BOILING IT DOWN A LITTLE MORE  (3/13/77)

We have come to a point in our discussion where we must try and analyze the mind.  We must take a look at the brain/spirit mechanism.  Until we have some picture, some concept of what might actually transpire inside a whole human being in operation, we cannot pursue the “very distressing” previous conclusion.

I don’t know quite where to start the investigations.  Perhaps if we list some concepts, we can then come up with a more orderly discussion plan.  So…………….

1.      The very essence or nature of the spirit is basically different than that of the physical body and brain. . If they were governed by identical principles and laws, what would be the incentive for the combination in the first place?

2.      Truths in the physical world are transmitted in the form of information, which is received as knowledge by our senses (sight, hearing, etc.).  And, this is transduced from our retina, or eardrum into signals that are carried to the brain via our nervous system.  The brain may make this knowledge readily available for use, or it may store the knowledge for future use.  But who uses the knowledge, who discriminates, who interprets, who makes judgements, who weighs alternatives, who decides on a course of action???????

For the moment, let’s say the spirit does!  But why does a spirit need a brain to collect knowledge and do all of these things?  Why can’t a spirit just float around and observe things for itself?  It just might be that a spirit does not have adequate machinery, by itself, to operate in the physical world.  So the spirit must have the ability to receive information from the nerve endings in the brain and use this knowledge to discriminate, judge, weigh alternatives, make decisions, etc.  In other words, the spirit must be an “observer” and an “operator”.  But this spirit may very well need the machinery of the human body to both collect knowledge and store it for use.