Pamela Venerdrow Lucas, Michelle Fauver
ObjectiveThis qualitative study examined the creation stories from a cross-section of cultures and traditions to determine whether there are important similarities. MethodsThematic analysis was conducted with 15 creation stories from 11 traditions. Initial coding was reviewed to develop themes, which were then recursively applied to the stories to find further examples and refine definitions....
Neuropsychobiology
H Herzog, V R Lele, T Kuwert et al.
Using positron emission tomography (PET), measurements of the regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRGlc) are able to delineate cerebral metabolic responses to external or mental stimulation. In order to examine possible changes of brain metabolism due to Yoga meditation PET scans were performed in 8 members of a Yoga meditation group during the normal control state (C) and Yoga...
Péter Simor, Miha Likar, Teodóra Vékony et al.
preprint
Mind wandering, the experience when attention drifts away from the current task and engages in spontaneous thoughts is generally labeled as a mental liability with a robust negative impact on cognitive performance. Despite its established cognitive costs, the potential benefits of mind wandering remain elusive. Nonetheless, an emerging line of studies suggest that although mind wandering...
Deyan Shopin
preprint
The mind–body problem remains a central unresolved issue in contemporary cognitive science. Although research on hemispheric asymmetry has yielded extensive knowledge about neural specialization and functional localization, it provides limited explanatory power for how lateralized neural processes become expressed as observable embodied behavior. Existing approaches typically treat bodily...
Marcus Arvan
preprint
This paper provides an elegant proof of mind-body dualism. I show, first, that all properties known to humankind, aside from qualitative properties of consciousness (and perhaps numerical properties), are fundamentally relational in nature. I then show that relational properties are, at least in principle, always fully describable in language. Finally, I point out that qualitative properties of...
David Carhart
In 1953, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began the project MK-ULTRA, a dedicated effort to pursue enhanced interrogation methods and explore the possibility of "mind control" --- a process by which people could be compelled to act against their own will and interests. This project built on Project Bluebird and Artichoke, CIA projects focused on chemical warfare, and the then-novel...
Avelino Carlos Diaz
This work presents an informational ontology of the mind that integrates cognitive architecture, collective dynamics, and metaphysical foundations into a unified framework. A single substrate—Immanence—is postulated, operating in two functionally distinct modes, together with a minimal unit of differentiated consciousness—the Monad—whose interaction with neurobiological systems produces the...
Pavel Straňák
preprint
Large language models (LLMs) have made visible a long‑standing philosophical tension: sophisticated symbolic cognition can arise from large‑scale pattern extraction even in the absence of consciousness. This observation motivates a minimalist conceptual framework grounded in an ontological distinction between conscious regulation and symbolic structures. Language is treated as a crystallized...
Giulia Parola, Catherine I. Andreu, Valerie Bonnelle et al.
preprint
Abstract Self-transcendent experiences, characterized by reduced self-focus and a sense of connection to something greater than oneself, have been linked to positive mental-health outcomes. However, existing induction methods, such as meditation, require sustained training, while pharmacological approaches (e.g., psychedelics) raise legal and ethical issues. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as...
J.H. Van Hateren
preprint
This book provides a comprehensive overview of my recent theoretical work that aims to explain some of the more puzzling properties of life and mind, in particular agency, goal-directedness and consciousness. It contains published papers as well as new material. Table of contents: Preface - PART I: GROUNDWORK - 1. Introduction - 2. The basic mechanism - 3. Inclusive and extensive fitness - 4....