Where Is Here?

Where Is Here?

A NEW PHILOSOPHY for Insights into life, society and politics

Jeroen Zandberg

ISBN : 978-1-387-98727-6

1. A new view of man and society

An important element of this book is to show that the foundations of a fair and successful society should be based on a view of human nature that acknowledges the fact that people are innately social beings who become human when they are part of a positive social environment. This book wants to offer a greater insight into human nature and society. Such an insight increases people’s awareness and self-confidence and reduces insecurity and fears of possible abuse. As a result people will be better able to make the right decisions that benefit their life.

The intention of the first chapters is to provide a well-balanced view of human nature. We see that there is such a thing as the innate ability to shape a personality, which means that people are not a blank slate which can be randomly filled in by the environment. Nevertheless, the environment plays an important and crucial role in the development of our innate human capacities. In chapter three we look at the brain structures that ensure that we are aware of ourselves and our existence. Thus we see that every part of our body in the brain is represented in the somatosensory cortex and that in this way we form an image of our body. The mirror neurons then give us an idea of ​​the other person's thoughts. In this way we form a framework of the workings of our Self that is further elaborated by looking at studies that have been done into conformism and competition. The social environment with which people identify is part of the Self of a person. This human characteristic is an essential skill to survive in a human group but can also be abused. The subconscious is of great importance in our daily thinking and acting. Due to the fact that our consciousness is limited, many actions and thought processes are automatically handled in the subconscious. The manipulation of our mind by third parties is possible by strengthening and weakening thoughts. This can be done, for example, by using priming, which means that specific information is offered to a person, so that he (unconsciously) starts thinking about it. The subconscious can be seen as a staircase to consciousness. When a thought rises above a certain threshold, it will enter consciousness, while below that threshold it is completely invisible to consciousness. When a situation is now open to many interpretations, the thought that is primed will come into consciousness, while all other possibilities do not seem to exist. In this way manipulation is possible without being aware of it. In subsequent chapters we will frequently return to the manipulation that is possible due to the innate social capacities of human beings. This possibility of manipulation also has a great influence on the way we should see the human will. The will is only partly free when we view it at a certain moment and in a specific situation. On the other hand, there is a possibility for a free will in time, because to a certain extent you can determine for yourself what the subconscious pays attention to by consciously learning certain actions and thought processes that then become automatisms. We have free will when our thoughts and actions are in our interests. The great influence of the social environment means that we have to surround ourselves with people who are good-natured if we want to remain free from negative manipulation. People are not atomised individuals who look at the world from that capacity. Instead, man is an integral part of the (social) environment with which he identifies himself. This Self is the basis with which people see the world and themselves. There is an innate tendency to recognize others as part of the Self, but abnormalities such as autism can block this recognition by which people are cut off from the other and are therefore also automatically cut off from themselves. The need for recognition is so great that it subconsciously takes precedence over the other needs of life, so that a lack of recognition gives great dangers by putting aside other life needs and being more vulnerable to abuse.

The subsequent chapters build on this view of human nature and will zoom in on several aspects of personal life as well as social and political life. Scientific studies have convincingly shown that people are innately social beings who can only be human in interaction with a positive social environment. Furthermore, human rationality is fundamentally linked to a just social environment and cannot be reduced to atomised individuals. Reasoning in isolation is by definition irrational and thereby harmful to those who are tricked into believing that they are masters of their world while in reality they are slaves to the manipulative trickery of the powerful who have found ways to make the weak fool themselves. Violence is a key factor in everyone’s life. Our society is saturated with violence against others and ourselves. This violence limits our awareness of the world and degrades our humanity. An important aspect of a peaceful society therefore is nonviolence. Nonviolence against society, against others and especially against ourselves. Several chapters are dedicated to analyzing the workings of the violence we use against ourselves and how we can try to free us from these self-imposed limitations. Another key factor is control. The human scale is that over which we have control. It can encompass much of reality, but can also be limited to less than a person’s own physical persona. In several chapters religion and rationality are evaluated based on the view of human nature as innately social. Furthermore, a framework is provided that intends to increase our ability to reason rationally and have clarity of mind when evaluating the world and the threats and opportunities it provides us with. This clarity of mind is also necessary to understand the intricate social processes of society and the political conflicts that are the result of our conflict society.

