The Spiritual Connection between man and the Source of Happiness. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:4
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual Connection between Energy and Life. The Laws of Thermodynamics are important unifying principles of Biology. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Spiritual Optics accounts for the capacity of photoreception and the term Spiritual Light refers to the creation of Light by God to begin the designing of Matter described by Physics and Chemistry. I may not be able to discover the Purpose in my Life if I exist in Spiritual Darkness.
WHOLE DUDE – WHOLE DESIGNER – WHOLE HAPPINESS:
The Spiritual Connection between man and the Source of Happiness. Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness: Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), German philosopher famously states, “It is difficult to find happiness within oneself, but it is impossible to find it anywhere else.”
The word happiness (noun) is about having, showing, or causing a feeling of great pleasure, contentment, and joy. The word glad implies a strong, exultant feeling of joy. Being cheerful requires a steady display of bright spirits or a condition of rejoicing. The term ‘bliss’ can be used to describe the perfect condition of total happiness and in the Indian language of Sanskrit the word “ANANDA” describes the perfect state of existence while experiencing pure happiness, joy, or bliss.
Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness. Where and how to find happiness?
It is easy to describe happiness while it could be difficult to find happiness. The reason is that of finding circumstances that favor or cause the feeling of happiness. The problem is, a man’s experience of happiness is affected by both external and internal conditions which could be beyond his control. The pursuit of happiness can be granted as a Constitutional Right and yet there is no guarantee that the man may find the happiness that he desires in his living experience.
Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness. Where and how to find happiness?
Arthur Schopenhauer states, “It is difficult to find happiness within oneself, but it is impossible to find it anywhere else.” While happiness is an inner experience, it is formulated by the external circumstances found in a given place, at a given time, and in a given environment.
Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness. Where and how to find happiness?
Happiness cannot be discovered and people cannot find happiness until the external circumstances favor the experience of happiness. If the circumstances that do not favor the experience of happiness cannot be changed, the man experiences stress and has to use coping mechanisms to deal with those unhappy circumstances. The ability to cope with unhappy circumstances cannot be described as happiness. I am not inclined to suggest that Schopenhauer teaches a ‘pessimistic’ view of human existence. He places emphasis on human will and he considers that pleasure is simply the absence of pain.
Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness. Where and how to find happiness?
Schopenhauer lived a solitary life from 1831 until his death in 1860 and for about 28 years of his life he was resentful at the world’s failure to recognize his genius. Fortunately for him, his works received international recognition during the final years of his life and provided him the experience of some happiness.
THE THEORY AND THE NATURE OF HUMAN WILL:
The Spiritual Connection between man and the Source of Happiness. Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness: There is a fundamental problem with man’s experience of happiness. Man has no choice other than that of interacting with the circumstances of a given environment in which he exists at any given time.
Will is the term used in philosophy and psychology to describe the faculty of mind that may play a role to stimulate motivation of purposeful activity. Will is a motivating force and is related to other words such as wish, desire, appetite, impulse, choice, purpose, and it involves converting a thought into action. Will also includes the power of controlling one’s own actions.
Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness. Where and how to find happiness?
The Theory of the Will and the Freedom of the Will have been variously interpreted. Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Descartes and Kant describe Will as personal faculty or function. Spinoza, Leibniz and Hume describe Will as the externalized result of the interaction of conflicting elements. Hobbes, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche describe Will as the manifestation of personality. The religious doctrine of Determinism does not affirm the reality of individual’s Will. Modern Psychology considers the concept of Will as unscientific and human actions are explained on the basis of unconscious motivation.
The Spiritual Connection between man and the Source of Happiness. Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness: Arthur Schopenhauer describes the World as a constant conflict of individual ‘wills’ resulting in frustration and pain. Pleasure is simply the absence of pain and can be achieved only through the renunciation of desire. I may be able to control my desires and it may not defend me or prevent another individual exercising his Free Will to take action that will deny me the experience called Happiness. What is the Truth or What is the reality of Happiness?
