the future, in which case they are examples of prospection.
Thus dreams satisfy one of the main requirements that many theories of religious cognition demand for thinking about SAs, namely the capacity to generate ToM attributions. But we believe that the generation of SAs requires more than mental simulation of possible worlds and/or the capacity to do ToM attributions. To ascribe religious significance to a super-natural being in a dream or wake state I need to do more than to simply cognize or realize that that being has a mind like mind, I also have to reverence or fear (or both) that being; I have to in short impute value or significance to that being.
For most human beings throughout history reading the god’s minds all things was not a primary goal. Rather it was establishing a relationship with the god that mattered because that god represented power and one’s highest values. For most human beings gods demand worship or reverence and often fear. Human being cannot be in the presence of a thing of immense value and power without some sort of emotional response like reverence, devotion, or commitment.
We not only attempt to know and be known by a god. We attempt to relate to them, which is a type of meditation practice wherein all thoughts and awarenesses are welcome and acknowledged, they are allowing whatever comes to mind at that moment...to unite ourselves to them, or in the case of demonic SAs, we attempt to flee/avoid them.
In short, the phenomenology of dreaming and the neurobiology of sleep suggest that dreaming cognition reflects the processing of value-related information. The fact that both dreams and religious cognitions are particularly concerned with the computation of ultimate values provides one more empirical link between them. This means all humans are endowed with brains innately primed to daily generate god concepts in dreaming.
At a minimum, we assume that the dreaming mind/brain constructs SAs via the ascription of agency to selected “other” characters in dreams.
...whenever we think a thought or issue an action the brain issues an unconscious prediction of the predicted effects of that action or thought in the real world.
...the subjective experience of ownership of one’s own thoughts and of control over sensory events emerges from an unconscious comparison
between intentional and predicted/anticipated effects of one’s actions: if there is a match, there is an increased tendency to experience the effect as self-caused, whereas a mismatch between anticipated and actual effect increases the tendency to attribute the effect to an external cause.
Thus the dreamer may conclude that the source of the efferent signals that arise from intentional scenarios that occur in dreams is not himself. So he therefore ascribes it to some other animate being in the dream. If there is no match between predicted and actual effects (and there cannot be in the dream) then there is little or no basis for ascribing intentional actions to the self and a corresponding increased pressure to ascribe them to another character who is invested with a very strong sense of agency-thus a divine being.
There can be little doubt that dream experiences have been thoroughly intertwined with the religious beliefs, practices, and experiences of people all over the world, throughout history.
Conclusion
Although dreams are difficult to study scientifically, the sheer fact of their psychological and cultural ubiquity makes them an important topic for brain-mind research as well as for a scientific theory of religion. We have argued that new advances in the cognitive science of religion, particularly regarding SAs and the cognitive foundations of agency, can illuminate some of the neurological processes at work in dreaming that naturally lend themselves to attributions of special powers to “special characters/beings” in dreams and therefore to religious meaning and purpose. We have also reviewed evidence suggesting that some psychiatric symptoms such as dissociative states and delusions have been linked with REM parasomnias and intrusion of REM into waking consciousness (due to sleep deprivation or to disease related breakdown in normal sleep architecture). In those psychiatric disorders that evidence sleep deprivation and REM fragmentation as well as religious delusions such as schizophrenia, the mechanism producing religious delusions may be illuminated by some of the links between dreams and SA cognitions we discuss in this paper. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss possible methods of influencing, shaping, or guiding this religion-generating capacity of dreaming. We can point to examples like the dream incubation rituals performed at the ancient temples of the Greek healing god Askelpius, and suggest that these practices were effective because they skillfully channeled all mental and physical energies toward the healing process.
The brain is not an isolated organ every individual has been raised in a cultural environment that shapes the functioning of the mind in waking and in dreaming.
[return]
Future research should consider exploring the cultural and psychological dynamics underlying these ritual practices.
(Patrick McNamara, Kelly Bulkeleyhttps://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/dreams-as-a-source-of-supernatural-agent-concepts)