Please see Part Three of “Waves in Our Brains” below, now posted for your reference.

Waves in Our Brains, Part Three

I am posting a new third part of the blog, “Waves in Our Brains,” previously posted in two parts.  My research continues, and I find it important to supplement what I shared in that two-part blog in relation to the hypothesis I recorded in my first book, Nerve Endings of the Soul: Interaction between the Mind of God and the Mind of Man through Neural Synaptic Networks. I will continue to expand on this third part in subsequent blogs, drawing from both neuroscientific literature and applicable Scripture.

The Hypothesis

The Mind of the personal God interacts with the immaterial mind of Man by the atoning grace of God through the living Jesus Christ in our time.  His Holy Spirit indwells a receptive, repentant human spirit with the power to interact with the chemical neural synaptic network of the cerebral cortex, the predominate site for cognition.  Synaptic transmission is stochastic, and it proposed that a nonmaterial energy from the Mind of God induces the synaptic transmission of specified information to the mind of Man by quantum tunneling across presynaptic vesicular grids and synaptic clefts.  Information specified in variable expressions is transmitted with a statistically small probability and is distributed through synaptic networks as encoded spike trains of action potentials, a mechanism without violation of the energy conservation law.  The human mind has the unique capacity to interpret meaning and purpose within the linguistic neural codes developed through lifelong learning and archived in memory.

Expansion of The Hypothesis

Drawing upon the blog posts composed from my more recent studies, the content of my books and from books by Stephen C. Meyer and William A. Dembski, I am expanding on the hypothesis presented above.  

Stephen Meyer discusses a universal wave function that is resident in the Mind of God (Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries that Reveal the Mind behind the Universe).  It existed before the beginning of time, space, energy and matter and consisted of all possible wave forms of position and momentum, amplitude, frequency and shape in a vast probability distribution.  By God’s design He selected specific wave forms from all the possible presentations of the universal wave function to actualize His goals for the design, structure, fine tuning, meaning and purpose of the universe as well as for sustaining it over time.  It is the process by which He selected wave forms to transmit specified information content for the creation of human life, including the immaterial, cognitive mind of human beings and its interaction with the physical human brain.  It is an outcome that provides for personal communion between mankind and with God.

It is the selection of outcomes derived from the universal wave function that defines specification, the process by which information generated via the Mind of God has been actualized within His creations by His will and design. The outcomes chosen have small probabilities, or put another way, are improbable considering the infinite options God has had from within the universal wave function.  A nondeterministic universe as given by quantum mechanics is informationally open, and in previous blog posts and in my books we have seen how quantum mechanics applies to the dualist interaction between the immaterial mind and the material synaptic networks of the physical human brain.  To quote William A. Dembski, “Such a universe will produce . . . random events [from which are chosen by a mind’s intent] patterns [Italics added] of events that stand out against the backdrop of randomness (as a signal stands out from noise).  Such patterns . . . could reasonably be interpreted as constituting novel information inputted from outside the system.  Accordingly, in a nondeterministic universe, divine action could impart information into matter without violating any physical laws by which matter operates.” Dembski goes further, stating, “Nondeterminism means that God can substantively affect the structure and dynamics of the physical world by imparting information . . . a nondeterministic universe can be informationally porous and thus open to action by a deity able to impart information without imparting material [Italics added] energy.  Quantum mechanics, when interpreted as a fundamentally probabilistic theory, offers such a picture of the universe, allowing God free play at the quantum level” (Being as Communion: A Metaphysics of Information, Ashgate, 2014 and my books).  As discussed in “Waves in Our Brains” the most recent research in neuroscience is identifying how waves are transmitted via quantum tunneling through the synaptic networks of the human brain in the form of linguistic neural codes, or patterns.  The waves emanate from the immaterial, cognitive mind of humans and from the Mind of God.  By causal interaction with the networks of the brain outcomes result with meaning and purpose.