During 1813-14, Schopenhauer was introduced to the teachings of Indian antiquity – the Indian Philosophy of the Vedas and their interpretations in texts called the Upanishads. It gives me a very good reason to share his views about human existence and about man’s purpose in life. Schopenhauer views the entire world is the representation of a single Will of which our individual wills are phenomena. He uses the word will to describe desire, striving, wanting, effort, and urging. Man is the expression of insatiable will to life. It is through the will that mankind finds all their suffering. Desire for more is what causes this suffering. Schopenhauer claims that our world is driven by a continually dissatisfied will that is continually seeking satisfaction. He tries to account for the world in all its significant aspects. He considers the pain and striving of the human condition and the possibility of deliverance from it.
The Spiritual Connection between man and the Source of Happiness. Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness: How to Find Happiness in Each Day of Human Existence? Schopenhauer explains that human “WILL” exists outside Time, Space, and Causality.
Schopenhauer agrees with Immanuel Kant about human perceptions of the world in which the man exists. But he equates Kant’s “thing-in-itself” with a blind impelling force manifesting itself in individuals as the “Will” to live. Schopenhauer’s most important work is “The World as Will and Idea” (1818-19) and a revised edition titled “The World as Will and Representation.” His doctrine of the Primacy of the Will also emphasizes the irrationality of Will. The Will (“thing-in-itself”) is not perceivable as a presentation and it exists outside Time, Space, and Causality. He views inner experience as intuited through the Will as the most important form of experience. He tries to understand the relationship between human will and human body. The man can go beyond simple perception to know the ultimate reality called the “Will” through which man is compelled to act to express love, hate, desire, and rejection. Although the Will is entirely real, it is not free nor does it have any ultimate purpose. According to Schopenhauer, human will is all-consuming, pointless, and negative. There is also no escape from the Will as manifested in Nature; the expressions of Will are seen throughout the natural world as in the struggles of animals, the stirring of a seed, and the turning of a magnet. Schopenhauer comes to the conclusion that the purpose in life must be that of escaping the Will and its painful striving. The arts, especially the Art of Music with their “will-less perception” provide a temporary heaven. The only final escape is through the “turning of the Will against itself”, a mysterious process that results in Liberation by causing the sheer extinction of the Will.
Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness. Where and how to find happiness?
The Indian School of Thought called ‘The Karma – Yoga’ or ‘The Yoga of Action’ describes that the man has no choice and cannot avoid action and it recommends the renunciation of the desire to experience or tasting the fruits of one’s own actions.
The Spiritual Connection between man and the Source of Happiness. Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness: In my view, Life cannot be explained on the basis of uncaused, self-caused, unguided, random, and spontaneous actions or events. Life, the striving, the desire, the ‘Will’ is action towards a goal. Most living functions of the human organism are performed by independent, autonomous units called cells that perform goal-oriented actions without the use of man’s imagination or thought.
In my view, Life cannot be explained on the basis of uncaused, self-caused, unguided, random, and spontaneous actions or events. If Life has a goal or purpose, it primarily involves the striving or desire towards the goal or purpose to maintain the condition called existence. The human organism comprises of trillions of individual, independent, autonomous units called cells that perform the living functions without any assistance from the imagination or thought of the man who lives in the world because of those living functions. Human existence cannot be explained on the basis of human will to exist if that human will is dependent upon human thought and imagination. The human being does experience desires and the man indeed takes action to respond to those desires. However, the experience called happiness depends upon a factor called ‘Contentment’. It is the factor which determines the degree of gratification that is needed for producing the effect called ‘Satisfaction’. The man can choose to set the bar called Contentment at a high or low-level and experience the effect called Satisfaction while seeking the gratification of his desires. There is no “Whole Happiness” until there is Satisfaction of the desires. To conquer the insatiable enemy called DESIRE, to achieve the effect called SATISFACTION, the man must overcome the organs of sense perception, the mind and intellect which are the sitting places of Desire. In my view, there is “Whole Happiness” if and only if the man fully recognizes the existence of his relationship, partnership, connection, and association with an external source of “Whole Happiness.” I describe Spirit and Soul as the material principle that establishes man’s relationship with the external source of Happiness and thereby sustains man’s desire to live or to have life. The man is a Spiritual Being who can use his Spirit and Soul to exercise control over his mind, intellect, and senses to manage the feelings, the cravings, the urge, and the inner striving that could manifest as Free Will and provide the motivating power to translate thoughts into actions performed in the external world.
