I am glad that you have raised the topic of the subconscious because I do feel that many discussions about consciousness don't go into enough focus on the subconscious. We are most aware of the subconscious in our experiences of dreams and the role of the 'I' consciousness here is interesting. Certainly, in my own dreams I am still consciously related to my own waking identity. But, it seems to me that we retain the same witness consciousness in most dreams, even if events of dreams are fragmented in unusual ways.

It is interesting to think about thoughts in connection with the whole debate about matter, mind and spirit. I certainly would not have written my question in the thread on spirit because I believe that person is merely looking for a brief definition. However, that thread alongside the article which I looked at this morning got me thinking about the nature and role of thoughts.

I think that it is possible to reduce thoughts to spirit, and certainly that was probably how it was seen in some historical contexts, but that was probably in the context of dualism, or even idealism. I believe that the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction and, now, it has almost thrown spirit out of the picture entirely. It was interesting that some replies in the thread on spirit saw breath. Of course, we could ask what is breath, and it is probably the underlying source of life itself.

I do feel that many materialistic pictures of consciousness are so reductive that they appear to leave awareness out partially or entirely. As far as I can see there is a whole spectrum of ways of understanding consciousness with various degrees of emphasis on body, mind and spirit. It seems likely to me that the connection between the three are so interconnected and cannot be separated entirely, but at the same time, there are certain distinctions which can be made. I do practice mindfulness meditation in some ways, and it is on that basis that I feel able to wonder about thoughts. I know that they arise in the brain, within the body, but, on some level, I do believe that they are connected to some source which is not entirely the brain and nervous system.

It seems that you are separating spirit from the mind, emotions and body, which seems to be a bit abstract. I think that this is one perspective, but is too slanted because when I engaged with the post writer s/he appeared not to be looking for a complex philosophical understanding of the topic and, various viewpoints, but a more simple working definition of the term.

I suppose that a main part of my question is about the nature of the mysterious 'I' of which Descartes spoke. Ken Wilber spoke of this as the 'witness', and it is and it is at the interface between mind and body. I wonder to what extent the "I' is able to reflect upon it itself?

On a daily basis, we rely on the I and the incoming flow of thought, and I am interested in how this contributes to understanding, rather than a move which is taking place to simply look for answers within neuroscience, which probably began with behaviorism. I do believe that thoughts themselves can be a useful focus or perspective for philosophy. What are thoughts comprised of, or composed from, and can they be reduced to matter'?

I am inclined to think that everything happens for a purpose. We would have never interacted and I do see my experience of using the forum as a very important part of my life. In the last couple of weeks there has been a lot of people really attacking one another in various threads and I just hope that lessens. Today, there seem to be a couple of new members, including the person who you engaged with on this thread today, and that may dissipate the tensions.

As far as the world issues, especially the crisis in India, I think that it shows how the world is interconnected. Sometimes, especially when we are have got used to isolating it is easy to become insular. We are becoming so accustomed to doing things online and the people who don't have access must feel really left out.

Yes, I thought that my answer may not be the one you are looking for, so I will save my own reading for anything which I write. Personally, I use the word spirit with caution because I see it as a rather fuzzy term which can be used to describe one's internalised experiences of reality to that of ghosts. Saying that, the notion of soul is equally ambiguous, especially as many query the existence of an actual soul. However, my own working definition of spirit would probably be along the lines of: the aspect of oneself which appears to be subtley different from the domain of the physical body, and probably arising from the animating lifeforce.

I think that the simple and complex come together in a strange way. Life provides simple solutions but explaining how it works is far more intricate. But, there are probably different angles and levels of analysis, and some more useful at various times, and according to the needs of the person asking the questions.

Putting your experience of the difficulties arising from the pandemic, various ones of my own and other people, I wonder how to understand on a deeper level, what we are going through. Do you think it is all a learning experience from the universe and any underlying source, or force? At times, it does seem that we are being stretched almost beyond breaking point. Sometimes, I wonder if the pandemic is a lesson for humanity as a whole. Also, I do think that it is possible that our individual experiences are lessons to develop us. I am sure many on the forum would see what I am saying as absolute rubbish, but I probably dare say it here because this thread had faded but reanimated again today.