In his book Meyer cited these comments made by Dembski: “Systems, sequences, or events that exhibit two characteristics at the same time – extreme improbability and a special kind of pattern called a ‘specification” – indicate prior intelligent activity.  According to Dembski, extremely improbable events that also exhibit ‘an independently recognizable pattern’ or set of functional requirements, what he calls ‘specification,’ invariably result from intelligent causes, not chance or physicochemical laws.”  Meyer states that “our uniform experience affirms that specified or functional information . . . always arises from an intelligent source, from a mind [that is immaterial].”  And we now understand that the ultimate Source of all information instantiated into the universe and all within it is the immaterial Mind of God, who is Spirit. (John 4:24)

Meyer stated that “In using language the human mind routinely ‘finds’ or generates highly improbable linguistic sequences to convey a preconceived idea.  In the process of thought [or cognition], functional objectives precede and constrain the selection of words, sounds, and symbols to generate functional (and meaningful) sequences from a vast ensemble of meaningless alternatives. . . . Intelligent agents can select functional goals before the goals are physically instantiated. . . . They can then actualize those goals in accord with a preconceived design plan or set of functional requirements.” The linguistic patterns are then transmitted by wave forms into neural codes within spike trains of action potentials interpreted by the cognitive mind of humans and archived in memory.

Meyer provided evidence of “the causal adequacy of intelligent agency as a cause of the kind of specified digital information [and fine tuning] needed to produce life [and I would add dualist interaction between mind and brain] . . . including the unique causal adequacy of a transcendent and intelligent agent as the best explanation.” 

In his concluding remarks, Meyer stated, “Since theism holds that a benevolent God possessing a rational intellect created our minds, we have good reason to expect the basic reliability of our belief-forming cognitive equipment.  Since most versions of theism hold that the same benevolent and rational God who created our minds created them in God’s image and also created a rationally ordered universe, we have good reason to think we can understand and perceive the order built into that universe. . . . Our beautiful, expanding, and finely tuned universe and the exquisite, integrated, and informational complexity of living organisms bear witness to the reality of a transcendent intelligence – a personal God.”  And we can have confidence in what neuroscientists are learning about the orderly interaction between the human mind and the synaptic networks of the brain via the application of good, unprejudiced scientific methodology unconstrained by methodological naturalism and materialism.  The comments I have shared given by Stephen Meyer and William Dembski provide a foundation for accepting the validity of dualist interactionism between that which is immaterial and material, the mind and the brain.

 

My next post elaborates on the content of my earlier blog posts entitled, “Waves in Our Brains,” Parts One and Two. In Part Three I share comments by Stephen C. Meyer and William A. Dembski that provide validation of dualist interaction between the immaterial mind of Man, the immaterial Mind of God and the material synaptic networks of the human brain. I will continue to add blogs that further expand on Part Three as my research continues, including applicable Scripture.

In the blog I just posted that included Meyer’s comments, I wish to apply his comments to points made in my writings. God’s attributes indeed include His Mind with its intelligence, creativity and free will. He is a personal God who desires a bidirectional communion with Man whom He created. His causal powers that resulted in the creation of the universe and the fine tuning of its constants and laws made human beings possible whose cognitive minds were created in the image of the Mind of God. God is Spirit and immaterial, and we have seen in my writings that the immaterial mind of Man and Mind of God interact with the material synaptic networks of the brain, transmitting specified information within neural codes to achieve goals. Likewise the DNA code is digital and transmits specified information instantiated by the intelligent design of our Creator God for a multitude of purposes. As Meyer has stated so well, the specification of information is improbable, selected by the willful design of God as well as by the design of the will and intention of Man. Information is only generated by a mind, and its immaterial reality is ultimately derived from the Mind of God. These are observed phenomena, events that give testimony to the validity of the God hypothesis by the scientific process clearly explained by Meyer, inference to the best explanation. These phenomena also give testimony to dual interaction between that which is immaterial and is material.

