{"id":98,"date":"2021-10-26T18:22:54","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T18:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/?p=98"},"modified":"2021-10-26T18:22:55","modified_gmt":"2021-10-26T18:22:55","slug":"conscious-universe-collective-consciousness-could-the-universe-be-one-gigantic-human-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/consciousness160.html","title":{"rendered":"Conscious Universe &#038; Collective Consciousness: Could the Universe be One Gigantic Human Brain?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default aligncenter\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Untitled.png\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption>Could the Universe be One Gigantic Human Brain? Here\u2019s What the Conscious Universe Theory Has to Say<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Scientists have often wondered how science and consciousness mingle and if the entire universe is simply a cosmic-level human brain &#8211; and the theories are intriguing, to say the least. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article covers what science has to say about consciousness, the universe, the human mind, and the collective and universal consciousness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">But What\u2019s \u2018Consciousness\u2019? <\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we get into the details of whether the universe is conscious or not, we first need to understand what \u2018consciousness\u2019 <em>is<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology, \u2018consciousness\u2019 includes the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>waking state of human beings<\/li><li>perceptions<\/li><li>thoughts<\/li><li>feelings<\/li><li>awareness of the external world<\/li><li>self-awareness<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The more you think about this definition, the less sense it makes<\/strong>. Firstly, it assumes that only human beings are capable of a \u2018consciousness\u2019. Secondly, it assumes that consciousness has existed only in highly-evolved organisms &#8211; who have only existed for a <em>very <\/em>minuscule period in the cosmic timeline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arguably, a<strong>nimals have consciousness<\/strong>&nbsp;too &#8211; we see them interact with one another andhumans, we see their tails wag in excitement, their ears perk up when they\u2019re alert, and even know that their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2019\/06\/190620153538.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">brain activity changes when they\u2019re socializing<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, do rocks \u2018react\u2019? Does the ocean \u2018wake up\u2019 when the tides are higher? Does the sky have \u2018moods\u2019 and \u2018feelings\u2019? As humans, it\u2019s hard for us to understand that inanimate objects might have \u2018consciousness\u2019 too; as far as the human eye is concerned, a rock doesn\u2019t have \u2018reflexes\u2019 and the ocean can\u2019t \u2018feel\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, life on the planet Earth has only existed for a couple of thousand years &#8211; while the age of the universe is <em>billions <\/em>of years and it has arguably hosted <em>infinite<\/em>&nbsp;life-sustaining planets. <strong>It\u2019s unlikely that \u2018consciousness\u2019 only exists for human beings on the planet Earth for a few seconds in the cosmic timeline<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/aeon.co\/essays\/cosmopsychism-explains-why-the-universe-is-fine-tuned-for-life\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">as argued by some philosophers<\/a><strong>.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the theory of Consciousness Universe argues <em>exactly<\/em>&nbsp;that &#8211; that inanimate objects in the universe have a consciousness as well. This theory is called Conscious Universe Theory or Panpsychism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Panpsychism or the Conscious Universe Theory <\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Panpsychism is the belief that <em>everything <\/em>has consciousness &#8211; and that includes plants, animals, stones, stars, atoms, and even quarks. The theory goes even a step further to suggest that the universe <em>itself <\/em>is conscious &#8211; a concept called <strong>cosmopsychism.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Human beings have a very complex experience compared to simpler life forms like cats, insects, and even pathogens. The more we level down, the simpler the experiences get &#8211; and the simpler the \u2018consciousness\u2019 is. Panpsychism questions what \u2018consciousness\u2019 would look like when living organisms are stripped down to the last atom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Science is still to find the answers &#8211; but not for the lack of trying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scientific Views About Consciousness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Science still grapples with the idea of \u2018consciousness\u2019. Despite our immense progress and advancements, we still don\u2019t know just how our brain sends signals and fills our world with rich sounds, textures, smells, colors, and tastes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some scientists argue that we\u2019re looking at consciousness from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/does-consciousness-pervade-the-universe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrong scientific angle<\/a>&nbsp;&#8211; right from the get-go. During the beginning of the scientific revolution, when Galileo declared mathematics to be the new scientific language, he also acknowledged that \u2018consciousness\u2019 lies <em>outside <\/em>the realms of physical science. This fact often seems to slip past modern scientists, who &#8211; by no fault of their own &#8211; have a more practical and <em>physical <\/em>approach to analyzing unfamiliar concepts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The dilemma of \u2018consciousness\u2019 can\u2019t be solved by conventional approaches to science &#8211; <strong>physical science deals with <\/strong><em><strong>quantities <\/strong><\/em><strong>not <\/strong><em><strong>qualities<\/strong><\/em><strong>; and \u2018consciousness\u2019 is a question of <\/strong><em><strong>quality<\/strong><\/em><strong>. <\/strong>Physical sciences are a great tool if you want to describe the matter from the outside\u2019; but they\u2019re not of much use if you want to explain the <em>intrinsic <\/em>nature (like \u2018consciousness\u2019) of an object. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite all the debates however, there <em>are <\/em>two significant scientific views about consciousness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\n<u>Materialism <\/u>&#8211; which argues that consciousness emerges from the physical brain <\/li><li>\n<u>Dualism<\/u>&nbsp;&#8211; which argues that consciousness is separate from matter and doesn\u2019t necessarily come from a physical brain<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Neither of these views fully answer the question. If consciousness comes from a physical brain, how does that brain produce consciousness? Alternatively, if consciousness is separate from a physical body, how do the both interact with one another? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answers seem to lie with Panpsychism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is the Universe Conscious?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default aligncenter\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/gRxpqwRKWlyhKBeUve-ot6YSx4eG0mGZ-TBGAqNjcCy--1Eq0L0KVVRj96uoqSYpmb058vo7qE_YkzN8sm1AUh8ZTZJcpp34XYYuqrgJpXHtVvbPYAJiR6uvnaa7TIvRRq1yoL-7\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption>&lt;!&#8211;td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}&#8211;><br><a href=\"http:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/Consciousness160.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">http:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/Consciousness160.html<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Philosophers&nbsp;and physicists have both tried to answer this question in their own ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to philosophers, consciousness is inherent to even the smallest particles of matter &#8211; and that each and every building block that makes up the universe has a conscious reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Physicists build upon this idea and study \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.popularmechanics.com\/science\/a36329671\/is-the-universe-conscious\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">consciousness\u2019 as a quantum effec<\/a>t &#8211; that is to say, they break down the human idea of \u2018consciousness\u2019 into micro-scale quantum physics events, and then apply the same idea to inanimate objects. If consciousness to the human mind is a tiny-level chain of quantum events, then what would a tiny-level chain of quantum events in an inanimate object be? And could that be called \u2018consciousness\u2019 in that inanimate object? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to some physicists, <strong>consciousness is everywhere<\/strong>&nbsp;because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/is-the-universe-conscious.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quantum effects are everywhere.<\/a>&nbsp;According to some others, only the fundamental particles of reality &#8211; the atoms and quarks &#8211; have fairly simplistic consciousness; like a single-celled organism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, all of these statements are hypotheses at best &#8211; because we\u2019re still grappling with the concept of \u2018consciousness\u2019. For example, we can observe an atom, but we can\u2019t go <em>inside <\/em>it and hear its thoughts. And although neuroscientists can scan to see what part of your brain lights up when you\u2019re hungry or in pain, they don\u2019t exactly know <em>how <\/em>or <em>why<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so it seems that we\u2019re unable to truly answer the question: is the universe conscious or not? We don\u2019t know yet &#8211; but we <em>do <\/em>know that science alone won\u2019t solve this dilemma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where There\u2019s \u2018Consciousness\u2019, There\u2019s a \u2018Collective Consciousness\u2019<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology\u2019s definition of a collective consciousness? To recall, every organism that can feel, think, and make decisions has a consciousness. But what happens when there\u2019s more than one person &#8211; how do their consciousness\u2019 intermingle? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, the social sciences have an answer for that, too &#8211; and it\u2019s called the \u2018collective consciousness\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Sociological Idea of a Collective Conscious<\/h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default aligncenter\">\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Untitled-1.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Collective consciousness is the idea that every member of a certain unit &#8211; a group, a society, a family, an organization, a nation, and even a region &#8211; shares a set of ideas, moral attitudes, and beliefs amongst each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the modern world, even something like memes and dance party rituals can be considered as \u2018collective consciousness\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Naturally, one of the many perks of the group mind is that it acts as a unifying force within that unit &#8211; and unity truly becomes power. On the flip side, the group mind can lead to really extreme behaviors as well &#8211; think cults, international armed groups, and Hitler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically, <strong>multiple consciousnesses will interact with one another and create a <\/strong><em><strong>collective <\/strong><\/em><strong>consciousness. <\/strong>And the social sciences have a lot of things to say about that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Sociological Theories on the Collective Consciousness <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we apply what we know about the collective consciousness to a universal level, it might be useful to understand its historical context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Durkheim\u2019s Theory on the Collective Consciousness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Emile Durkheim &#8211; one of the fathers of modern sociology &#8211; the collective consciousness was <em>integral <\/em>to the functioning of clans and tribes. He concluded that a \u2018society\u2019 exists <em>only <\/em>because individuals express solidarity with one another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the old days, this \u2018solidarity\u2019 was expressed merely in the form of religious symbols, family units, and cultural rituals. However, in the modern day the same \u2018solidarity\u2019 becomes what Durkenheim termed as <em>\u2018mechanical