My answer may not help because you are asking for the briefest possible answer to the idea of spirit and I have started reading a book on the meaning of spirit, by Joel Kovel, 'History and Spirit' (1999). It surveys the use of the word ranging from its use by Hegel, its use within religion, the occult and in psychoanalysis. I have only just started the book, so I am unable to explain it fully at present.

When I have read the book, which may take a while, because I have several on the go, I may write on your thread or create my own thread with my own questions. However, the thing which I am puzzled about is why do you want the briefest definition when it is such a complex topic?

I think that 'Don't Let the Devil Take Another Day' by Kelly Jones, the lead singer from Stereophonics is great. It is a live album covering most of their hits, but he sings them so well alone.

Has anyone heard any really good albums for 2021 yet?

I am a poor sleeper and often look at this site in the night when I can't sleep and even write replies. I used to have a lot of friends phone at about midnight but I try to avoid that because it just makes going to sleep harder, but I have lost touch with a lot of friends during lockdown. I have found life in England to be awful, but that was partly because I lost my job and had to move twice. We are starting to ease our way out of lockdown and I am looking for work again, but it is hard to know what will happen next. The biggest danger is if lockdown measures ease too quickly and the we get a third wave. I don't know how people would cope, because I think that so many people have become debilitated.

Dreams and premonitions were probably what got me wondering about the mysteries of existence in the first place. That was because in my final couple of years I kept having premonitions of people dying and the people died shortly after. This included my headmaster and several people I used to see around but did not know. I went with a friend to my local priest asking for explanations but, of course, he did not know. At one point I even started to worry that the deaths were my fault. Fortunately, I read Jung's autobiography at that time and read of his premonitions and his theory of synchronicity. I have had some similar experiences as an adult, but not recently. But I did have premonitions about 2 friends I knew committing suicide a couple of days a short while before they killed themselves. I just wish that I had been able to stop their deaths.

But, my own experience of premonitions has definitely stopped me from believing in some of the most common materialistic philosophies. I think that I might have become an atheist otherwise. I am not conventionally religious and only go to church with a friend occasionally, but I definitely believe that there is some source underlying our physical existence. I certainly don't believe that consciousness is an illusion. However, I think that some Christian ideas of God are rather narrow, and I see both Christ and the Buddha, as well as other 'masters' as having access to truths which most people are not aware of in daily experience.

A lot of people begin by starting threads on the main section and this is probably very brave. I tried getting involved gradually and wrote my first thread about a month later. It took me a while to get my way around the forum, but I had not used one before. There are so many different voices and, now, I can almost imagine what kind of reception various posts I write may receive. I sometimes wonder what happens when someone joins and vanishes suddenly, although I am sure that it is for a variety of reasons. I just say that because at times I have felt disheartened by response I have received but I try to be patient because the dynamics of the forum fluctuates, but I wish you the greatest success on the forum.

One writer said I have felt helpful for in connection with thinking about the concern for family in relation to the universal is Edward O Wilson, a sociolobiologist. He introduced the idea of an expanding circle. This idea is that we begin from the concern for ourselves and family in our consideration of welfare and gradually move outwards to wider spheres, to meet the needs of others. I find that his argument seems to make sense in addressing the tension and the needs of our family and immediate circle of friends in relation to the larger scope of humanity.

Personally, one difficulty which I see if people are too insular in focusing on their own family is what happens to the individuals who have no family to turn to or support them? That is how I see the link between our obligations to organisations which address poverty. I don't know if my answer is of any use to you, but, hopefully, you will get lots of responses.

I think that we are all inclined to blame others, whether it is our parents, the government, the church or atheists. Of course, there are many sources of fault external to us, but it is also involves psychological processes of projection. It is so much easier to see faults in others and blame them rather to see our own. I am not saying that we should simply try to blame ourselves, but I do think that it is useful to be able to see the way blaming others can be about avoiding personal responsibility and can even contribute to a sense of victimhood and lack of empowerment.

