I have devoted several blogs describing how the process of dualist interaction may occur, at least in part. i have presented evidence (with more to come) of interaction between specified wave forms generated by the cognitive mind of the cerebral cortex and the apical dendritic tufts of the pyramidal tracts of the cerebral modules. synchrony is established between the amplitudes, frequencies, phases and shapes of the incoming, top-down waves and that of the modules acting as “detectors” (per dr. Eccles) with the result that encoded neural action potentials are transmitted along synaptic networks to bring about results.
i am presenting selected excerpts from the book by Dallas Willard, the divine conspiracy: rediscovering our hidden life in god. they relate to the summary above to give testimony to the reality of dualist interaction between the indwelling holy spirit and the spirit and soul of disciples of the living jesus christ.
“if i am jesus’ disciple that means i am with him to learn from him how to be like him. . . . in john 14, he [jesus] goes carefully over the fact that he would soon be taken away from them in the visible human form they had known. then, he explains, another ‘strengthener’ - ‘comforter’ . . . would be active and interactive [italics added] in their lives. . . . the human mind in its now standard form does not, generally speaking, accept as reality what it cannot see. . . . he can, of course, make himself present to the human mind in any way he chooses. but - for good reasons rooted deeply in the nature of the person and of personal relationships - his preferrd way is to speak, to communicate: thus the absolute centrality of scripture to our discipleship. and this, among other things, is the reason why an extensive use of solitude and silence is so basic for growth of the human spirit, for they form an appropriate context for listening and speaking to god. . . . it is absolutely essential that his friends understand in the strongest way possible how he is going to be with them and how they will continue to be his apprentices and co-workers in the kingdom when they no longer see him in the usual sense. . . . but the promise was of a ‘power’ that did not depend upon a visible kingdom. it was to be a power without visible position. . . . the reality of the kingdom life is an inner one, a hidden one, with ‘the father who is in secret.’ . . . thus [the apostle] paul very simply says, ‘all who are interactive with the spirit of god are god’s children’ (rom 8:14). . . . the kingdom of god . . . is inner rightness . . . and peace and joy sustained by the holy spirit. . . . so the kingdom of the heavens . . . is simply our experience of jesus’ continual interaction with us in history and throughout the days, hours, and moments of our eartly existence.”
i am attempting to summarize many of the points documented in the preceding blog posts to make them more understandable. I am incorporating concepts from Sir John C. Eccles that have been introduced in earlier posts. it will be necessary to adjust our perspective of what constitutes the “top down” input from the “higher-order cognitive brain regions,” including the forebrain of the cerebral cortex, rejecting the reductionist perspective of many neuroscientists even today.
over a lifetime neural codes are instantiated within wave forms of action potentials with specific amplitudes, frequencies and also shapes. the codes are archived within pyramidal modules of the cortex, acting as “detectors,” according to Sir Eccles. I am presenting the perspective that the mind of Man is not reducible to or emergent from only the material components of the synaptic networks of the brain. rather, it is immaterial with causal efficacy on synaptic networks, these including the pyramidal modules.
we have read that the wave forms generated by the immaterial mind “seek” synchrony with specific amplitudes, frequencies, etc. in the modules. Sir Eccles describes modules as being either open or closed to this process, open modules ”mapping” with incoming wave forms generated by the mind in a synchronous manner, a most complex process that i have addressed in earlier blogs and in my two books. thereby, encoded wave forms are transmitted along synaptic networks in coherent fashion to communicate purpose and meaning and to initiate action, an activity to instantiate specified information such as movement, communications, ideas, will and intent.
in my blog above, we have seen that “the cognitive mind generates neural oscillations (encoded brain waves)that heavily interact with layer 1 apical tufts of pyramidal columns. So, one can postulate that these are the sites in the superficial layer of the cognitive cortex where interaction between the mind of man (and of god, his holy spirit) happens.
