We discussed Carpenter's book "First Sight: ESP and Parapsychology in Everyday Life", on two recent Truth Perspective episodes:
Carpenter argues that psi (i.e. ESP and PK, and all variations) is the "leading edge" of consciousness. That is, psi is the unconscious mental processes that the mind uses to construct all conscious experience and behavior. It is an essential component of all experience, in addition to sensations and thoughts of various types, like goals, memories, imagination, and values. It operates similar to, and perhaps identically to, normal unconscious mental processes that scientists are aware of and accept as real, like subliminals or primes. Primes are sensory stimuli that affect the body, emotions, and thoughts without the subject's conscious awareness. Just as our conscious thinking uses conscious intentions, unconscious thought operates according to unconscious intentions. Psi is the expression of these unconscious intentions combined with the information gleaned from beyond the boundaries of the senses. For example, PK events often express the unconscious emotions and intentions of the PK subject as in poltergeist cases (ESP information is also always important in one way or another, even if it's just to score a hit in an ESP test).
Psi has an expressive, 'afferent' side (psychokinesis) and a receptive, 'efferent' side (ESP). PK specifically is the expression of nonsensory information (e.g., in meaningful behaviors of physical objects or systems), and ESP is the impression of nonsensory information (e.g., in the form of meaningful images, dreams, hunches).
First Sight theory is based on two fundamental premises:
1) Mind is unbounded in nature, and interacts unconsciously with an "extended universe of meaning" in time and space, actively and receptively.
By unbounded, he means that there is no clear edge between the mind and the wider world. The two are coextensive, yet each mind is still individual. The unconscious mind is constantly scanning and grasping for relevant meanings in a vast sea of nonsensory information in order to create conscious experience and meaning that is relevant to the organism in question. Carpenter writes:
Organisms are not stimulus-response machines, and mental processes are not mechanical and impersonal in nature; they are always personal and goal-directed in nature. Thoughts don't mechanically proceed from one to another. Rather, each thought is chosen after consulting all the relevant information in accordance with an aim. This process is only 'mechanical' to the degree that it occurs unconsciously. But even then it is a purposeful, intentional process. Carpenter writes:
This is also what Jordan Peterson is talking about when he points out that we do not perceive facts. Something mysterious weights some of the facts as more important than others. We wouldn't be able to perceive ANYTHING if we weren't able to somehow weight things according to a hierarchy of value. It's how we perceive objects, sense things to be important, and choose (consciously or not) to behave in this particular way as opposed to all those other particular ways. It is a constant holistic process of selecting the aspects of reality that are relevant, and the action to be taken based on the strongest intentions of the moment.
2) Experience and behavior are made up of purposeful, unconscious processes acting upon multiple streams of information (theoretically ALL information), which the unconscious mind is constantly scanning and evaluating. This process is mediated by unconscious intentions and contextual appraisal, that is, those things which are personally desirable and beneficial in the specific situation. And it does this rapidly, holistically, and efficiently, bringing only the most useful information to consciousness and behavior. It prepares the organism for what comes next, anticipates, and points in a particular direction.
There are several corollaries of the theory that will have to wait for another post.
Carpenter breaks down the construction of consciousness into four phases:
a) nonsensory anticipation (and/or elicitation). He likens this process to that of a prophet - he knows something is coming. In this phase, all nonsensory information is rapidly evaluated in terms of how likely it is and its relevance (he calls this 'weighting'). In essence 'everything' is reduced down to 'this one important thing'. This is the function of psi, to orient us toward this or away from that, to impel us in this direction or that direction.
b) subliminal sensation. He likens this one to an artist, sensing the vague impression that something is interesting. Intention is focused on the relevant sensations, preparing the body and mind unconsciously for what is to come.
c) sensation. This is the scientist, who focuses on the relevant sensory data and attempts to construe it.
d) perception/experience. This is just the ordinary person, experiencing a complete perception as we all know it.
Carpenter gives an example, in reverse chronological order:
Those are just some of the basics. More later. But overall, what he is saying about consciousness is that its purpose is to focus on the most useful thing at any given moment, and that usefulness is judged in terms of the intentions of that moment. There will be more general, universal intentions, as well as more individual ones. For example, he gives his view on the more universal ones:
You could say we have some basic biological, emotional/social, and cognitive values and intentions. These guide our perception and our behaviors (which is not to say they are always correct).
Thinking of consciousness in these terms has wide implications, as Carpenter shows in the book, and even in areas beyond what he writes about. For instance, it has implications for basic cognitive processes: attention, memory, association, creativity, perception, values. As well as personality development and psychotherapy (pathogenic beliefs caused by trauma, mental illness, knowledge of self through the understanding of unconscious intentions and potentially changing those unconscious intentions and beliefs). And of course for psi itself: what is it, what is its function, how does it work, why does it present in the ways it does (often allusive or metaphorical in nature), and how does it relate to other aspects of psychology. And wider issues: what does it imply for things like evolution?
- The Truth Perspective: First Sight: Why Psi Is the Root of Consciousness
- The Truth Perspective: The Hidden Role of Psi in Psychotherapy - and Evolution?
Carpenter argues that psi (i.e. ESP and PK, and all variations) is the "leading edge" of consciousness. That is, psi is the unconscious mental processes that the mind uses to construct all conscious experience and behavior. It is an essential component of all experience, in addition to sensations and thoughts of various types, like goals, memories, imagination, and values. It operates similar to, and perhaps identically to, normal unconscious mental processes that scientists are aware of and accept as real, like subliminals or primes. Primes are sensory stimuli that affect the body, emotions, and thoughts without the subject's conscious awareness. Just as our conscious thinking uses conscious intentions, unconscious thought operates according to unconscious intentions. Psi is the expression of these unconscious intentions combined with the information gleaned from beyond the boundaries of the senses. For example, PK events often express the unconscious emotions and intentions of the PK subject as in poltergeist cases (ESP information is also always important in one way or another, even if it's just to score a hit in an ESP test).
