Science

Below, two prominent mathematicians  – Dr. Edward Frenkel from UC Berkeley and Oxford professor Dr. Marcus du Sautoy – share insights they’ve gained about the nature of reality by contemplating the numbers and equations of their fields. I found their fervent accounts a wonderful affirmation that Nature will reveal Her wonders in all sorts of remarkable ways.

Mathematics as Hidden Reality – Edward Frenkel, PhD (2014)

“There’s a secret world out there. A hidden parallel universe of beauty and elegance, intricately intertwined with ours. And it’s invisible to most of us.” –Edward Frenkel

The power of the revelatory experience often moves people to not just eloquent expression but also an increased level of passion and transparency for the work that touches them most deeply. Mathematician Edward Frenkel, author of the bestseller Love and Math, is clearly in love with the world of numbers and this connection has revealed to him a deeper understanding of reality that goes beyond the logical thinking of mathematics. In this SAND14 conference video, Dr. Frenkel tells a very personal story of his journey to discover, through mathematics, the ‘wholly other realm’ spoken of by Martin Gardner and other great mathematicians of the past.

The Code (2011)

“The fact that the code provides such a successful description of nature is for many one of the greatest mysteries of science. I think that the only explanation which makes sense for me is that by discovering these connections we have in fact uncovered some deep truth about the world. That perhaps the code is the truth of the universe and it’s numbers that dictate the way the world must be … The ultimate symbol of chance isn’t random at all. It only appears that way. When we don’t understand the Code, the only way we can make sense of our world is to make up stories. But the truth is far more extraordinary. Everything has mathematics at its heart. When everything is stripped away all that remains is the Code.” –Marcus du Sautoy

In this 3-part series, mathematician Marcus du Sautoy hops around the world to show us the important geographical sites and physical objects that reveal the ways in which patterns of numbers and formulae – nature’s code – have shaped the world. Which brings up one of the nice things about this set of films – you get to see a lot of beautiful shots of the planet; I’d love to see the giant salt crystals growing in the Merkers Mine! But the thing I found noteworthy about this series is how it connected to a book I read later, Infinite Potential by physicist Lothar Schaferwhich states that matter arises from a field of infinite potentials or numbers. If a Source consciousness is giving rise to all physical matter from a field of infinite ‘numbers’, might this not leave behind ‘fingerprints’ in the form of what looks to us like mathematical codes embedded in the shapes and forms? Interesting to contemplate.

The Story of Maths (2008)

“It is with Bernhard Riemann‘s work that we finally have the mathematical glasses to explore such worlds of the mind. And now my journey through the abstract world of 20th century mathematics has revealed that maths is the true language that the universe is written in, the key to understanding the world around us.” –Marcus du Sautoy

This 4-part series looks at the history of math and the way related disciplines unfolded and intertwined over time to bring us a model for understanding our world. Dr. Sautoy begins with a look at some of the earliest mathematical records from ancient Egypt and Greece. Again, we get to visit a lot of beautiful places in the world as Marcus then moves to sites in China and India, the location of the small tablet where the number ‘0’ was first recorded. (It’s the little things!) We then get into the part I found especially interesting about this series; mathematical disciplines as ‘languages’. That realization probably hits most mathematicians early on but to me, calculus and algebra and geometry remained just formulas to memorize in order to pass a test – that sort of thing. These films use the visual medium effectively to explain how formulas describe spaces and shapes and the forces that create them – a much more interesting way to learn complex math.

And there was another surprising benefit from this series. Certain numbers and formulas – the Golden ratio, the Fibonacci sequence, pi – make appearances in several spiritual texts. These mathematical concepts are often associated with physical or emotional characteristics that frankly didn’t make much sense to me. This series discusses some of these same concepts, clarifying their significance in a broader context that made these links to spiritual texts much clearer.

The Secret Rules of Modern Living: Algorithms (2015)

This film doesn’t have much to do with insights that hint at the larger forces in nature or the collective consciousness or the answer to everything (it’s 42). But it is an interesting look at algorithms. And it contains THE most amusing math dance I’ve ever seen (@ 20:15).

top image: agsandrew / shutterstock.com 

How Close is Science to Understanding Consciousness? (2015)

Spiritual teacher A.H. Almaas facilitates a discussion between five scientists on the nature of consciousness. It’s a laugh a minute in this….. no, just kidding. Not amusing but truly fascinating, especially if you’ve recently had your entire worldview tossed into the rubbish bin, so I recommend doing that first.

I didn’t about know of any of these folks prior to this video but was immediately impressed by both their smarts and diverse backgrounds – neuroscience, cognitive science, medicine, physics. I was so encouraged to learn that the nature of consciousness is the focus of many people in many areas (whew, it’s not just me!).

