CATEGORIES OF BRAIN-MODES AND THE CHALLENGE

And here we wander in illusions;
Some blessed power deliver us hence! -
SHAKESPEARE (The Comedy of Errors)

<1>
An important characteristic of the human brain is its capacity for complex logical reasoning: another of the intangible wonders in the physical universe. As for as we know, this process naturally occurs only in the human brain, though human ingenuity has invented devices (called computers) where mechanisms very close to this can occur at stupendously faster rates. It would be rash to describe human beings as logical creatures. More exactly, we are capable of logical thought. Logical thinking is akin to walking on a perfect straight line: something that, in principle, we all can do, but which, in practice, we do not always do.

<2>
The human brain is also capable of creating a variety of misleading impression-modes. Because of an interplay of events and circumstances, a distorted aspect of perceived reality is sometimes registered in the brain. [Perceived reality may be defined as any mapping that occurs in the human brain as a result of external stimuli via the standard faculties of perception.] Such misleading impressions are called illusions. The world views arising from illusions may be called delusions. Sometimes, even in the absence of external stimuli the brain generates its own world of reality. We call these hallucinations.

<3>
Then again, the brain can also go beyond the commonly perceived realities and generate magnificent worlds which widen and enhance our experiences. These worlds are seen only through the mind's eye. They may, and often do, stray away from logical constraints, and they can also have great charm and meaning and power. This is the world of imagination: at the root of the creative potentials of the brain, a capacity that has added immensely to the richness of the human experience, at least as much as, if not more than, our ability to reason and analyze and experience the tangible world.

<4>
The brain is also capable of constructing its own tools for describing PR which are indispensable when we interpret the world.

<5>
It is thus no surprise that the task of understanding the world is a very complex one. We need to sort out illusions and hallucinations from the normal modes of perception, utilize our capacity for imagination without being misled by it, erect useful and appropriate mental constructs to describe the world effectively. In the process of doing all this, we also need to be sensitive to our deepest emotional needs and cultural heritage, without being overwhelmed or misguided by them.



HUMAN EXPERIENCE AS MBYB

maayaam tu prakrtim viddhi.
Know, however, that the world is illusion.
- SHVETAASHVATARA UPANISHAD

<6>
Ancient Hindu thinkers propounded a vision of reality that makes a lot of sense in our interpretation of the world. According to this, the essence of ultimate reality is normally veiled from our apprehension because of a number of constraining factors that are imposed on matter and mind. The result of all this the creation of maayaa, a world of illusion to which normal human experience is inevitably subject.

<7>
In so far as maayaa, is a veil that screens the true nature of reality from our apprehension, it may be regarded as something negative. But we must recognize that maayaa, it is not necessarily evil and hurtful, once its innate illusory nature is recognized as such. On the contrary, maayaa serves us very well in the course of our lives, and is in fact at the root of many of our enjoyments, institutions, intellectual exercises, and societal interactions. Certain aspects of maayaa, have even helped us gain a deeper understanding (or at least visions of higher categories) of reality. Let us consider some of these.

<8>
Art is aesthetic maayaa. A great painting is an illusion which transports us to an aesthetic experience, as indeed is any work of art. As Goethe said, 'The highest problem of every art is, by means of appearances, to produce the illusion of a loftier reality.'

<9>
Literature is emotional maayaa. It paints imaginary people and events in moving ways, it kindles our longing for justice, it allows us to express our capacities for anger and compassion, and it helps us in our search for the deeper truths regarding human nature. We know that not one page in a novel is true, yet great literature moves us profoundly, it touches our feelings and stirs our emotions.

<10>
Democracy, in principle, is a form of government in which every citizen has a say, and wields power. Communism is supposed to be the power of the people, the end of oppression, and the absence of exploitation. But we know only too well that these are not quite so in actuality. When examined through the microscope of critical analysis, our political institutions are maayaa, too. And yet, these political maayaa, make millions of people feel they truly enjoy freedom and economic security.

<11>
History, in theory, is a record of major events that occurred in the past. In most instances, however, it is a narration of events that did not happen the way they are reported. The goal of history often is, intentionally or otherwise, to make a people feel good about their past. History is, in effect, a patriotic maayaa. It serves an important purpose of making a people feel good. It is necessary for the self-respect of a people.


