Speaker: Bernard Z. Friedlander, Department of Psychology, Emeritus, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT
Abstract: Human consciousness is the Moby Dick, the mysterious Great White Whale, the most elusive quarry for understanding, in the vast oceans of the world of nature. How do the complex systems of electrochemistry in billions of brain cells become transformed into our infinitely varied awareness of the sensations of touch, smell, taste, vision and hearing; into id, ego and superego; into memories, dreams and reflections; into our chaotic, grand, grandiose visions of science, art, religion, governance, trade, war and empire? Intersecting and divergent trajectories of progress and fashion in the realms of intellect both facilitate and impede efforts to comprehend this most complex of all challenges to human thought. In order to shrink zones of mystery and expand zones of solvable problems in decoding these unknowns, we must seek new ways to think about consciousness if we can ever hope to understand it. Navigating Oceans Of Consciousness With Science and Art presents a 12-Factor Trans-Darwinian Taxonomy of Consciousness that systematically links component elements of the phenomenon with a totality of the whole. This inclusiveness has been hitherto remotely within our sight and reach but beyond our grasp.