2. The building blocks of our self

In this book I assume that the mind originates from the brain, but that the brain and mind are not the same; we are not our brain, but our mind and spirit. The rise of modern brain scan technologies have yielded a wealth of valuable information about the functioning of the brain and how the human mind arises from it. The chapters of the first part of this book will deal with the most important building blocks for the human thinking process. The brain is made up of neurons. These are special cells that are different from all other body cells because they are able to give commands to other cells by means of electrochemical signals and in this way can change the state of these cells. Neurons form networks, and these various networks together ensure the origin of the mind. The possession of networks of neurons is not reserved to humans. Most other animals also have these networks, to a greater or lesser extent. It follows that it is probable that they too have a mind, in contrast to, for example, plants or single-celled organisms that have not developed specialized neurons to serve as the basis of a mind. The human brain functions as a unit and at the same time is made up of different parts, each of which performs a separate function. Like all other human characteristics, the brain is also the result of a long process of evolution. We share the oldest parts of the human brain with the reptilians. However, they lack the extensive cerebral cortex which causes their mental capacities to lag far behind those of man. However, the evolutionary more recent regions of the brain did not replace the older ones. Instead, they work closely together. This collaboration ensures that the more primitive parts of the brain can continue to engage in the regulation of basic life-functions, while the more modern parts of the brain can serve survival at a higher level.

The human mind becomes aware

The human mind comes from the brain, but is not equal to it. The physical brain consists of networks of neurons which send out and receive electrochemical signals and thus give other cells commands. The elementary particles of the brain are electrochemical signals, but the elementary particles of the mind are, on the contrary, representations. The most amazing thing about the brain is that when networks of neurons are connected to each other in larger networks, a mind automatically arises. The elements that make up the mind are representations. Performances, also called representations, maps or simulations, are the elements that make up the mind. The most elementary representations are those of body processes in people’s own body. These representations are representations of the functioning of the body processes. This means that the brain represents the activities of the body in the brain and that such representations form the basis of the control of our body. In addition, the brain also makes representations of everything that is inside and outside the body and that is perceived by our senses. The activities of the brain itself are also mapped out by the same brain. The ideas that generate all this are the basis of the human mind. Thanks to the representation of the body in the brain, we are able to obtain information about the state of our body processes and to control these processes. An important concept in this body control is 'homeostasis'. According to the definition in the dictionary, homeostasis is: 1. the ability of an organism to compensate environmental influences that hamper life's functions within certain limits. 2. the balance of all functions in the body, such as keeping blood pressure constant, blood pH, heart adjustment mechanisms, breathing regulation, body temperature (thermoregulation), gland secretion, calcium metabolism. Homeostasis is vital to ensure that a person survives. Man is a biological organism and the margins within which life is possible are narrow. If it gets too cold or too hot, an organism dies. No life is possible without oxygen. In addition, there are countless other parameters within which chemicals must remain in order to ensure that an organism survives. Life is a miracle of nature but it is also a miracle that is very vulnerable. Maintaining the homeostatic margins is a guiding principle for every biological organism, so also for humans, because otherwise survival is not possible. Maintaining life and ensuring the maintenance of homeostasis is essential for the survival of every biological organism. This goal therefore applies to both man and the most elementary living beings. A single cell also has a purpose in its life, namely to survive. The basic purpose of living organisms, survival, does not need a brain to formulate this goal because it is naturally present in all biological organisms. This goal can be seen as a fundamental principle that directs all other goals. A person reaches homeostasis by representing the body in the brain and thus preserves the balance in the internal environment of the body. This has many advantages over a single-celled homeostasis achieved by a direct response to changing chemical conditions. It is dangerous to only react if the homeostasis is already broken and a situation has arisen in which life is no longer possible. It is much better to prevent this from happening. The more complex the body and the environment, the more effort it takes to preserve homeostasis and to guarantee survival. Drugs can fool homeostasis and are a great danger to the well-being of a person. Drugs cause people to lose control over their own body, whereby it is no longer possible to make the right choices and thereby cause people to lose their freedom, which means that their survival is endangered.

