No suffering, no prospering

This story had begun before I realised that I had told it before - many times. [Ref to compilation] But I was heading for a different ending that would say something about (a) the less than perfect human nature as it presently exists in the mindbrains of suffering humanity (b) the paradigm shifting potential of neuroscience and evolutionary psychology, and (c) the possibility of enabling an improved and peace promoting worldview suited to these modern times.

Suffering comes in a variety of flavours – fear, greed, jealously, lust, anxiety, panic, stress etc and also, in severe forms, as neuroses and psychoses. These are not 'comfortable' but they keep us alert to potentially dangerous changes in the physical and socio-cultural environments. The human brain has a negativity bias.

Suffering was a key concept in the teaching of the Buddha for whom the four noble truths were that:

1. in life there is suffering.
2. the cause of suffering is craving (for more good stuff and less bad stuff).
3. we can put an end to craving and thus to suffering.
4. to end craving we must follow the 8-fold path and thus change our minds.

OK - in life there is suffering - but the human species is prospering anyway. We can hypothesise that it is because we suffer that we prosper. No suffering, no prospering. No pain no gain.

In the brains of most species unconscious intuitions, reflexes and instincts are enough to meet their needs. They are hard wired in detail by nature and there is not much need of nurture. (Ref xxx)

The human brain has evolved, amongst other things, to find food, avoid predators, and be sociable as part of a group of Stone Age foragers in the African savannah. That pattern of living began about three million years ago and ticked over nicely such that the species expanded out of Africa with a very simple toolkit. Language first appeared 100,00 years ago and it caused a paradigm shift in terms of collective learning about our physical and socio-cultural environments. The balance began to swing in favour of nurture as a powerful force for shaping and changing minds.

Foraging gave way to settled agriculture about 4500 years ago. Human groups got bigger and division of labour took off. There was plenty variety for evolution to work with – especially for group selection. It gave rise to myths and magic rooted in cause and effect, seeing patterns, and supposing agencies.

2500 years ago there was an Axial Age when there was rapid growth in thinking about thinking. Topics such as the meta-physical, super-natural, spiritual, and mystical led to the development of what we now call the major world religions.

2,500 years later two new disciplines throw a fresh light on what is involved in changing minds.

First, neuroscience. There are Neural Correlates of Consciousness (NCC) - whatever appears in the mind is rooted in physical changes in the brain and these can be objectively measured in brain scans. And there is neuroplasticity – by taking thought the mind can change the brain and vice versa.

Second, evolutionary psychology - with social psychology and behavioural economics. The vertebrate brain evolved from fish to philosopher (Homer Smith.) Evolution tinkers so most of its products are functional but scruffy. And the vast majority of actions are in the unconscious.

The classic meditators did not have the understandings of neuroscience and evolutionary psychology but they had insights into counter-intuitive states of the human mindbrain. By sittting still and noting what the mindbrain got up to they realised that reality is mind made. Lao Tzu the father of Taoism reckoned that “the reality that can be described is not the real reality. It followed that “those who speak do not know” and more profoundly that “those who know do not speak”.

From ancient times there have been remarkable individuals who have subjectively appreciated a Oneness. Holistic ecologists given to systems theory know about inter connectedness, Thich Nhat Hahn talks of interbeing. Biologists appreciate biogeochemical cycles and the life stages of a wide variety of parasites.

Evolution operates on three levels – cosmic, biological and cultural. These lay the foundations for each other and there is ongoing feedback between them. For example human cultural evolution has contributed to global warming. There has been no intelligent designer until recently in the newer

stages of cultural evolution. Human beings are not only conscious, they are potentially capable of being conscious of their consciousness and thus, by default, of the roles played by the unconscious.

1] being conscious

2] being conscious of consciousness

3] being self-conscious

4] being subjectively conscious of unconsciousness

5] being objectively conscious of unconsciousness

1] react automatically to changes in the environment eg withdraw your hand when it is too close to fire

2] not only withdraw your hand but also know that you have done so. The brain gets the message after the reaction has taken place

3] when there is 'self' there is 'other' in in-group and out-group situations. The self concept is a useful illusion in terms of politics but it causes all manner of psycho-social problems. Many people reckon that their mind has a mind of its own.

4] meditators subjectively realise that they have a monkey mind which operates like a zombie on autopilot. When sitting quietly and letting the unconscious run its course they reckon that the transcendent Oneness is essentially beneficient and parent like.

5] Neuroscientists are now busy cataloguing the NCC of the changes in the brains of meditators. There is now enough evolved vocabulary to facilitate collective learning on the vast divisions of labour. The innate goodness of the transcendent Oneness is no longer supported as a supernatural, explanatory device. Good and bad are ongoing cultural constructions hard wired in terms of nature's framework upon which nurture's cultural details are grafted.

Three ending points: [1] Human nature is not all nicey nicey, [2] multidisciplinary consilience brings many different ideas together, and, [3] we now have better ideas about how to tame and train our minds.