I am not convinced that your solution would really work to address the depths of the political conflict. I know that it may seem like it would address the matter symbolically, but it would probably create more political unrest than anything else, especially if it meant taking sides. If you really tried to implement it, even though I think you mean well, it could potentially start a world war, although I am sure that could happen anyway.

I live in England too and have seen very mixed responses to the idea of all cultures living together, and I am speaking more widely about differences not just race. Sometimes the attempts to adopt approaches to bring people together and overcome cultural and other biases is that it can be shallow. I have seen people in organisations adopt adherence to equal opportunities at face value, but as soon as managers are not present, what they say becomes another matter.

I believe that no one can dictate how people should think, and it probably comes down to a person's whole outlook on life and what it means to be human. Personally, I believe that Bob Marley captured it so well when he spoke of the importance of skin colour being of no more significance than the colour of a person's eyes, but at this point, many don't see it that way.I think that apart from cultural biases affecting individuals they are deeply entrenched in power structures and institutions. However, I do think that discussion and awareness of cultural differences is probably the most important starting point because it may be that many people have not really been given the reflective space to consider the matter, outside of the immediate circle of their own cultural sphere.
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Your experience points to the way in which people often make assumptions based on such a limited basis. I know that people don't assume that I am interested in philosophy and reading when they meet me because I can look a bit scruffy, especially when I am wearing my baseball cap.

But, I have found that people sometimes object to me reading and writing in pubs. I have experienced comments like, 'This is not a library' and I even got asked to leave once for writing in a pub. But, it is hard to find quiet places to read, and even in my local library there are so many children activities going on that it can be so noisy.

But, going back to the general topic, I do believe that this site is one way of thinking about our reading, because, otherwise, it can become an isolative experience. However, I do think it is good to not be influenced too much by certain people's ideas and interpretations, especially when they become dogmatic.

I think that your post is interesting and the idea of cultural bias. The only query which I have is how do we separate cultural and individual bias?The extent to which we internalise the ideas and values which we are socialised to believe in will vary. Some people will not evaluate these ideas consciousness and others will question a lot. Also, we have such unique experiences within cultures.

I think able to see that certain attitudes which I have ranging from views against racism and sexism occurred in the context of family and education. I was particularly aware of how my own family values came into play when I was thinking about my ideas on a whole range of ideas ranging from capital punishment, nuclear warfare and euthanasia during adolescence.

However, I think that while it is useful to be aware of the bias, we have to question where do we go from there? I am in favour of looking at social issues and philosophy ideas from many angles as possible, and being aware of seeing bias, but I am not sure that it is possible to be value free or without any bias. But, I definitely believe that it is helpful to be aware of cultural bias, and to aim towards going beyond thinking from narrow, restricted frameworks.

I find that I sometimes forget and almost start clicking on paper books too, especially when I wish to turn pages. I agree that buying books does seem like a good thing because it means paying authors. I think that we are getting to the point where people expect to have books and music for nothing. Of course, we want to be able to have access even if we have not got enough money but I know plenty of people who just assume that they should be able to have free books. Books were freely available in libraries before we were able to get them on devices but the original had been paid for.

I also have found that it is a shame not being able to lend the books which I am reading to others. Funnily enough, even though I believe that Kindles are marvellous, none of my friends have them. They don't read like I do but they do say that they would only wish to read actual books. But, the one thing that I have found is that it is sometimes so much easier to get hold of books by downloading them. I also probably would have never read all the classics which I have done if they had not been available at the click of a switch. It seems almost like magic really.

You have also got me thinking what it means to get published. One aspect of our writing on this site is that what we write can be seen by the general public because it is online and can be viewed by the public. However, as there is so much on the web and on the site the likelihood of posts we write being read is fairly remote. But, I am consciousness of the fact that what I write being online. At times, I have disclosed about myself in interaction, but I am a bit cautious, because, for example, I am aware that a potential employer could google my name. Generally, I try to write what I can stand by with a certain person of accountability.