I have finished reading Stephen C. Meyer’s new book, Return of the God Hypothesis, and I strongly recommend it to you. My next blog posts will address points made in his book and relate them to the points I have made in my books and blogs concerning dualist interactionism. As Meyer stated, too many people, including some leading scientists today, do not accept the reality that properly interpreted Scripture in context and good science can be in concordance without contradiction, a point I have made in my writings. I value his book since the transcendent intelligence that designed the universe and all within and sustains it is identified by inference to the best explanation as the biblical God. I quote from Meyer’s book:

…philosophers or scientists who postulate the existence of God understand God to have certain attributes (e.g., transcendence, intelligence, creativity, omnipresence, and free will) and corresponding causal powers that would allow God to produce certain kinds of effects expected on the basis of those powers….By articulating those attributes, properties, and powers, philosophers can provide a theoretical rationale for affirming the causal adequacy of a God hypothesis…with respect to specific observable phenomena or kinds of events….Since scientists have evidence confirming those expectations in, for example, the discovery of the fine tuning and temporal beginning of the universe and the digital code and information processing systems in living cells, evidence from the world provides confirmation of the theistic hypothesis and positive support for its causal adequacy as an explanation.

I am currently reading an outstanding, and long overdue, book by Stephen C. Meyer. It is entitled Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe. It was released March 31st, so it could not be more current. As I am reading through the book I am underlining comments that will be relevant to the points I have made in my books and my blogs. I am blessed to have known the author in years past whom I have cited in my books. It was his response to a question, “A wave of information,” that has inspired the last 20 years of my research and given it focus. I will also continue to post blogs that discuss current articles from the neuroscience literature that address the issue of dualist interaction between the immaterial and material components of our Selves. So, please stand by.

In Luke 8:43-46 Jesus’ cloak was touched by a woman who sought healing from 12 years of bleeding:

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

A so-called nonclassical energy has been associated with cognition, attention and intention in my books and blogs posts. It is an immaterial energy, or a power. I share this Scriptural post that refers to a “power” going out from Jesus to effect the woman’s physical, material healing in the context of a dualist interaction, a process that continues to this day.

The first verses I shall share are in Luke 5:21-23:

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’”

Another instance of Jesus’ knowing the thoughts of other people is recorded in Luke 6:7-8:

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.

I refer to the scheme for communication discussed in my books as a template for information transmission between the Mind of God and the mind of Man via the indwelling of the human spirit by the personal Holy Spirit. It also applies to the communication between God the Father and his Son, the God-Man Jesus Christ, who was indwelled by the Holy Spirit at his baptism. In this scheme the identification of the Sender, or information Source, is the Mind of God the Father, and the recipient, or receiver, is the mind of Man, applicable in this case to the Mind of Jesus Christ the God-Man. The transmitter of specified information in this scheme is the Holy Spirit who directs a signal with meaning and purpose to the receiver, in this case the cognitive Mind of Jesus. The signal is in the form of spike patterns of action potentials transmitted through the neural synaptic networks as linguistic codes in various manifestations, including perceived words and discernment. I suggest a parallel between this scheme and the cited Scriptures wherein Jesus “knew what they were thinking.” It is a dualist interaction between immaterial and material entities created by God.

In the last several blogs I have shared summaries of a few studies from the neurosciences suggesting that cognition generates wave forms that are interactive with specific regions of the brain. The immaterial mind appears to interact with synaptic networks of the brain through waveforms that in turn are instantiated within spike trains of action potentials that transmit specified information in linguistic neural codes. In the next blogs I will share verses from Scripture that suggest that specified information may have been received by Jesus during his ministry, perhaps via this mode of communication between the spirit and soul of individuals identified in the Scriptures cited and the Holy Spirit who indwelled Jesus after his baptism. I share these Scriptures as “food for thought.” Are we coming closer to at least a partial understanding of the means of communion between the Holy Spirit and the human spirit and soul, including the human spirit and soul of the God-Man, Jesus Christ? Is dualist interactionism pertinent only within individuals, or can it apply to communion between individuals? “Food for thought.”

From this point forward my blogs will address the most recent neuroscience findings that consider wave forms in the brain, especially when there is evidence that they are generated by the immaterial cognitive mind. As I have stated in an earlier blog such articles are beginning to appear in the neuroscience literature, but at a slow pace. My blog posts will therefore be less frequent.

For those of you who are finding my blogs informative, please consider reading through all of my blog posts since they expand on the contents of my two books. I also hope that you will consider reading my books. Put together, all that I have written should present a compelling argument that good neuroscience and properly interpreted Scripture are in concordance where dualist interaction between the Mind of God and the mind of Man is concerned. Thank you for your interest.