The awakening raises questions of ‘self’. What am I in relation to this body? If my body isn’t generating my consciousness, then what is my body for? Did my consciousness leave my body or is my body made of consciousness? Listening to this discussion helped me understand I would have a few options to pick from when looking for models to explain the nature of consciousness … Good news?

Psychedelic Mystical Experiences, Social Change & Therapeutic Outcomes – Rick Doblin (2016)

“A monk spends his whole life cultivating the same awakened attitude it [MDMA] gives you.”  –Brother David Steindl-Rast to Newsweek, 1985

I’ve heard a few people who lived through the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s lament that the strong public and government backlashes that followed lost us the chance to follow-up on the promising results coming from the clinical trials of the time. Yet clearly these seeds were sown as another movement to bring psychedelics back into mainstream medical use is well underway today. Case in point, the work of Rick Doblin, who founded MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) in 1986, a group making great strides with a new series of clinical trials involving psychedelics. In this presentation, Rick explains why earlier psychedelic research is prompting people to take another look at these substances for various applications. Rick goes on to update the audience on the MDMA treatment programs the MAPS group is developing. It’s hopeful stuff!

The Nature of Consciousness in ‘Big History’ – Elisabet Sahtouris (2016)

If I have learned one thing from all this reading and watching and pondering about consciousness, it’s the importance of maintaining the long, wide historical view. Our sense of separation from everything around us can limit our worldview to just what’s within our personal horizons and it’s only the long view that allows us to see the larger patterns in human evolution and behavior, patterns which can teach us important lessons. And it is these patterns that Elisabet argues point to a single universal consciousness.

Recently, the Gates Foundation got involved with history education in a big way by funding The Big History Project, an effort to come up with ‘a story of the universe’ that could be taught in all schools. During her talk, Elisabet examines the limited model underlying The Big History Project and proposes an alternative approach that includes creation stories from many cultures; she includes several interesting examples from various traditions. I found Dr. Sahtouris’ broad expertise allowed her to make a persuasive case that a multi-cultural understanding of our shared history would better serve us all.

Entanglement, Space-Time Wormholes, and the Brain – John Hagelin (2014)

As both a quantum physicist and a professor at Maharishi University of Management, Dr. Hagelin is in a unique position to speak to the connections between the math of quantum physics and the ‘One Mind’ spiritual concepts of eastern traditions. As he says at one point, some use yoga to reach a state of nirvana, others use complex mathematical concepts to perceive the mystical states of infinity (the audience thought he was joking).

Dr. Hagelin then goes on to explain a couple of these complex mathematical concepts … I think I may have blanked out for a few. Actually, though they are pretty brain-bendy, all of John’s explanations are straightforward and clear – or as clear as they can be, considering the material. His model of entangled particles and their relation to string theory was well-illustrated and I was able to conceptualize the basic aspects of his theory. Which is why I included this video particularly; evidence of quantum entanglement is thought by many to demonstrate the presence of a ‘field’ of consciousness/potential so having a basic understanding of this “spooky action at a distance”, as Einstein called it, can be helpful when wading into the science of non-duality.

Consciousness and the Interface Theory of Perception, Donald Hoffman (2013)

As a cognitive scientist, Dr. Hoffman is able to use what many think of as ‘optical illusions’ to very convincingly demonstrate how our brains are manipulating ‘the data’. It’s fascinating stuff –  you can hear the audience getting caught up in the weirdness of his examples.

As with all the videos in this group, this presentation introduces concepts that I would hear about over and over as I continued exploring the field of consciousness science; having an understanding at the outset of the models Dr. Hoffman covers was very helpful.

Dr. Hoffman has been doing extensive work to develop a ‘mathematics of consciousness’ and he spends the second half of the video explaining the structure of this model.

What Is Time to the Conscious Mind? – Julia Mossbridge, MA, PhD (2014)

From Eckhart Tolle to Terence McKenna, I’ve heard one teacher after another introduce the idea that large events in the future create ripples in the fabric of our shared reality or consciousness. These ripples move back through the time stream and are perceived by us in the present moment; we call it a sense of intuition, foreboding, a gut sense. Dr. Mossbridge has been investigating this phenomenon and in this lecture, shares the data and conclusions from experiments done recently which seem to demonstrate ‘rippling’ effect.

Perhaps the thing I most appreciated about Julia’s presentation was her underlying sense of …. wonder? ….  that appears to come from a realization that science is leading us back to the same truths understood by non-dual spiritual traditions for centuries. I have come across a number of such videos and I’ll be sure share more; the sense of awe and amazement coming from these scientists as they recount their realizations is contagious!

Image: rad k/shutterstock.com