The Spiritual Connection between man and the Source of Happiness. Whole Dude – Whole Designer – Whole Happiness: The word Sunshine means the light and heat from the Sun and Sunshine is used to describe the feeling of Cheerfulness and Happiness. To have a true or real experience of Happiness, man needs an external source of Happiness.
Whole Happiness, Pure Joy, and Perfect Bliss is a condition that demands a connection, a relationship, a partnership, and the association between man and his external source of support that formulates the conditions of human existence. In other words, the man finds the experience of Sunshine, Cheerfulness, and Happiness under the influence of an external source of Whole Happiness.
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would give the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Consciousness is a Spiritual Function: The understanding of Consciousness demands the recognition of difference between mechanical performance (Transitive Action), and intelligent performance (Immanent Action). Consciousness cannot be explained by elementary Laws of Physics and Chemistry. Living Functions are primarily Oxidation-Reduction Chemical Reactions. Bonfire vs Forest fire.
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I would use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual Connection between Energy and Life. The Laws of Thermodynamics are important unifying principles of Biology. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Spiritual Optics accounts for the capacity of photoreception and the term Spiritual Light refers to the creation of Light by God to begin the designing of Matter described by Physics and Chemistry. I may not be able to discover the Purpose in my Life if I exist in Spiritual Darkness.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Consciousness is a Spiritual Function: The actions performed in Nature have to be observed to know if it involves the selection of a purpose and the use of means to attain the desired goal. There is a difference between the forest fire and the bonfire. Consciousness cannot be explained using the mechanistic principles.
To make the fundamental distinction between the animate or living, and inanimate or non-living things, we may have to describe the nature of functions that can be observed in the actions performed by things. There is a difference between mechanical performance and intelligent performance. In the actions performed by the living things, the agent is perfected by its own actions, and activities. Actions such as growing, sensing, and understanding are called “Immanent” actions because they are activities which affect the growing, sensing, or understanding agent called the living thing. The action of one inert body upon another inert body is called “Transitive” action. For example, heating is a transitive action. In heating, the hot thing loses its own heat while heat is transferred to the cold thing. In the “Mechanistic” view, the continuity of nature is described in terms of the universality of purely mechanical principles. The mechanistic concept asserts that the phenomena of life are merely processes and transformations obeying elementary chemical and physical laws. However, it should not be very difficult to make a distinction between a forest fire and a bonfire, or a fire ignited in the kitchen in the preparation of a meal. Both the actions represent a chemical reaction called combustion, or rapid oxidation. Both actions may generate light, heat, and warmth. But, the forest fire may lack the purposiveness of the bonfire, or the kitchen fire used in cooking. The understanding of the living and the non-living things involves the difference between vital operations and mechanical operations. There is a difference between the vital power of the living thing and the mechanical capacity of inert, non-living thing.
THE VITAL POWER OF LIVING THINGS:
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Consciousness is a Spiritual Function: Amoeba proteus is a living organism as it has the ability to perform vital, living functions. Amoeba knows the fact of its own existence, it knows as to where it exists, and knows as to how it is existing. It displays two kinds of awareness; 1. What goes on around in its external environment, and 2. What goes on within its internal environment.
