's thread The Mind-Created World (a case for Idealism) seems to have run its course, dribbling along with ever finer distinctions or off-topic diversions. The longevity of the thread, though, indicates that Mind-World vs Matter-World enigma is a popular & controversial difference of opinion. This new thread is a flipped perspective on the same general topic : what is the relationship between World-at-large & local Brain & personal Mind?

My original, science-based, assumption was that the physical Brain somehow generated the metaphysical function we call Mind, or Sentience or Intellect. And a corollary concept is that “my Ideas are my own personal creation”. However, some hard-core Materialists might retort that there is "no such thing as Mind"*1. Now, those conventional axioms & presumptions are being challenged by the science, or pseudoscience, or philosophy of Noetics*2ab.

Background : I recently finished Dan Brown's new novel, Secret of Secrets, and enjoyed the intellectual thrill ride completely. Spoiler Alert! : If you are not familiar with the book, I'll reveal the "secret" hidden in plain insight : human consciousness, and its alter ego The Mind, is not generated by the brain, but is instead a signal from out there somewhere*2b. If so, what are the special "Noetic faculties" of the human animal*3? Are these spiritual signals the distinguishing factor of homo sapiens?

The key presumption is that Consciousness is non-local, but Cosmic (Pantheism). And the philosophy of Consciousness has explored a variety of angles on how the physical brain could produce the metaphysical effect we call Mind. I can understand that physical Causation is due to some universal force (energy : gravity). But, I find it difficult to accept that my thoughts & feelings are signals from some central transmitter, like the robotic clone army of Star Wars.

The book doesn't specify the exotic Source of the ideas we humans typically take proprietary pride in. So, I'd like to hear pro & con opinions of the notion of a Cosmos Created Mind. Is there some subtle signal that I'm missing? Perhaps Cosmo-God's "signals" are obscured by the blooming buzzing static of our baby brains. :brow:


*1. The statement "there is no such thing as mind" reflects a philosophical and scientific debate, not a universally accepted fact. While some, particularly eliminative materialists, argue the mind is not a separate entity and that mental concepts are reducible to brain activity, others maintain that the mind, including subjective experiences like consciousness, cannot be fully explained by physical processes alone. This perspective, known as the "no-mind thesis," claims the mind does not exist as a thing in itself but rather as the product of our thoughts, feelings, and the brain's functions. 
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=there+is+no+such+thing+as+mind&zx=1761177271497&no_sw_cr=1
Note --- This debate seems to be talking about the religious Soul, instead of the mundane Mind.

*2a. Noetic Science :
# The noetic sciences focus on bringing a scientific lens to the study of subjective experience, and to ways that consciousness may influence the physical world.
# Noetic science is a branch of parapsychology concerned with the power and source of human intelligence. https://www.gotquestions.org/noetic-science.html
# The Institute of Noetic Sciences explores the intersection of science and profound human experience.
https://www.youtube.com/c/InstituteofNoeticSciences

*2b. From the noetics perspective "mind of God" refers to the concept that God's mind is the ultimate source of all consciousness and that the human mind can achieve a direct, intuitive spiritual perception of God through "noetic" faculties.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=noetics+mind+of+god
Note --- Like Idealism, Noetics seems to assume that Mind, not Matter, is the fundamental Substance of the Real World. Traditionally, the Cosmic Mind is called "God". But Noetics seems to be a non-traditional notion of Pantheism, as an alternative to Judeo-Christian-Islamic doctrines ; perhaps more like the non-personal universal principle of Taoism?

*3. The phrase "secret of secrets mind receiver" likely refers to the plot of a Dan Brown novel, The Secret of Secrets, which explores the idea of the brain acting as a receiver for consciousness. The term combines two concepts: the "secret of secrets," which is a narrative element of a secret project or shocking truth in the novel, and the "mind receiver," which describes the book's central premise that the brain is a receiver for consciousness, supporting a non-local consciousness theory.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=secret+of+secrets+mind+receiver[/quote]
Note --- Why is the source of mind-signals a secret or mystery? Why does the mind-controlling God hide behind the curtain of material reality?

ROBOT ARMY AWAITING SIGNAL FROM IMPERIAL MOTHER SHIP