The Unification of Mind and Matter: A Proposed Scientific Model

W. C. Gough & R.L. Shacklett


ABSTRACT
This paper outlines a proposed scientific model with the goal of stimulating a new vision towards resolving the Mind-matter question. Scientific is defined to mean that the "parts" or links already exist as useful concepts in the scientific community. The model with supporting evidence will propose that a connection exists between the realms of Mind and matter and that this connection can be understood in terms of existing scientific concepts without invoking any new interactions or "particles." To consider the proposed unification of Mind and matter, it will be necessary to highlight potential underlying belief systems and the assumptions they entail.

The paper will first examine the Mind-matter boundary of space-time from the side that physics is concerned about, being careful to point out that we are using a tool of the mind -- mathematics -- in the process. The paper will illustrate that the boundary is permeable, more like a sponge than the solid wall that conventional science has believed in for so long.

Next the paper will take a look at what lies beyond space-time, realizing that this time there is little scientific tradition on which to base the argument that Mind has any connection to physical world of space-time. However, the individual strands of evidence will be woven together until they hopefully become persuasive. This will include the work of Carl Jung and Wolfgang Pauli on archetypes, the relation of the archetypal hypothesis to "number," and modern research on the "hidden" meaning of the ancient sacred alphabets and sacred texts.

Once the realms of matter and Mind have been covered and the linkage established, the dynamics across the linkage will be discussed assuming a self-referencing cosmos in which feedback processes abound. Evidence will be provided from the familiar physical world to support this assumption. To appreciate how the model helps us better understand our individual reality, the nature of human perception will be examined. The concepts of the model will then be extended, and its implications to our world of everyday life will be explored with emphasis upon the connection between the mind and the brain/body complex in health and illness. The model will be used to illustrate the underlying basis for some of the ancient and modern body and mind healing techniques.

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