The Brain Models Reality

The brain is not simple.  It has many parts.  Reality is even trickier since commonly us human beings (at least us mere mortals) perceive reality through the instrument of our brain, as manifested by the mind.  Perhaps that is what Bob Dylan was alluding to in the song Cold Iron Bounds: “Reality has always had too many heads.”  I am writing this piece to suggest that from our western objective and scientific point of view we can make some statements about the brain, essential nature of human beings, and nature of reality that may be helpful to move us past the current mess that this world is in.  After all, we appear to be products of evolution and being an optimist, I believe that we can hopefully apply our intelligence in a positive way. The objective would be to improve the mental hygiene of society by understanding the fundamental nature of existence through the tools of Science, together with application of Eastern Concepts embedded in Buddhist philosophy and other Eastern disciplines (meditation, yoga, mindfulness, etc.)  Along these lines, there is a beautiful article by the Dalai Lama entitled Science at the Crossroads wherein he notes the compatibility of science and scientific discovery with the Buddhist contemplative tradition.  Practical applications of scientific and medical advances in neuroscience may in turn help advance societal mental health and cultivate compassion akin to Buddhist goals. In the words of the Dalai Lama:

If it turns out, as the Buddhist tradition implies, that mental practice can effect observable synaptic and neural changes in the brain, this could have far-reaching implications. The repercussions of such research will not be confined simply to expanding our knowledge of the human mind; but, perhaps more importantly, they could have great significance for our understanding of education and mental health. Similarly, if, as the Buddhist tradition claims, the deliberate cultivation of compassion can lead to a radical shift in the individual’s outlook, leading to greater empathy toward others, this could have far-reaching implications for society at large.

The concept, “The Brain Models Reality,“ stemmed from reading Michio Kaku’s book (he is a theoretical physicist) The Future of the Mind which is a book about developments in understanding the brain.  The term “mind” is loosely used referring to the mental process of the brain as viewed by the person (my take).   Kaku defines consciousness as:

“…the process of creating a model of the world using multiple feedback loops in various parameters (e.g., in temperature, space, time and in relation to others), in order to accomplish a goal (e.g., find mates, food, shelter). “

Here is Michio Kaku describing his ideas, which he calls his theory of space-time-consciousness.

He also goes on to define the term (human) self-awareness.

“Self-awareness is creating a model of the world and simulating the future in which you appear. “

So here you have it, the brain itself is a modeling tool and it models essentially all that there is in the physical world within the sensory limitations of the body. So fundamentally it is all “mind stuff” as we can never truly hug or touch anything. The fundamental nature of our brain’s projections is a simulation of reality. One definition of a model is that it is an approximation (or can be a simulation) of a system that is either too difficult or impossible to display directly.  Refinement of the term model to scientific model might help the reader understand where I am coming from.  But the magic comes when you consider that the simulation itself, the brain’s model, the signals and patterns you see feel and manipulate, is something extraordinary and special.  “We” are part of the subject-object process and, yes, when that tree falls in the middle of the forest and you are there, it is different than when you are not.  This mind stuff, consciousness if you want to call it that, is unique and all that we really know.  Yet, we hardly seem to know it at all.  Perhaps the great Zen Master Huangbo (also known as Huang Po) referring to the Mind was trying to convey something similar:

Stepping around, for now, recent theories regarding consciousness and quantum physics (there are some brilliant minds out there!), I will just say that there are forces and energies much greater than us, keeping in mind that Buddhists believe there is no separate self. Conventionally speaking we can call these energies and forces the “external world.” It is the world where we might encounter our true love, or the barrel of a gun.   But if there is no separate self, then perhaps it is not so far fetched to infer no true separation between the “inner” and “outer” world at some level, offering us the opportunity to reach what the Buddha called the other shore.