Source: “A TOPOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE HARD PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS: THE PRIBRAM–BOHM HOLOFLUX THEORY”, 2016 by Shelli Renée Joye.
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This podcast explores a topological approach to the hard problem of consciousness, proposing the Pribram–Bohm holoflux theory. This model, drawing on the work of Karl Pribram and David Bohm, suggests consciousness flows between an implicate order (a non-local, frequency domain) and an explicate order (our familiar space-time). The paper also examines related theories, like Sheldrake's morphic resonance and László's holofield, finding congruence and suggesting consciousness might be fundamental rather than merely a product of brain activity, potentially connecting to a realm beyond traditional scientific understanding through concepts like the Fourier transform and Planck limits.
1. The Hard Problem of Consciousness: This topic addresses the central challenge posed by David Chalmers: understanding why physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience, or the feeling of what it's like to be conscious. Chalmers initially linked experience to information processing but questioned why this processing should lead to a rich inner life, suggesting it seems "objectively unreasonable." The source paper posits that Chalmers may have initially conflated experience with information processing, potentially addressing the hard problem of mind rather than consciousness itself. It argues against the view that consciousness is merely an epiphenomenon arising from brain activity, suggesting instead that consciousness may be fundamental, similar to physics regarding space. The paper challenges common assumptions in consciousness research, such as limiting consciousness to human experience or the space-time continuum, pointing to evidence from mystical experiences, dream states, and the work of psychonauts like John Lilly that suggests consciousness can exist and be explored beyond normal space and time. The Pribram-Bohm holoflux theory is presented as a model to address this hard problem by offering a topological framework for understanding consciousness in the universe, countering epiphenomenalist views.
2. The Pribram-Bohm Holoflux Theory: This is the core model presented in the source, developed by integrating the work of neuroscientist Karl Pribram and theoretical physicist David Bohm. The theory proposes a topological approach to consciousness, viewing it not as a product of the brain alone but as a fundamental aspect of the universe. It models consciousness as an energy process characterized by an "undivided flowing movement without borders," drawing on Bohm's concept of the "holomovement" and Pribram's proposed term "holoflux." The central idea is a two-way flow or transformation of consciousness between two primary domains: the implicate order and the explicate order. This continuous, interconnected cycle involves consciousness, expressed as holoflux energy in the non-local implicate order, transforming into "things" and "events" in the local space-time explicate order. Conversely, information generated by interactions in space-time folds back into the implicate order. This hypothesis is seen as supporting both local phenomena observed in the cosmos and non-local phenomena. The model is diagrammed showing the transformation between these two regions.
3. The Implicate and Explicate Orders: Derived from David Bohm's ontological interpretation of quantum theory, this concept is foundational to the Pribram-Bohm holoflux model. The explicate order is described as the observable, material space-time domain where phenomena like matter, events, and conventional physical processes occur. It is the world of separate "things" and localized interactions. The implicate order, in contrast, is a deeper, non-local, and transcendent reality existing beyond space and time. In this order, everything is enfolded and interconnected; it is a totality, a ground out of which the explicate order is projected. The Pribram-Bohm theory adopts this framework, positing that consciousness operates within and mediates between these two orders. Holoflux energy from the implicate order resonates with electromagnetic energy in the explicate, manifesting as the perceived world. Information from the explicate order simultaneously folds back into the implicate, where, lacking spatial or temporal separation, different places and times are merged, allowing for non-local connections and the influence of past forms on the present. The boundary between these orders is identified with the Planck length limit of space.
4. The Role of the Fourier Transform: The Fourier transform, a mathematical tool used in signal analysis to translate between a space-time domain and a frequency domain, is central to Pribram's holonomic mind/brain theory and is incorporated into the Pribram-Bohm model as the proposed mechanism linking the implicate and explicate orders. Karl Pribram's research led him to hypothesize that the brain processes information, including memory and visual perception, holographically by performing Fourier transformations on sensory input, operating within a "frequency domain" within the brain's dendritic networks. The source extends this idea, suggesting the Fourier transform is not just a mathematical concept but mirrors a fundamental cosmological relationship. It acts as a bridge or "mediator" between the spectral (frequency/implicate) domain and the space-time (explicate) domain. Located at the boundary defined by Planck's constant, this two-way transform process translates spectral density or "in-formation" (from the implicate) into matter or "ex-formation" (in the explicate), and information from space-time folds back into the spectral domain. This transform is seen as crucial for the unfolding and enfolding processes between the two orders.
5. The Holofield/Akashic Concept and Universal Memory/Non-locality: The Pribram-Bohm model is presented as congruent with other paradigms, including Ervin László's holofield theory and Rupert Sheldrake's morphic resonance. László's theory posits two dimensions: the M-dimension (material, space-time, equivalent to Bohm's explicate) and the A-dimension (Akasha, outside space-time, equivalent to Bohm's implicate and Pribram's frequency domain). The A-dimension is described as an information field or the "Akashic record," acting as a universal memory that conserves and conveys information. This A-dimension dynamically interacts with the M-dimension, providing blueprints and recording changes. This concept supports Sheldrake's morphic resonance theory, where past forms tend to be repeated. In the context of the holoflux theory, morphic resonance is explained as information conserved in the A-dimension (implicate order) that acts as a natural "attractor" or blueprint, influencing manifestation in the M-dimension (explicate order). Non-locality is a key feature supported by this framework, as the implicate order/A-dimension exists beyond space and time, allowing information or influence to interpenetrate and connect things everywhere. László suggests this A-field might be the quantum vacuum itself, a fundamental information-carrying field interconnecting all things nonlocally. While László draws on ancient concepts like Akasha and practices like yoga, linking his scientific theory to non-scientific traditions, the core idea aligns with a non-local, information-rich domain driving phenomena in the material world.
1. What is the "hard problem of consciousness" and how does the Pribram-Bohm holoflux theory address it?
The "hard problem of consciousness," as formulated by David Chalmers, asks why physical processing should give rise to subjective, rich inner life at all. It questions the qualitative aspect of conscious experience that seems objectively unreasonable to emerge from mere information processing. The Pribram-Bohm holoflux theory addresses this by proposing a topological model where consciousness is not merely an epiphenomenon of the brain (arising from physical processing in space-time) but is instead a fundamental energy process that transforms between non-local and local regions. It suggests that consciousness in its fundamental form exists in a non-local domain (the implicate order or frequency domain) and is expressed or "extruded" into the space-time material domain (the explicate order). This reframes consciousness as a primary reality, not a byproduct of physical systems, thus offering a potential solution to the "why" of subjective experience.
2. What are the two main sources of evidence the Pribram-Bohm holoflux theory draws from?