The word “Animal” derives from the Latin (anima, animus) name for the vital principle called “Soul” which is a life principle associated with functions like breathing, or the principle called animation. Breathing is a vital function as it is associated with the “Power” of self-nutrition. The power of self-nutrition is the originating power, the possession of which leads us to speak of things as living, and non-living. Nutrition is a vital power as the action is not a mechanical performance. Nutrition is a function associated with a purpose and it is guided to achieve a future end and it involves the choice or selection of specific means to attain the desired goal of its action.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Consciousness is a Spiritual Function. Passive Heating of Stones. A Living Agent can design a purpose to take advantage of mechanical, passive actions.
A non-living thing like a stone gets heated on exposure to Sun’s radiation and the action is not goal-oriented; it is not guided action to attain a specific purpose of that non-living agent. A living thing like a plant can convert thermal energy from Sun to a new form of chemical energy that it can further use to perform a variety of its own living functions like growth, and reproduction. Living functions are intelligent functions that involve the use of knowledge or information to perform goal-oriented, sequential actions.
SOUL AND THE CELLULAR FUNCTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS:
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Consciousness is a Spiritual Function: Brain Stem Reticular Formation shown as a red band in the image represents an integrative focus of consciousness functioning through its widespread interconnections with the Cerebral Cortex and other regions of the Brain. It functions to compose the contents of consciousness that would be revealed as Cortical Awareness. Reticular Formation describes “The Capacity of Consciousness” and without this function the contents of consciousness (or cortical awareness) will not be known to the individual.Spiritualism and Consciousness: SRI AUROBINDO GHOSH IN HIS BOOK, “LETTERS ON YOGA”, Page 576 DESCRIBED CONSCIOUSNESS: “Just like you: you have lots of cells in your body; each cell has its own consciousness and you have a consciousness which is the consciousness of your total individuality, though made up of all these small cellular consciousness.”The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Consciousness is a Spiritual Function: A LIVING, ANIMAL CELL PERFORMS VITAL FUNCTIONS USING ITS COGNITIVE ABILITIES. WHAT IS THAT “SOMETHING” THAT IS RECOGNIZED BY CONSCIOUSNESS?
Consciousness describes the ability to perform intelligent action. Consciousness describes the difference between vital operations and mechanical operations. Consciousness describes the difference between vital powers and the capacities of inert matter. Consciousness describes the difference between living things and non-living things. Consciousness is a biological, vital, or living (“Immanent”) function that characterizes the actions, and activities of living things. Consciousness can include psychological, and mental functions; but it is not merely a function that can only be performed by living matter of an anatomical structure, or organ called brain.
In literature, religion, and philosophy, the term Consciousness is often used meaning, “attention to the contents or workings of one’s own mind.” John Locke defined consciousness as a psychological condition; it is described as the perception of what passes in a man’s own mind. In popular belief, consciousness is viewed as a form of relationship or act of the mind toward objects in nature. Consciousness is claimed to be a continuous field or stream of mental “sense-data.” Very often, neuroscientists describe consciousness as a neurophysiological mechanism that depends on the functions of the brain. It is true for the Brain Stem Reticular Formation represents an integrative focus of consciousness functioning through its widespread interconnections with the cerebral cortex and other regions of the brain. Consciousness involves recognizing the existence, the fact of knowing something; it describes the fact of being aware of some information.