<12>
Mythology is another grand maayaa, that has played a role in human history. It speaks of gods and demons who never existed, in terms and language that are inspiring and fascinating. But mythologies also make a people good, creating in them, like history, the impression that their past was graced by majestic beings, by all powerful heroes and heroines who fought for the good and defeated the evil. Myths are thus inspirational maayaa.

<13>
Mathematics is logical maayaa. It gives us impeccable demonstrations of theorems, reveals the consistency of concepts, and takes us to abstract domains of sharp analysis. Yet, it has been shown that at the ultimate level, it is impossible to logically prove the basic propositions (the inner consistency) of some mathematical systems.

<14>
Religion is spiritual maayaa, creating the impression that we truly know about the nature and attributes of a divine principle. But it gives meaning and purpose to life, and more importantly, it has been, and continues to be, the source of solace an psychological comfort to countless millions.

<15>
In mystical experience one sees visions of a reality that is probably the result of abnormal brain biochemistry. Mystical experience is a powerful a mental maayaa, which has nevertheless instigated affirmations and utterances that have transformed the lives and world views of many individuals and groups.


<16>
Philosophy is speculative maayaa, a play with concepts and ideas, creating systems in terms of which one tries to interpret in broad terms the nature of human thought and world views. With careful analysis and argumentation, however, every system of philosophy crumbles down.

<17>
Finally, we have science. Its goal is to reveal the true nature of physical reality. But science too is maayaa. The history of science shows that many past theories, explanations, and convictions of the scientific world were totally wrong. Science is fruitful maayaa. Its framework provides us with intellectual satisfactios, and with its results we are able to concoct a great many things to satisfy our need and greed.

<18>
Thus, not just individual lives but human civilization and institutions are based upon maayaa, of all kinds. We are condemned or blessed to lead a life that is both distorted and enriched by a variety of maayaa.

<19>
What is the origin of these maayaas? Perhaps the biochemistry of the human brain, perhaps the arbitrary decree of some Higher Principle, who can tell?

V. V. Raman



SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF PERCEPTION

The senses collect the surface facts of matter....
When mind acts, it is knowledge. -
RALPH WALDO EMERSON

<20>
The universe is like a museum with a most splendid collection of things and processes. Our faculties of perception are among the most remarkable systems we have recognized thus far in this cosmic museum. There is nothing in all the world that we have been able to uncover, here on earth or elsewhere, which is more spectacular in scope and capacity than the little muscular aggregations that we all possess under our skulls [17].

<21>
What a marvel, this concentration of chemicals we call the brain! It transforms silent photons into magnificent colors, changing pressure waves into glorious music, rough edged molecules into pleasing odors. It generates thoughts and values, concepts of truth and justice and compassion. It brings to our awareness the existence of distant entities and ancient happenings and future possibilities. And it can reason mathematically too.

<22>
But this truly wonderful instrument we all possess has its limitations also. For one thing, it cannot discern very feeble stimuli. There are threshold levels under which no light will be detected, no sound will be heard, no smell will be known. Nor do our sensory faculties pick up every kind of signal there is in the world. A great many waves go unnoticed and a great many things go unrecognized because our sensory faculties just do not respond to them [in any perceptible way. This means that in the course of our normal life, reality such as we perceive it is only a partial mapping of all there is.

<23>
Science tries to correct these limitations by devising instruments. Some instruments magnify the feeble signals so as to make them detectable. Thus the telescope enables us to see faint sources of light which are virtually invisible to the naked eye. On the other hand, radio-telescopes put into evidence radiations from space that, no matter how intense they are, can never be detected by the naked eye. Scientific instruments enhance the level and expand the range of the perceptual reality to which our unaided faculties are normally attuned.

<24>
Let us be clear about this: Our awareness of the physical world has been enhanced immeasurably by the instruments that scientific investigators have devised during the past few centuries. This is consciousness-raising in the context of reality. Without passing value judgments, we may still recognize that this is very different from the psychedelic chromatic hallucination that chemical addicts rave about, or which mystics proclaim.

V. V. Raman

[V.V. Raman is Professor of Physics, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y., U.S.A.
e-mail <vvrsp@rit.edu>]