The other aspect which I was thinking about was how so many writers are self published. So, just because something is published doesn't in itself give it credibility. I believe that it is fairly easy to publish one's own writing and I know a couple of people who have done this. So, there is plenty of scope for new Machiavelli's really.

Personally, I am not convinced that everything happens through random mutations, natural selection and chance, but I am aware that my view is probably a minority view on this site. I do think that the dominant paradigm of our times wishes to reduce ideas like transcendence to the fabrications of ego psychology. At times, I feel so disheartened that I wish to give up any pursuit of exploration. However, on a deeper level, I do believe that we are more than just aspects and subjects arising from matter, and that the development of consciousness has some importance in the grand scheme of life, which goes beyond mere coincidental occurrences.

Thanks for your reply, because, sometimes, while I have ideas and wish to pursue them on the site, I do feel that many prefer to look more to those who are seen as having more expertise and knowledge. I do believe that we are all entitled to express our ideas, and the beauty of this site is that it is not just in the domain of the experts or academic circles.I see reading as important in connection with those who have thought about certain ideas, but I do think that intuition is valuable too.

I read your answer and have been wondering about it because it seems that you are querying our purpose in philosophy. I can see that there may be attempts to turn black into white, and many other shallow solutions. Part of my problem with what you are saying is a possible implication of your post to mean that we should only engage in philosophy if what we are saying is so distinct as to stand out and be worthy of publication.

If we should only engage if we are at that point in our life where we feel that what we are saying is so important doesn't that mean that we would be shut out from all discussion of philosophy at all?I am not convinced that philosophy should just be left in the hands of the experts, and we are able to develop our knowledge of it through discussion of our own reading, rather than just remaining silently alone with our thoughts.

I like to keep my options open for reading in all different ways and I still do like books, as in traditional books. My mother laughs when I speak about paper books, and there are many people who don't wish to use anything other than paper books. Sometimes, I do find that it is easier to locate specific passages in them by flicking through pages rather than on devices.

I am also aware of some people who keep books more as objects on shelves than to read them, although this seems a bit odd to me. It makes them more like pieces of collectable objects, or even like items of furniture.

As far as my phone is concerned, I am getting so used to writing on it, and, find it quicker to do than writing in a notebook. I know some people who are getting to the point where they find it hard to physically write with a pen any longer. It must be that they lose the muscle memory of writing with a pen. I do feel that even the wording of my writing appears a bit different depending on whether I am writing with pen and paper, or onto a device. It is so much easier to edit on a phone or tablet. But, I like to keep all the options available for both writing and reading.

I have not read any writing by Christopher Nasch, but I did come across his ideas about the culture of narcissism in sociology and I am sure that it a very valid critique.

As for Kindles, I think that they are wonderful but I have experienced a few problems. The first one I had was a paperwhite one and the battery stopped charging properly. I took it into a computer shop and the man there told me that he would change the battery. When I went back, he said he couldn't get it back together and he needed to get a part from America. I kept phoning him and he told me that the part was in customs and when it arrived it didn't fit. So, he decided to order a Kindle from Scotland and take it apart for the correct bit. Eventually, that arrived and the transplant surgery took place on my Kindle. However, when I went to collect it the light had stopped working and after the man tried to repair that, he discovered that it had lost its memory.

The man in the shop ordered a new one and managed to transfer my all my books onto the
new one, which my mum named 'Lord Fire.' At this moment, Lord Fire is working fine, but one slight problem is that some of my older books won't open any longer, which is a bit frustrating. But, I do believe that Kindles are a revolution in reading, especially being able to carry around a whole library, unlike carrying heavy books.

I believe that the way in which the subliminal affects us is complex. It is interesting to hear about you wondering about the way displaying the cover of 'Surrealistic Pillow' had. When I was going through a dark period I had loads of posters of metal bands, like Slipknot, Metallica and Korn over the wall. I was also listening to that music and was unsure what this was doing to me on a subliminal level. I do still listen to dark metal music at times, but try to be a bit balanced because I do think music, art and books affect us subliminally. I do read dark fantasy, like Stephen King and Poppy Z Brite, but I am aware that it all affects our subconscious, and I certainly pay attention to dreams.