What is that ‘something’ that is known or recognized by Consciousness? A living thing which has a substance called living matter is conscious, or aware of the fact of its own existence in its given environment. There are two aspects of Consciousness that are subjectively registered by the living thing; 1. Consciousness is a state of knowing or awareness of what goes on around the individual living thing in its external environment, and 2. Consciousness is a state of knowing or awareness of what goes on within the individual living thing, its own internal environment. Consciousness is not simple awareness. It is awareness that involves the ability called “Cognition” which involves knowing; the processing of information, the analysis of information, the storing of information, the retrieval of information, and the application of information to perform a selected action. In other words, Consciousness represents the presence of “Intelligence.” A living thing has Consciousness of its nature of existence that demands the supply of energy from its external environment. The living thing uses its cognitive ability, to recognize the substances, the presence of both living, and non-living matter present in its external environment. It uses the power of self-nutrition to attract these substances to acquire energy, manipulate energy, transform energy, and exploit energy to perform its vital, living functions. Thus, Consciousness becomes an absolute attribute of life; it is the fundamental, biological characteristic of living matter or living substance. For the reasons that I have stated, I define Consciousness as a function by which a living thing knows the fact of its own existence; it knows as to where it exists and knows as to how it is existing. Since Consciousness is a function that operates at a level of structural, and functional organization that is the characteristic of complex, organic molecules, this function cannot be observed, or measured by quantum physicists who study structures and functions of subatomic particles.
I define Consciousness as the ability to establish a connection, or a relationship between energy-demanding molecules, and energy-yielding molecules. A Fundamental Force like the Force of Gravitation is very important for the existence of the man on planet Earth. The man recognizes the physical reality of his own existence with the help of gravitation which provides the experience of his body mass or body weight. At the same time, it must be noted that the man exists on the surface of a very fast spinning celestial object. The perception of this basic reality of Earth’s speed and velocity by the human organs of sense perception would endanger the ability to live. The man’s physical existence is defended, and is protected by the shielding effect of the force of gravitation. Gravitation helps to block the sensory awareness of the speed of Earth’s motions. This function of gravitational force must be distinguished from the cognitive function called Consciousness.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Consciousness is a Spiritual Function: THE MOTIONS OF CELESTIAL BODIES. Human Existence demands alternating periods of light and darkness called Day and Night. At the same time, man cannot exist with direct, sensory perception of the very fast revolving, and spinning motions of planet Earth
ADI SHANKARA’S UNQUALIFIED NON-DUALISM-THE THEORY OF PURE CONSCIOUSNESS:
Spiritualism and Consciousness: ADI SHANKARACHARYA, THE PROPONENT OF UNQUALIFIED NON-DUALISM: He based his view on his Theory of “PURE CONSCIOUSNESS.”
The Indian School of Philosophy known as “SUDDHADVAITA”, or Unqualified Non-Dualism of Adi Shankara is based upon a system of thought that may be called “ATMADVAITA” that describes one, universal, eternal, and self-illuminating Self whose essence is “Pure Consciousness” without a Subject (“ASRAYA”) and without an Object (“VISAYA”) and from a transcendental point of view, “Pure Consciousness” is the only Ultimate Reality. The phenomenal world and finite individuals could be empirically true, but from the higher point of view are merely false appearances. Adi Shankara based his view on his definition of “Reality: The “Real” is that whose negation is not possible. The only thing that satisfies this criterion is consciousness; because denial of consciousness presupposes the consciousness that denies. It is conceivable that any object is not existent, but the absence of consciousness is not conceivable.
Adi Shankara used his immense logical skills and relied upon reasoning to claim that consciousness is the only reality and anything different from it would be unreal. The basic problem of Adi Shankara’s philosophy is that of explaining as to how such “Pure Consciousness” appears in ordinary experience to become individualized as “my consciousness.”
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would give the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Consciousness is a Spiritual Function.
I am pleased to share this view posted by Gaurachandra Das of IIT, Kharagpur, India.
Mystery of Consciousness: Life versus Non-life
Gaurachandra Das, B. Tech, M.Tech, Electrical Engineering-IIT Kharagpur
General Theory of Relativity and Quantum Mechanical Theory (QM) are the two most prominent theories in the field of Physics. General Theory of Relativity given by Einstein in 1915 states that direction of light propagation should be changed in a gravitational field. It predicts that “light coming from a strong gravitational field should have its wavelength shifted to larger values (a red-shift). The electromagnetic field can have waves in it that carry energy that we call light. Likewise, the gravitational field can have waves that carry energy and are called gravitational waves. These may be thought of as ripples in the curvature of space-time that travel at the speed of light.” On the other hand Quantum Mechanical Theory predicts the behavior of particles as waves as they drift away from the classical domain.