An important method to respond to future problems is to simulate situations that might occur. The brain forms an image of the body on the basis of the information provided by the body. Based on this, assignments are given to the body to preserve homeostasis. However, it is incorrect to assume that the brain is completely separate from the rest of the body. Instead, they are strongly connected and integrated. Although the body is represented in the brain, the brain also has the ability to simulate expected body situations in which the values ​​of the body processes are virtually adjusted. In this way it is possible to make adjustments before the situation actually occurs. Such a mechanism is very useful but also vulnerable because the mere thinking about our body in a certain way can seriously mess up homeostasis. It is therefore very important that we have a strong self-image and control over our unconscious, as will be discussed in the following chapters. In this way our thinking will not damage our own physical health. The human brain is much larger and more complex than that of most other animals. Nonetheless, there are many similarities between the structures of the human and animal brains. The human brain is the result of a long evolution that has been built on existing brain capacities. It has not started from scratch. For example, the structure and functioning of the brainstem is essentially a legacy of the reptilian age a few hundred million years ago. Three important parts of the brain are responsible for the creation and proper functioning of the human mind. These are the brainstem, the thalamus and the cerebral cortex. The brainstem is the oldest part and is primarily responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of the body. This is also the place where the first impetus for the origin of the mind and later the consciousness takes place. The human brain stem is similar in size and functionality to the brainstem of many other animals. In contrast, the cerebral cortex is many times larger and more complex in humans than in other animals. The cerebral cortex is the place where our mind, our memory and a large part of the conscious and unconscious processes for representing our body and the objects outside it, are located. Here, the body processes are represented. The third important brain structure for forming our mind is the thalamus. This part of the brain is a connection between the brainstem and the cerebral cortex that integrates all the sensory data received by the body, with the exception of the smell, and then transfers it to the cerebral cortex. As discussed above, a mind automatically arises when networks of neurons are connected to each other in larger networks. However, this mind is not necessarily also a conscious mind. Consciousness arises only when there is a realization that the representations that the mind creates are ours. A self-process is then essentially added to the mind. This process is the result, and the cause, of the fact that a relationship is established between an external object and the own organism (ourselves). The Self is created by the mind’s representations of the internal and external world and this self-process then assumes a controlling position in the mind. In this way it seems that cause and effect flow into each other because the self-process only arises when the mind is already working and then starts to lead it. The elementary representations of the inner environment are also the elementary basis for the creation of the Self. This is caused by the fact that these representations are so immutable compared to other representations. The parameters within which homeostasis must continue to operate are very narrow and although the body changes strongly during a lifetime, this does not apply to the pattern that controls the homeostasis and on which the control is based.

The memory: from knowledge formula to representation

One of the important differences between most animals on the one hand and people on the other is the working and size of human memory. Much of the human identity is formed by knowledge we have learned in the past. This is fundamentally different from the knowledge that many other animals have. With them there is often innate knowledge, or instincts. For example, a frog has innate knowledge with which he can save himself in the world, but this knowledge is very limited and rigid, so that a change in his environment quickly leads to major difficulties for his survival. This innate knowledge consists of collections of very simple formulas of the type: if an object (for example a stone) is in the field of view, move aside until the object is outside the field of view. With such formulas, a frog can survive well in its natural environment. However, humans, and also most mammals, need higher-level information to respond to their environment. A major evolutionary step in the development of the mind was therefore the possibility to make representations and thus identify problems and solutions. In this way it is possible to respond to changes in the world at a more abstract level. This gives a much greater freedom. In spite of this, knowledge formulas have not disappeared as a basis for knowledge and memory. On the contrary, although the new possibilities that representations offer in the management and understanding of the environment and ourselves are a major improvement, the brain capacity is far too limited to actually store all these representations. Instead, the brain works with both representations and knowledge formulas. The memories are not stored as representations but as knowledge formulas, leaving room for the storage of enormous amounts of knowledge and memories. To recall something, means that the memory that is stored as a knowledge formula is reconstructed as a representation. As a result of this reconstruction, a memory is always an approximation and not an exact copy of the original image. However, we do not have access to the content of these knowledge formulas, which always remain in the unconscious. Only representations can come into consciousness. When a representation is activated, those parts of the brain become active that were also active in the original perception of the representation, thus trying to recreate the original perception.

