A Culture of One - Science from Stigma

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Throughout the 19th and 20th Century, a new science was beginning to seek a recognition, allegedly never before found in culture before, this science would be that of psychoanalysis and the conscious mind.

Although for thousands of years many of the best philosophers attempting to address the mind, no real progress seemed to have survived the memories of the western cultures that followed; it was only during the 20th century that any real progress into understanding the mind in material science that any progress that could be considered groundbreaking was to be made.

Natives? Locals? Or Relatives?
Levy-Bruhl wrote in his 1910 book, How Natives think, the term 'representation collectives' was introduced, later to be picked up by Carl Yung in his seminal contribution on Psychological Types, a new term that was to transform the understanding of an informational mind, and indeed, an informational group, this term was the collective unconscious, sometimes referred to collective subconscious.

Freud, one of the great psychiatrists of the century was very much against such a concept of a collective unconscious. The writer for one would consider such a term possibly misleading, as if to suggest there is a process, for example or something such as the popularized Orwellian Group Think. Indeed, what was largely in debate was not the definition or the wording of the ideas, surprisingly the root to the disagreement could only be the mystery of consciousness.

Influences

Since a variety of minds have been influenced by Yung's work, including Dr Timothy Leary, a radical thinker believing in the seemingly irrational causality of psychedelics with his theory, formulated shortly before being kicked out of Harvard University, in relation to his 8 Circuit Model of Consciousness Theory. His work grouped certain drugs to a state of mind; for instance he grouped drugs such as Caffeine, Cocaine & Speed in association to the '3rd circuit, Symbolic (Semantic Dexterity) Rational Mind' and substances such as DMT, Ketamine and LSD with the '8th circuit, Psychoatomic (Quantum Non Local) mind'. This work was to greatly influence Dr. Robert Anton Wilson's work and writings later.

Learys theory was met with a great and pronounced resistance given his suggestion that Psychedelic drugs could possibly have anything to do with evolution at all seemed culturally, and scientifically unacceptable. This work was to be continued and picked up by the great theorist and friend of Leary's, Terance Mckenna. Most known for his ground breaking, yet controversial work on the King weng I-CHING sequence 64 hexagrams, which would be correlated to a cycle of time, later to be known as Time Wave Zero, a theory of even more controversy.

Conclusions

Yung had established an invisible force, deriving from Levy-Burhl's psychological types he was one of the first people to properly define what is generally referred to as culture, or culture difference . Interestingly, this culture difference appears to occur linguistically geographically. Many countries east read from right to left, and all countries west read from left to right.

It would seem, historically there is a trove of data showing that the intentions of empires, or groups, or cultures is somehow having a direct influence on consciousness. It is no co-incidence in the writers opinion that many Atheists consider religion to be somewhat of a Pathogen, or a Virus. A metaphor of how belief propagates through the biochemical machine of the mind, supposedly binding it from truth or freedom everlasting until the cure of science comes to save the day.

Terrance Mckenna popularly said 'culture is not your friend', in reference to this problem. It , also in the writers opinion is 'not your enemy either'. Linguistically the metaphor ' go with the flow ' couldn't be a better analogy to the advantages, and dangers of the ebb and flow of idea. Indeed historically and socio-politically this could not be more clear. Leary and Mckenna both referred to the mind as an Operating System, often being the subject of objectionable attention from men of religious cultural backgrounds. It would seem, at least to the writer, that reality is relative because of these different state of minds, and even if Religion or Science would wish to take disagreement over such a fact, it is difficult to discount as the very existence of these illogical, unscientific, irrational states of mind is a proof of potential undeniable.

Now, I think it is not the argument whether or not people are crazy or insane but rather it is the matter of a continual argument as to the apparent non linear nature of the mind, in the visible and the invisible. Demonstrable effects of culture and indeed the power of intent are presented yet causality seems to be a great mystery reserved to the sanctity of each individual. It almost seems each individual is isolated, yet at the same time part of an open system. Understanding the mechanics behind choice could be like determining if fate exists. It almost seems there is an invisible wave, not dissimilar from that of sound or light - that indeed seems to travel at a rates, it does seems this force is somehow controlled knowingly or unknowingly by human beings and the things they interact with, yet many may not consider or be aware of it.

The writer finds this fascinating , we do not see or feel the earth moving at 6000mph anymore than we see the fabric of space, but if you place something in that space or move to where you can see it via some form of directional movement, there exists bizarre opportunities for the ridiculous to becomes directly observable. A riddle these conscious and subconscious mind-states would seem to be, it's properties seem to be both linear and non linear, dualistic and mono-theistic.

In closing the Quote of the late Terance Mckenna "If you do not contradict yourself, your position is not complex enough", does seem to come in mind. It is certainly the hope of the writer that eventually, culture will be understood well enough to use intent for a cause of good; and understand the true dangers, and advantages, of the great river we seem to flow in.


By Adam Bull
18/10/2009

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draft version of News Article, A Culture of One