in my earlier writings i have defended the belief that repentant people who accept the reality of the holy spirit receive in our time a personal communion with god’s spirit thanks to the redemption of man through the life, death and resurrection of the god-man jesus christ, who lives. he indwells us, acting through our human spirit and soul/mind to guide us in our lives, serving as our helper and counselor.
i am sharing this summary to justify why i am continuing my research and sharing my findings with readers and visitors to my blogs. i am conveying that our communion with god is real and personal and how, at least in part, this interaction occurs. it is bidirectional. we can pray to god and also hear from him in a number of ways.
to a second AI Overview i posed a similar question and received the following response: “yes, the cognitive mind generates neural oscillations (‘waves’) that directly interact with the layer 1 (L1) apical tufts of pyramidal columns to modulate attention, perception, and conscious awareness.”
the response went further addressing top-down inputs (cognitive driven): “internal context, predictions, memories, and attention signals travel via long-range feedback pathways from higher-order brain regions (like the prefrontal cortex) and the thalamus directly into layer 1. there, they synapse onto the highly branched apical tufts of pyramidal cells.”
from the material reductionism perspective, the “cognitive driven” inputs would emerge solely from the material components of the brain and its synaptic networks. so my question remains, is it possible, or likely, that “top-down inputs” can refer to the immaterial cognitive mind and its capacity to generate wave forms that interact synchronously with the apical dendritic tufts of pyramidal columns? Let us examine more of the response:
“electrical resonance: apical dendrites possess specialized ion channels . . . that make them act like tiny tuning forks. they preferentially resonate at specific oscillatory frequencies . . . allowing the apical tuft to selectively filter out background noise and synchronize (Italics added) only with specific cognitive commands.”
in upcoming blogs i shall refer to the foundational work of john c. eccles concerning pyramidal modules. in summary, modules resonate at specific learned frequencies and amplitudes to enable synchronous interaction with the “specific oscillatory frequencies” generated by the immaterial cognitive mind, the apical dendrites of modules acting as detectors (“tiny tuning forks”).
is it reasonable to posit that it is the immaterial cognitive mind that is the source of causally active “cognitive driven input?” if so, we are seeing dual interactionism between the immaterial mind of man (and of god/holy spirit) and the material components of the neural synaptic networks. more to come. thank you.
in my last blog I stated the following: “in coming blogs i shall address this question in more detail, identifying the possible role of the apical dentritic tufts of pyramidal cells in a dual interactive process.” i am beginning by posting an ai overview response to my question concerning the possibility that the immaterial cognitive mind interacts with the material components of the pyramidal columns, including the apical dendritic tufts: “within mainstream neuroscience, the cognitive mind does not ‘generate specified electromagnetic waves’ that interact back onto neurons through the air or via an external transmission source.” the response continued stating, “while the exact nature of this feedback loop is a heavily researched and debated topic in theoretical neuroscience, it is firmly established that layer 1 apical tufts serve as the primary receiving zones for the top-down signals that modulate this conscious processing.”
these comments confirm two things important to my research. First, mainstream neuroscientists deny the reality of dual interactionism, ATTRIBUTing ALL COGNITIVE ACTIVITY TO THE PHYSIOLOGY AND PHYSICS OF THE MATERIAL BRAIN AND ITS SYNAPTIC NETWORKS, MATERIAL REDUCTIONISM. SECOND, IT HAS BEEN “FIRMLY ESTABLISHED” THAT THERE IS A CRITICAL ROLE OF APICAL DENDRITIC TUFTS IN CONSCIOUS PROCESSING. MY QUESTION IS WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THE “TOP-DOWN SIGNALS” THAT MODULATE IT? SO IT IS MY CHARGE TO PRESENT EVIDENCE FOR DUALISM IN NEURAL PROCESSING AND INTERACTION. THE PREMISE PRESENTED IN MY TWO BOOKS AND NUMEROUS BLOGS IS COMPELLING FOR DUAL INTERACTIONISM, WHICH IS CAUSAL, BETWEEN THE COGNITIVE MIND, AN IMMATERIAL ENTITY, AND THE MATERIAL COMPONENTS OF THE NEURAL SYNAPTIC NETWORKS WHICH TRANSMIT ENCODED ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES WITHIN ACTION POTENTIALS THAT ARE FOUNDATIONAL TO THINKING, CREATIVITY, ATTENTION, MOTOR RESPONSES AND OTHER SUCH NEURAL ACTIVITIES.
