Theos-Talk Archives (March 2008 Message tt00264)

Hi. I just wrote this to another list, and it occurs to me that the subject
matter may be of interest to the members of this list, also.. I have snipped
the words of the person to whom I am replying. I know I have not been
on here for a while, but have never forgotten my time here. I hope everyone
is doing well. Wry


Wry: I am an advocate of the scientific method, but to state the situation
either/or in the way that you have limits the opening to an entire universe
of great possibility. For instance, there is a way to use a scientific
approach to study ones own functioning, but no real way to verbally
communicate what has been learned to someone else so that he will be able to
understand it to the degree that his own functioning is changed. He can only
verify certain data if he himself. takes a similar approach to studying his
own functioning,  This kind of material probably falls into the realm of
quantum physics because it incorporates the observer in the sense that when
the perceptual field, which includes oneself, is impartially observed
(recorded,
registered,) such an impartial registration, in order to continue over clock
time without being interrupted, must involve to some degree the displacement
of thought/analysis, and so gives new information about the functions. One
is changing as/because of making such an objective registration because, in
order to make such a registration and especially to continue making such an
impartial registration, the functions need to work in a different way: there
is a conscious registration process which, by virtue of its own intentional
continuance, alters the perception of the field in that this process is not
contaminated by subjective analysis, so this is a scientific approach
applied to the study of oneself.

You can liken such a study to making a scientific experiment with oneself,
and two different people can make the same experiment which will result in
the same general conclusion, such as "I am not able to remember to activate
and/or continue an impartial registration over time" or "in order to
continue to be intentionally self-conscious, I cannot continue to function
in the same way," but, though this data can be presented verbally to someone
else, it will not have the same impact on understanding as presenting the
data from a foraml scientific experiment, as certain mental states cannot be
verbalized, yet are distinct, or if they can be verbalized, one cannot
understand the meaning of the named object (mental state) unless one makes
the experiment for himself. Such a kind of personal experimentation still
falls within the realm of a scientific approach: two people can make the
same experiment  and reach the same general conclusion, and there may be
ways that each can verify for himself that the other has reached the same
conclusion or a person can reach a certain understanding by himself and
apply this information objectively in the world in such a way as to change
the world, but even if you can explain this data to someone else, do you
always need to tell/show other people everything you have learned by making
a scientific experiment? What if you learn something really important by
making an objective study and you do not want everyone else to know it?  Or
what if because of everyone knowing it, because of the general availability
of certain information, the information itself will be changed in such a way
that you do not want it to be changed, because, as you yourself have
suggested, such information is a source of power?