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Bourke's Luck Potholes 8
The Phenomenal Universe
This article seeks to explain the concept of the Phenomenal Universe, as an evolutionary development of the Physical Universe, that has enormous potential to impact on the subsequent course of general evolution; this impact results from physical action prompted by activity in the Phenomenal Universe that brings to the process of general evolution the power to purposefully influence the direction of the subsequent course of evolution. For thinking-beings, and for mankind in particular, this places them in a position of enormous responsibility for their behaviour; behaviour that translates into the beliefs they pursue, their actions, how they structure their societies and the projects they undertake; indeed for everything connected with their existence. The consequential influence of these on the rest of existence, and certainly on the earth, determines the course taken by evolution and ultimately the success or not of mankind’s and potentially life’s continued existence.
The Phenomenal Universe, the universe of mental activity, is seen as a pivotal creation of the process of evolution occurring in the Physical Universe. Fundamentally it introduces the concept of time into the evolutionary process and this has had and is having a significant and expanding impact on the course taken by evolution in the Physical Universe. This significance lies in the reality that, while it is still ultimately controlled by the limitations of what is actually possible, The Physical Universe no longer evolves entirely without purpose or intent. Creations of the mind within the Phenomenal Universe have been and continue, increasingly, to impact on the course taken by evolution of the Physical Universe. This is not something that has just happened recently, on the contrary from the moment that thinking-beings started to function within the universe there has been interfacing between the Physical and Phenomenal Universes, interfacing that the evolution of the brain and subsequently the mind has made possible.
Evolution of the Phenomenal Universe has its basis in the evolutionary development of sensory systems that have been able to cause reaction in response to their ability to sense changes in the nature of the Condition of Existence of which they are a part. Over evolutionary time this has gradually led to the creation not only of entities that respond to modifications taking place in their Condition of Existence but, more importantly, ones that respond by preserving in their structure an interpreted record of their past experience of exposure to previous Conditions of Existence. This relates loosely to the concept of epigenetics, where the current state of genetic content is seen to reflect the influence of past exposure to events; in the context of Condition of Existence, as a the primary driver of evolution, this is hardly surprising, in fact, quite the opposite, it would be surprising if it did not![1][2] Subsequent evolution of these entities has resulted, again not surprisingly in many respects, in new entities that have in turn responded to their new prevailing Condition of Existence, which includes their interpreted records of past experiences, and at this point the entities, as created in the Physical Universe by the process of evolution, start to respond to past history of their own existence. They effectively have memories of past experiences, as captured through processes of sensory stimulation of cells, that are representational of those experiences – note, however, the use of the word representational, the nature of the process of recording these impressions is via secondary and tertiary systems, it is not direct and nothing recorded is currently the equal of the source of the original stimulant. This leads to a key and fundamental truth about the nature of Phenomenal Universe activity, at least at its present stage of evolution. The probability of the representational state, on which the Phenomenal Universe is dependant, being in error, that is, of it not being totally representational of truth, is extremely high and this marks a key distinction between the Physical and the Phenomenal Universes. The Physical Universe, where it relates to the interaction of the physical components of that universe, can only ever produce the products that the prevailing Condition of Existence dictates must be, the outcomes are inevitable; at this level it cannot itself act erroneously or cause erroneous physical outcomes. For the Phenomenal Universe the situation is quite different, its products are not controlled by the limitations that apply for the physical products of the Physical Universe and, when viewed in the light of very limited exposure to the totality of existence, the probability of its products being erroneous is very high.
Note: - Interestingly there is a potential for thinking-beings to mentally operate mainly in the Phenomenal Universe and there is perhaps an identifiable tendency for this in fact to occur, computer gaming being such an example, but it must not be forgotten that the Phenomenal relies upon the Physical for its existence and the thinking-being cannot avoid the necessity of remaining in contact with the Physical Universe at all times, the body and its organs are physical products of the Physical Universe and are dependent on it and its properties of ‘tolerance to change’ for its continued existence.
[1] Work is being done in this field by Marcus Pembrey, a Professor of Clinical Genetics at the Institute of Child Health in London, in collaboration with Swedish researcher Lars Olov Bygren, see ‘The Ghost in Your Genes’, in relation to evidence found in a remote town called Överkalix in northern Sweden where links have been identified between genealogical records, exposure to famine and the present day genetic structure of descendants and how their lives are effected by past exposure to events. Work is also ongoing in this field by Professor Wolf Relk at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge and others. Interestingly what little I have heard of these works seems to relate the findings to the concepts of switching taking place in the genetic structures exposed to modifications in their condition; seen broadly this is almost naive since everything is in reality constantly exposed to such modification. The subject is one that must be considered with regard to the levels of tolerance to change that exists for the components of an existence within their prevailing Condition of Existence. The so-called ‘switching’ is merely modification resulting from intolerance to the prevailing condition resulting in modification of the evolving products. My contention, in the light of Condition of Existence, is that the ‘mechanical’ notion of switching is confusing and misguided; the actual process is one of change within the condition of existence that inevitably modifies the components and consequentially the process of their interaction. The genetic structure is not the controlling influence merely the inevitable product of its environment. This has far reaching consequences!
[2] It was Matt Ridley’s book Nature via Nurture that first drew my attention to the significance of Condition of Existence with respect to continual modification that takes place in the way in which behaviour of the genes and chromosomes changes with time to produce different living products. This influence is evident at all stages of the life of living products of existence and is significantly linked with activity in the Phenomenal Universe, although at first consideration the link is not obvious.
