By Frank Huguenard
Is There a ‘Bubble’ Within Science, that is Overdue for a Correction?
In the 90s, the dot com bubble was the result of an imbalance between stock value and the intrinsic value of a company and this bubble burst with a market collapse that brought with it a correction. In 2008, there was a housing bubble that collapsed, bringing on an economic correction. We see such bubbles in different parts of society but is it possible that science itself is due for a course correction? Did science take a wrong turn in the not too distant past that has created an unsustainable imbalance between the academic worldview of the material world and the true nature of reality? A new documentary film, The Physics of The Soul, takes a look at this question and poses the inquiry, have we’ve reconciled the connection between consciousness and the physical world inappropriately?
The prevailing viewpoint of most orthodox scientists is that consciousness is somehow produced by the brain through some unexplained process involving electrical impulses and chemical reactions. However, is this view the correct view? Evidence from the research into the fields of Reincarnation, Near Death Experiences (NDE), Out of Body Experiences (OBE), Retro-causation, pre-sentience, telepathy and many other areas of consciousness studies suggest that consciousness is non-local and not produced in the brain. Unfortunately, these studies are inadmissible in the court of orthodox science because these theories don’t meet the gold standard of falsifiability.
So what does that mean? The way that science is currently configured, theories are developed about various phenomena and to determine if these scientific theories are legitimate or not we ask if we can create testable predictions with them. In other words, if a theory can’t be tested for incorrectness, it’s not considered a valid theory. For example, Richard Dawkins’ theory of The Selfish Gene isn’t falsifiable (by his own admission) so therefore, it’s not a legitimate scientific theory. Similarly, since Reincarnation, NDEs, OBEs and other unexplained phenomena are theories that can’t be falsified, they are disqualified for usage in any scientific debate.
So if we’re going to engage in a discussion with scientists about consciousness, we need to understand that in order to do so, we must do it on their terms. To be fair, the first thing we need to do is establish that this idea that consciousness is produced by the brain, is merely a theory rather than an accepted fact. If we’re going to cross examine orthodox science, it’s important that we use the tools available to us within the scientific framework to move forward. Part of the enormous challenge in developing a theory for how the brain interfaces with consciousness is coming up with an agreed upon and accepted definition for what consciousness itself is. While there may be consensus amongst orthodox scientists that consciousness is manufactured by the brain, there is no real consensus for what consciousness actually is or how to define it.
That said, while we don’t have any reasonable or rational hypothesis for how the brain creates consciousness (or even what consciousness is), we can still make testable predictions with this theory. If consciousness is a byproduct of electrical impulses and chemical reactions in our brains, we can predict
- It should be impossible for a person to reach out into the future and gather information
- It should be impossible for a person to reach out non-locally and gather information
- It should be impossible for one person to affect another person’s physiology at a distance
- It should be impossible for a person to affect the material realm with their minds alone
- It should be impossible for a person to interact with another person’s mind
And yet all of these predictions have failed in hundreds of studies employing rigorous, independently verified controlled experiments. Researchers such as Daryl Bem, Dick Bierman, Robert Jahn, J.B. Rhine, Dean Radin, William Braud and many others have conducted hundreds of peer reviewed, independently verified studies that consistently falsify the notion that consciousness is manufactured by the brain.
Furthermore, by falsifying this materialistic perspective for reality that is currently the standard view held by orthodox scientists, the researchers in the field of consciousness studies have inadvertently falsified the gold standard for legitimate science itself. In other words, not only does science need to make a course correction with regards to the nature of consciousness as it relates to our physical world, but it also needs to make a course correction with respect to using falsifiability as the litmus test for qualification of a valid scientific theory.
The implications of this possible mistake within the academic community regarding the nature of consciousness are enormous. Everything from biology, psychology, education, medicine and sociology to academics and research grants & funding are all based on this potentially erroneous assumption. It’s not hyperbole to suggest that the future of our planet and our species is at stake here.
The Physics of the Soul is a new documentary film which takes a look at consciousness in the context of Orthodox Science and creates a clear, logical and compelling argument that consciousness simply isn’t just the exception to the rule in science, consciousness IS the rule. The basic premise of the film, which is the first in a ten part series on Healing & Science, is that in order for us to get a much deeper understanding for how healing actually works, we’re going to need a much more comprehensive understanding for what life and consciousness are, outside of the limited reductionistic belief that contemporary science permits.
The film is available on a rental basis for a nominal fee at beyondmefilms.com with 100% of the proceeds going towards producing subsequent installments in the series.
See Also: Scientific Journal articles on the film from:
Frank Huguenard holds a degree in science from Purdue University and has spent decades in product development in Silicon Valley prior to embarking on a career in documentary film production. He draws on his research in the fields of combination of psychology, physics, wisdom traditions, sociology and history. You can see his films at www.beyondmefilms.com.