I think that I am seeing my devices being full to mean that I need to read the books which I have. But, now that shops are open I will look out for paper books again.

I don't have 'Ends and Means'. I can't download any more books at present because I have filled the capacity of my Kindle and tablet. This is probably a good thing. But, when we have both finished 'The Perennial Philosophy', do you wish to discuss it?

I am not sure what to think about the idea of Atlantis. I know that many people believe it existed as a reality and many don't. Plato refers to it, as does Homer.

I wonder to what extent we could go back to a stage like Atlantis, and I do wonder how transhumanism would fit into the picture?Previous to coming across the ideas of transhumanism, I had read about junk DNA as untapped potential. I am inclined to believe that some of the ancient people were not simply primitive, but had power, knowledge and wisdom, which became lost.

I read half of Huxley's' The Perennial Philosophy'. I may finish it later this week amongst replying to comments on my threads and applying for jobs. I am impressed by it so far.

I may not follow through with Lacan's ideas, and hope that your reading on Lacan was not wasted. I knew someone who used to write about Lacan and her writing was so hard to follow.

I think that the diverse areas of psychoanalysis are fascinating. I do think that Freud was an extremely interesting writer as well and worth reading, even if to just end up disagreeing with him. My favourite book by him is, 'The Origins of the Uncanny'. I don't read so much psychoanalysis now, but I have read a fair amount already because I studied art psychotherapy, and this focuses on the psychodynamic approach. I think that the ideas of Melanie Klein are interesting, especially her ideas on splitting, and for considering the psychology of projection, including projected hatred. I would like to explore this more.

But, of course, we have to narrow our focus down because it is not possible to read everything, and to try to do so, would probably result in complete confusion and chaos in thinking.

It's funny how we all do things in different stages and ways. Even though you think that it sounds as if I was advanced to be interested in psychology and philosophy when I was 13, I don't think anyone thought that I was advanced at all. I probably spent more time in the library trying to avoid getting beaten up in the playground. I didn't find many who I could discuss my interest in the mind with, and most people thought I was about 12 when I was 18.

I'd say it adolescence, and all the angst, messed up my own reading for quite some time, and I was extremely at a Catholic school, but sex, drugs and rock'n'roll was there as a subtext. The most interesting exercise I was ever set was in Religious Studies, where we asked to write our own spiritual autobiography. I found that it really got me thinking about my own inner dialogue with ideas.

I do read science fiction, but not until after university, when I found a way into it in the form of cyberpunk and fantasy writing, such as Marion Zimmer Bradley and Ursula L Gunn. I do think that science fiction is able to address a lot of philosophical issues in such a lively way.

I think that it is interesting to discuss the controversial issues, but sometimes it seems like full scale war. I wish to explore certain amounts of controversy, but not to get too stressed out, because I have experienced so much stress in life anyway. I struggle with sleeping, and if I am glance at my phone in the night, I expect that I will see your thread popping up all night. However, my latest thread has been popping up quite a lot, so I may see that too. Anyway, I think that this is the last post for today, so goodnight.

I have noticed that you are referring to English politics, so are you based in England too?

I have not read any Heidegger but I do wish to, at some point. I definitely went through a postmodernist phase, in connection with sociology and art. I did not read all the main texts though. I may read more on Lacan and Baudrillard, but I think that postmodernist ideas of deconstruction went to far in some ways, ending up with a picture of cultural relativism. Some of the writings are extremely difficult. The one book which I have wanted to read, but could not get into, was Lacan's 'The Psychoses', but that is because I have worked in psychiatry.

I do really enjoy reading psychoanalytic writings, but not just Freud and the mainstream ones. I am really interested in the area in between psychology and philosophy. I found ' Beyond Freedom and Dignity' by BF Skinner to be interesting, but not that I agreed with it . I have realised recently that one of my main interests is the philosophy of mind. I definitely think I need to explore phenomenology, but the texts do look like heavy weather. I will probably need loads of strong coffees to even begin this.