solidarity\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;&#8211; where people rely on structures like the state and political institutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>E.Durkheim went a step further to grimly suggest that people who <em>aren\u2019t <\/em>part of a group with a collective consciousness <em>might<\/em>&nbsp;end up committing suicide. That is to say, that the member of the group who thinks differently than the rest ends up feeling like they don\u2019t belong &#8211; and <em>that <\/em>disintegration from the other members might cause <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.621569\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">higher rates of suicide. &nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gramsci\u2019s Theory on the Collective Consciousness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Building upon Durkheim\u2019s point of view, Gramsci suggested that multiple contrasting sub-units can exist within a single unit. For example, a country (a unit) can have people of multiple religions and ethnicities (multiple subunits) who have beliefs and ideas contrasting from one another <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gramsci further suggested that hegemony and oppression might come out of such co-existing but contrasting subunits &#8211; especially if one of them is able to dominate the others for long periods of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This perspective has some ties with the social struggles based on class, gender, race, ability, and sexual orientation. It also seems to suggest that the conflicts that civil society has with the state institutions are also a result of the multiple collective consciousness\u2019 existing together in the same space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">But How Does the Sociological Theory of Collective Consciousness Apply to the Conscious Universe Theory? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider the following two premises:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>That living beings on Earth can form a collective consciousness<\/li><li>That consciousness exists outside the human realm as well<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>With those two presumptions in mind, the next question that pops up in our heads is: <strong>can inanimate objects and non-humans form a collective consciousness, too?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Short answer: there\u2019s a metaphysical theory about that, too! A concept called the <strong>Universal Mind <\/strong>or <strong>Universal Consciousness <\/strong>suggests that underneath <em>all <\/em>the essence of <em>all <\/em>the beings that have <em>ever <\/em>occurred in this universe, lies a common \u2018Mind\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This ties to the idea of Panpsychism: the belief that everything is connected &#8211; whether it\u2019s a flower, or a heart, or a rock at the bottom of the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Historical Context of the \u2018Universal Mind\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While there are no recorded definitions of the Universal Mind, Ernest Holmes and Charles Haanel do seem to have a few things to say about it for the modern day context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>According to Holmes, the Universal Mind is any <strong>knowledge<\/strong>\n<\/li><li>According to Haanel, the Universal Mind is <strong>an unlimited and omnipresent resource<\/strong>\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Long before these vague descriptions were presented, however, even Anaxagoras, Aristotle, and Plato had some similar things to say. From 480 BC to 857 CE, multiple propositions were given about the Universal Mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Anaxagora posited <strong>The Doctrine of Nous <\/strong>(\u2018<em>nous\u2019 <\/em>meaning \u2018mind\u2019 or \u2018reason\u2019 or \u2018awareness\u2019) which suggested that consciousness is more than just the human world &#8211; and worms, bacteria, and even raindrops can have \u2018awareness\u2019 if not \u2018reason\u2019<\/li><li>Chu Ch\u2019an posited <strong>The Huang Po Doctrine of Universal Mind<\/strong>&nbsp;which suggested that there\u2019s a universal mind that is disconnected from the <em>soul<\/em>&nbsp;of a person. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So Does the Universe Have a \u2018Collective\u2019 Consciousness?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to the nature of this question &#8211; and the fact that we don\u2019t yet know how to get inside a person or an inanimate object\u2019s <em>mind <\/em>&#8211; we might not know for sure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the answer <em>might <\/em>just be \u2018yes\u2019 according to the ancient philosophical and metaphysical teachings. We <em>are <\/em>all connected to one another, to nature, and to everything in the Universe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the idea of a Collective Consciousness or a Universal Mind might not be too far-fetched. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>There isn\u2019t enough evidence to prove or disprove whether the universe itself is a conscious being or not. But we <em>can <\/em>conclude that \u2018consciousness\u2019 is more than just the turning wheels of a physical brain in the human mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It might be in the very air we breathe and it could also be in the planets beyond our own. It might be before the existence of the human species or the Earth itself. And if Earth were to cease to exist, it might still live on long afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Guess we\u2019ll find out someday! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scientists have often wondered how science and consciousness mingle and if the entire universe is simply a cosmic-level human brain &#8211; and the theories are intriguing, to say the least. This article covers what science has to say about consciousness, the universe, the human mind, and the collective and universal consciousness. But What\u2019s \u2018Consciousness\u2019? Before &#8230; <a title=\"Conscious Universe &#038; Collective Consciousness: Could the Universe be One Gigantic Human Brain?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/consciousness160.html\" aria-label=\"More on Conscious Universe &#038; Collective Consciousness: Could the Universe be One Gigantic Human Brain?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142,"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions\/142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalofcosmology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}