PLEASE STAND BY. MUCH MORE TO COME. THANK YOU.
an article by jessica berman appeared in science and health dated february 5, 2012, entitled “decoding brainwaves allows scientists to pry into thoughts.” it is an article that describes the work of neuroscientist robert knight, who heads the u. c. berkley neuroscience center, to create a computer system by which brainwave patterns can be interpreted by an electronic voice synthesizer as audible speech, of benefit to patients who have lost the ability to speak. brainwave patterns are encoded and possess specific amplitude, frequency and shape that reflect words transmitted through neural synaptic pathways. the question to be raised is whether the encoded brainwave patterns detected by electroencephalography are generated by the immaterial mind of a subject and then interact with pyramical tract sensors, or detectors, in the neocortex that in turn transmit encoded brainwave frequencies through synaptic tracks. in coming blogs i shall address this question in more detail, identifying the possible role of the apical dentritic tufts of pyramidal cells in a dual interactive process. pasley hopes that this technology will allow people to talk with their thoughts, or to speak their minds.
i am citing an article from the university of california, berkley dated january 17, 2018 that is featured research entitled “tracking thoughts moving through the brain.” the authors described “a universal signature of activity centered in the prefrontal lobe that links perception and action. it’s the glue of cognition.” using electrocorticography which records from hundreds of electrodes placed on the surface of the exposed brain of epilepsy patients, they detected “activity in the thin outer region, the cortex, where thinking occurs.”
i pose a question based on this finding: how does the “glue of cognition” occuring in the “thin outer region of the cortex” relate to thinking by the immaterial mind and the apical dendritic tufts of the pyramidal neural columns located in this region of the brain? is it a dual interactive relationship? in subsequent blogs i shall comment further on this issue, identifying a probable role of apical dendritic tufts in thinking. please stand by, and thank you.
Scientists Ask, “Is Materialism Holding Science Back?”
June 5, 2026
Philosophy of Science, Scientific Reasoning
That’s the title of a discussion featuring astrophysicist Adam Frank, neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, and biologist Michael Levin, at Institute for Arts and Ideas (IAI)’s YouTube channel:
Display "Is materialism holding science back? | Adam Frank, Lisa Feldman Barrett, Michael Levin" from YouTube
Host Güneş Taylor poses the question to the three:
Does science need to assume a materialist account of the world or might this have fundamental limitations? Could a different metaphysics help science make progress on key questions, from the origin of life to the mysteries of quantum gravity? Or would abandoning materialism risk returning us to the myths of superstition and religion?
Or as IAI summarizes:
For centuries, we’ve assumed that science has banished the transcendent and established that reality is entirely physical. But critics argue there are signs that a rigorous materialism might be holding science back. Increasingly, “emergence” is used to account for everything from consciousness to spacetime — a convenient placeholder for what materialist science may be unable to explain. Physicists like Heisenberg and Hawking concluded that science gives us models of reality, rather than final descriptions of its true nature, while there are scientists working in everything from biology to computer science who suggest that dualism is a productive metaphysical framework for their research. Materialism may have enabled science to reach beyond the dogmas of religion, but there are now those who are restlessly probing the limits of materialism itself.
Says Professor Frank, from the University of Rochester: “Really the only way we get reality is from a perspectival point of view. There is no third-person view of the universe.”
Is materialist dogma a straightjacket? The very fact that a respectable conversation is going on around this question tells us that something has changed.