Psi has an expressive, 'afferent' side (psychokinesis) and a receptive, 'efferent' side (ESP). PK specifically is the expression of nonsensory information (e.g., in meaningful behaviors of physical objects or systems), and ESP is the impression of nonsensory information (e.g., in the form of meaningful images, dreams, hunches).
First Sight theory is based on two fundamental premises:
1) Mind is unbounded in nature, and interacts unconsciously with an "extended universe of meaning" in time and space, actively and receptively.
By unbounded, he means that there is no clear edge between the mind and the wider world. The two are coextensive, yet each mind is still individual. The unconscious mind is constantly scanning and grasping for relevant meanings in a vast sea of nonsensory information in order to create conscious experience and meaning that is relevant to the organism in question. Carpenter writes:
By way of introduction, we can say that we propose that organisms exist and transact continually in an extended, nonlocal universe, that the mind thinks unconsciously about all of these transactions along with other unconscious transactions, that this unconscious thinking produces consciousness and other goal-directed experience, that all such thought serves the need to predict and control a personal future, and that empirical elucidations of the rules of unconscious thinking must include an articulation of the patterns governing psi processes.
Organisms are not stimulus-response machines, and mental processes are not mechanical and impersonal in nature; they are always personal and goal-directed in nature. Thoughts don't mechanically proceed from one to another. Rather, each thought is chosen after consulting all the relevant information in accordance with an aim. This process is only 'mechanical' to the degree that it occurs unconsciously. But even then it is a purposeful, intentional process. Carpenter writes:
Experiences and behaviors are caused by unconscious processes, but these processes are not impersonally mechanical. They are highly personal, always guided by one's particular unconscious intentions, goals, and aversions. What makes our experience? We do, but we do it unconsciously.
This is also what Jordan Peterson is talking about when he points out that we do not perceive facts. Something mysterious weights some of the facts as more important than others. We wouldn't be able to perceive ANYTHING if we weren't able to somehow weight things according to a hierarchy of value. It's how we perceive objects, sense things to be important, and choose (consciously or not) to behave in this particular way as opposed to all those other particular ways. It is a constant holistic process of selecting the aspects of reality that are relevant, and the action to be taken based on the strongest intentions of the moment.
2) Experience and behavior are made up of purposeful, unconscious processes acting upon multiple streams of information (theoretically ALL information), which the unconscious mind is constantly scanning and evaluating. This process is mediated by unconscious intentions and contextual appraisal, that is, those things which are personally desirable and beneficial in the specific situation. And it does this rapidly, holistically, and efficiently, bringing only the most useful information to consciousness and behavior. It prepares the organism for what comes next, anticipates, and points in a particular direction.
There are several corollaries of the theory that will have to wait for another post.
Carpenter breaks down the construction of consciousness into four phases:
a) nonsensory anticipation (and/or elicitation). He likens this process to that of a prophet - he knows something is coming. In this phase, all nonsensory information is rapidly evaluated in terms of how likely it is and its relevance (he calls this 'weighting'). In essence 'everything' is reduced down to 'this one important thing'. This is the function of psi, to orient us toward this or away from that, to impel us in this direction or that direction.
b) subliminal sensation. He likens this one to an artist, sensing the vague impression that something is interesting. Intention is focused on the relevant sensations, preparing the body and mind unconsciously for what is to come.
c) sensation. This is the scientist, who focuses on the relevant sensory data and attempts to construe it.
d) perception/experience. This is just the ordinary person, experiencing a complete perception as we all know it.
Carpenter gives an example, in reverse chronological order:
D. I see X (an attributed understanding of an experience), and I think about it.
C. Just prior to that, I experience a collection of sensations that I attempt to construe.
B. Just prior to that, sensations register subliminally.
A. Just prior to that, an extrasensory anticipation of the event (and/or a psychokinetic elicitation of the event) initiates the perceptual process.
Those are just some of the basics. More later. But overall, what he is saying about consciousness is that its purpose is to focus on the most useful thing at any given moment, and that usefulness is judged in terms of the intentions of that moment. There will be more general, universal intentions, as well as more individual ones. For example, he gives his view on the more universal ones:
In the case of human beings, it is more adequate to think of these needs as "intentions" rather than blind "forces".
1. We want to continue to live, and to live happily and freely, so we also want to avoid potential danger, pain, and confinement.
2. We want to maintain harmonious and fruitful relations with our interpersonal network, so we also want to avoid conflict, shame, and guilt.
3. We want to maintain adequate control over our circumstances and a well-functioning predictive understanding of events, so we also want to avoid confusion, identity diffusion, the invalidation of core constructs, and a loss of freedom to explore and investigate.
You could say we have some basic biological, emotional/social, and cognitive values and intentions. These guide our perception and our behaviors (which is not to say they are always correct).
Thinking of consciousness in these terms has wide implications, as Carpenter shows in the book, and even in areas beyond what he writes about. For instance, it has implications for basic cognitive processes: attention, memory, association, creativity, perception, values. As well as personality development and psychotherapy (pathogenic beliefs caused by trauma, mental illness, knowledge of self through the understanding of unconscious intentions and potentially changing those unconscious intentions and beliefs). And of course for psi itself: what is it, what is its function, how does it work, why does it present in the ways it does (often allusive or metaphorical in nature), and how does it relate to other aspects of psychology. And wider issues: what does it imply for things like evolution?