This paper advances a cognition-first approach to artificial intelligence, examining distinguishable states, the selection of outputs, the limits of human-centered criteria, and the distinction between cognition and phenomenal consciousness. It argues that AI cognition warrants direct investigation without presuming that cognitive capability establishes subjective experience, and that...
Conscious processing is associated with coordinated interactions among distributed neural systems, yet the biological constraints that enable and sustain large-scale neural integration remain incompletely understood. Contemporary theories emphasize computational, informational, and network mechanisms, while the potential contribution of systems-level energetic organization has received...
Meditation is a contemplative practice associated with self-awareness, emotional regulation, and spiritual development. Among its diverse traditions, Rajyoga meditation, as taught by the Brahma Kumaris, emphasizes soul consciousness, self-realization, positive thinking, and a conscious relationship with the Supreme Soul. This conceptual paper examines the philosophical foundations, central...
We know that biology’s almost astronomical complexity can, in principle, be explained by the paradigm of natural selection, together with John Holland’s new paradigm of an emergent hierarchy of increasingly complex adaptive systems (CASs). This paper shows that these two paradigms might also explain conscious experience, an explanation that, though anticipated by the narratologist Bernini, has...
The stream of consciousness technique discussed in this study is used by Virginia Woolf in To the Lighthouse. The paper examines the impact of the narrative style on character and subject matter in Woolf's work and its relation to the cultural and historical context of early-twentieth-century England, using modernist literary theory and a close, interpretive reading. The analysis is based on...
Debates about whether conscious mental states can cause any physical or mental events have traditionally been about human beings; non-human animals (hereafter ‘animals’) are rarely the focus. This is understandable as studying animal minds has proven difficult. I cannot experience an animal’s phenomenology, I cannot ask an animal what beliefs and intentions she has, and I cannot know why an...
Spiritual life is evolving rapidly, digital platforms are spreading religious speech, and religious authority is shifting from institutions to individual voices. In this context, shaṭaḥāt (ecstatic utterance) tests modern readers' intellectual, theological, and psychological boundaries. This study analyzes how al-Fayḍ al-Raḥmānī (2007 A.D./1428 H), a manāqib text by Achmad Asrori al-Ishaqy used...
Psychedelics are widely used outside clinical settings.We need psychedelic epidemiology to learn more about the risks and benefits of recreational use.In their article titled 'Persistent Altered States: Psychological Treatment of Psychedelic Adverse Effects' , Holmøy and Andersen (2025) present a clinically focused overview of the phenomenology and symptoms of mental health problems a er...
Abstract: The concept of an “invisible hand” driving lexical-semantic change is deeply entrenched in contemporary cognitive linguistics and sociolinguistics. That said, numerous instances of sociocultural significance reveal identifiable visible factors that influence these changes. This article examines the semantic evolution of the word soznaniye ‘consciousness’ from the early nineteenth...
Abstract This article, drawn from a keynote panel discussion at the 2026 International Association of Community Development (IACD) Glasgow Conference marking 60 years of the Community Development Journal, explores the foundations, frontiers and futures of community development practice. It pursues two interwoven arguments. The first traces the critical-radical foundations of the field—from its...