I am afraid I have difficulty understanding Maths. I was doing okay at school until I had a particular teacher whose approach I could not grasp, and I got behind. I am sure that when people get into the philosophy behind Maths it is interesting, but there is only so much we can explore.

I do read on quantum physics and I do read about biochemistry, because it was relevant to psychiatric nursing, but I probably won't explore Maths. However, I was aware of how the doctors I worked with come from a studying the sciences and I do think it gives a certain knowledge base. Some of them took an interest in the arts too but this was variable. I generally explore philosophy, psychology, art, literature, psychology, sociology, anthropology and comparative religion, so I have a lot to read. Generally, though, I feel that one discipline alone is a bit too narrow for trying to understand 'truth.'

Really, I thought that you were better off having the discussion a little more discreetly on this thread as a it is quiter. I think that the topic you have started is so controversial. I am not saying that it is not worth starting, but sometimes it can all become so heated, when politics, race and gender threads are started. I did start one on prejudice, but I took a different approach to the usual political one, because I approached it from the point of how can we overcome our own prejudices. But, of course, it did get into the wider question of overcoming prejudice, but I managed to steer it away from too much politics. I also had one on totalitarianism but that was more my based on my own fears.

I still have this one on the go and the one I started about reading, but I am going to try to avoid starting any more for about a month. I went back and counted and I have written about 40 threads in 8 months. So, I am going to try to have a little break because on some days I have about 20 comments to reply to. However, I love creating threads, so I can't promise to wait a month. But, I partly want to wait because I think that there are overlaps in my threads, so I wish to stand back, reflect and come up with something really new, but it is difficult because I am the same person with the same ideas on any thread I create. But, I do still think that the mysteries need more discussion...

You are right that a certain amount of knowledge makes discourse possible on all kinds of topics. However, I do think that it can be the case when people keep referring to certain theories it is sometimes apparent that they are hiding behind it. I do even wonder sometimes if I read so much to block out my mum thoughts. I don't think I am doing that now so much, but when I had loads of stress at work, I used to spend practically all my days off immersed in my books. But, I do try to read mindfully, rather than as a way of shutting out certain thoughts.

You do seem to be doing a very detailed discussion of The Tao de Ching. It must be one of the longest running threads at present. I have looked at the book briefly but it doesn't seem to be the one I need at the moment, but it may be at some point. But I have always read a lot and have spent so much time in libraries. I remember discovering the shelves on psychology and philosophy when I was about 13. I really wanted to read these books then, and having to study all the range of school subjects was a bit of a nuisance. But, I have not worked since last May so I am able to indulge, and it will miss all the reading time if I get a new job.

Actually, we were talking at cross purposes because I wasn't referring to the film but a really obscure band called The Band of Outsiders. I have hardly watched any films at all but I constantly experiment with all the alternative genres of music, ranging from punk, goth, psyche rock etc.

I think that you are right to say that certain writers are just not meant for us. I think that it is also about reading them at the right moment. I remember how I used to look at Sartre's 'Being and Nothingness' and think that I could not relate to it at all. So, it was a surprise when I began reading it recently and it seemed to really speak to me. It is the same with fiction and it was only about 3 or 4 years ago that I felt able to read Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. However, I can't read all this heavy writing all the time, so I do read gothic fantasy, science fiction and steampunk too.

It is fine. I think that you are going to be busy because you still have your reincarnation thread going. At times I have 2 or even 3 on the go but it can take up a lot of time replying to comments, and it sometimes means that I don't have time to pay much attention to others' threads. I may not get involved in the one you are starting. I am a bit wary of getting too involved on political thread discussions on the site and it is partly the site is online for the public. You are anonymous, but I even have my photo showing. I could have chosen a username, but I chose not to, so I am just aware that what I say is available for anyone to read.

But, if you have any spare moments after your own threads you are more than welcome in the discussion of the mysteries. I can't believe that this thread is still going because it must have been going for about a month.