Self-awareness is the result of making representations your own by labelling them emotionally

Properties of internal and external objects and events are represented in the brain. These representations are automatically formed as a result of information obtained by the brain from our senses and are focused on the potential value that this has for us. However, our conscious observation is not passive. As discussed above, consciousness only arises when there is a realization that the representations that the mind creates are ours. The representations that are created automatically remain unconscious until they are provided with an emotional 'stamp'. Such a stamp indicates that the observations are important to ourselves and are therefore brought to the fore. Emotions and feelings are crucial for the emergence of a conscious mind. If they are not present, then there is no possibility to determine which representations are our own. The intensity of the emotion also determines the interest that the representation has. The stronger the emotion, the greater the importance and the more influence it has on our mind. When emotional reactions are completely lacking, consciousness does not work. The weaker the emotions are the less awareness remains. This has major consequences for the success of the person concerned. Feelings are also important for regulating the internal environment of the body. These processes operate on the edge of the margins for survival and when they could potentially derail, warning signs are given through feelings of pain. The following aspects play a decisive role in creating awareness. First, there are feelings that come from the body itself that informs the mind about the homeostasis of the body. In addition, there is a need for a connection between ourselves and the representations in the perception of external objects and events that are represented in our minds. The representations must be seen as valuable and part of ourselves. A consequence of this is that there is the feeling that this representation can be controlled and influenced. We become owners of it. When our emotions are altered by drugs, depression or an aggressive environment, then we are less able to determine which representations are important to us and therefore we cannot react appropriately to the environment. We also become alienated from our own body, which means that the mechanisms for regulating homeostasis are no longer working properly and the survival is at risk.

The importance of language

The human brain consists of a left and a right half, each with its own specialization. For example, the left hemisphere is analytical and the source of rational thinking and language, while the right hemisphere is more the domain of spatial insight, art and music. The left hemisphere is also more focused on details, while the right hemisphere is more holistic and looks at the whole. In order to take maximum advantage of the capacities that our brains can offer, good cooperation between the two halves is necessary. Yet there is a clear dominance of the left hemisphere in humans. This can also be seen in the fact that the majority of mankind is right-handed. In fact, the left half of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere and the right half of the body by the left hemisphere. The possession of language is one of the most important distinguishing characteristics of humans compared to other animals. By using language it is possible to communicate with others and complex collaboration in larger groups becomes possible. However, language is also important for the individual himself, because through language we can form complex concepts in our mind. In the chapter on the unconscious, it will be discussed that creativity is often blocked because we try to organize knowledge in our consciousness with the aid of language, which makes it difficult for ideas which are hard to put into words into consciousness, even though they could be potentially more important. Nevertheless, it is very important that we are able to put knowledge into words internally in order to get a stronger grip on it, thus strengthening the sense of ownership and thereby increasing our self-awareness. A large part of our thinking happens under the influence of our language skills. In essence, there is a dialogue with ourselves with which we can steer unconscious processes and give ourselves assignments whereby this also leads to the formation of greater self-awareness.

The recognition of ourselves and others and the dangers of autism

As discussed in the previous chapter, representations are the elements that make up the mind. The most elementary representations are those of body processes in our own body. These representations are representations of the functioning of the body processes. This means that the brain represents the activities of the body in the brain and that such representations form the basis of the control of our body. In addition, the brain also makes representations of everything that is inside and outside the body and that is perceived by our senses. The activities of the brain itself are