SCIENCE AND THE SOUL

It is curious that so little scientific attention is given to exploration of Self. It may be that the Self (Human Consciousness) is too closely aligned with metaphysical/mystical concepts of Soul and Mind to get funding – separation of church and state and all that good stuff.



In 1970s, Dr Benjamin Libet undertook neurological research that observed when the brain was directly stimulated with degrees of electric current, the stimulus had to persist for about one half second before the subject became consciously aware of it. His work soon crossed into an investigation of human consciousness which may suggest that before the brain becomes involved in conscious activity, the Self acts as a control centre or decision point that provides impetus to the physical organ we call the brain.



Libet ran a series of experiments where he asked subjects to observe a timing device while randomly making a decision to wriggle their wrist. Each subject was asked to note and record the exact time when they decided to wriggle their wrist. While this activity was taking place, Libet and his colleagues monitored brain activity. What was observed was a complete surprise. Before subjects were aware of making the decision to wriggle their wrist, associated brain activity was already being observed.

http://api.ning.com/files/l4fZwQRSyYHLD24mNZHwQNB*H1Wy3mKL*MvWRENy6z6jjRqGrHzhlm-4qdv8Jw4INBtWJLeHVNxuRuYM7gPAXVHrgl7OuEyV/libet1.gif

In other words, it’s as if the decision to engage in activity was made before it was passed into conscious awareness. Now this might not be the only interpretation of the test results but certainly worthy of some exploration. Libet and others have suggested, for example, that the results could indicate that, if decisions are being made before we are consciously aware of them then free will may not really exist.

http://api.ning.com/files/GQnf3z4r7Erf08lu1-4fkneQyhlLXLjfB1INkJZ0WOhMgsfFmwzxedm*QXN9JJNGcPsALSgqwbxa5GkZKD4PzIUQxhu0MDLY/libet2.gif

The existence of the soul explains how our actions can precede conscious awareness - because the soul is really in control and our consciousness can only follow what our soul dictates.

Alternative thinking would suggests that our life experience is an epiphenomenon of the physical organ called brain and that it is my body what causes me to act and react.

Libet’s experiments were ground breaking and well documented.

- See Short Video
- Libet's Short Delay.

- Astonishing Experiments

http://api.ning.com/files/ZlB4Qnj6ifeszz4yonZCXJ7IiIaplUWEQo7L5VObQOzApoNK6Pndoi0YJuoZf-VgIUsXas7OZof5GS4*S6NBklZ*hOgTW2iC/libetexperiment.gif

Taken from www.jolyon.co.uk

Since I could not copy the images I copied the source where one can check it.