Both these stalwart theories till date have been unable to predict the function of consciousness in living bodies. In fact, they do not even stand unwavering scrutiny and are subject to reformations, time and again. Albert Einstein himself stated in this regard in 1954-“I consider it quite possible that physics cannot be based on the field concept, i.e., on continuous structures. In that case, nothing remains of my entire castle in the air, gravitation theory included, and of the rest of modern physics.”
In the words of Roger Penrose – “I definitely believe that Quantum Mechanics is not a final theory and it is incomplete. I agree with Einstein in that sense.” Quantum Mechanics has proved insufficient to describe the nature of reality so far. He further says-“Quantum Mechanics has two parts: the first is Schrodinger’s equation, which tells how a system evolves, it is a very precise equation yet it does not tell you how the world behaves. The second part of QM is the measurement process. The measurement process is inconsistent with Schrodinger equation. It is non-deterministic, probabilistic, etc. Although these two parts are inconsistent with each other, they do fit together in a rather remarkable way. To me, it suggests that QM is not perfectly correct.” Another is the famous Schrodinger’s cat example. (Experiment parallel to it is being done in Santa Barbara, California under Dirk Baumeister.) Penrose remarks:- “ Schrodinger pointed out that his own equation tells that you could produce a cat that is both alive and dead at the same time. It is ridiculous because in reality you don’t see cats that are both alive and dead at the same time. This means there is something wrong with the equations at the level when the objects become big enough.”
Schrodinger’s cat set-up
Along with Hameroff, Penrose constructed a theory of human consciousness in which human consciousness is pointed to as being the result of a quantum gravity effect in microtubules. That was presented in his “Orchestrated Reduction of Quantum Coherence in Brain Microtubules: A Model for Consciousness”. However, he also says “Our present scientific knowledge cannot describe consciousness. On the other hand, boundaries of what we call scientific are not fixed on this view. Perhaps we may never be able to understand the Ultimate Reality through a rigorous scientific approach. Some fundamentally new insights are needed. If perhaps there will eventually emerge some kind of ultimate theory that may explain part of the reality, that theory must differ enormously from what we have seen in physical theories so far.” So as per his opinion, a fundamentally new theory with remarkably different features is needed to explain the paradigm of consciousness. Thus, what is this consciousness, a mystery to the world of physics so far.
Robots are another field in which distinction between life and non-life can be seen approaching a border-line. Nowadays robots are quoted to be even writing poems. But such collection of words is an artificial attempt from the word-bank fed to computers and arranged with algorithms. The machine has no feelings and emotions and the purpose of poetry –“to satisfy the poet’s heart” remains forever absent to a machine. The computer may also play chess but that is the computational (mechanistic) part done by it from the strategies fed by the programmer. A machine may also pass the Turing Test3 but the Chinese room argument by John Searle refutes the conscious sense coming from this resemblance. Actually to prove computers intelligent, one needs to design a robot that can play any surprise or unexpected game brought before it, not just the chess game. It should be able to learn any game by speech or text inputs and then play that game reasonably well. But it is not possible to design such a robot because playing a surprise game requires an understanding in both learning and devising strategy. A robot can do computation, but it will never have understanding because it can’t be conscious.
A Robot cannot play an unprogrammed game.
After the tragic event of 9/11 many scientists have shown remarkable interest in these ideas concerning search of an Ultimate Theory, absolute Reality and depths of the conscious paradigm. They look for a scientific clue from the known sources of scientific knowledge. This brings them closer to the ideas of fine-tuning and intelligent design in the universe which have a valid and very reasonable role in the creation. The fine-tuning of water molecule (H2O) and preciseness of universal constants verify this claim.
There are various directions to proceed on the basis of the Anthropic Principle. One of the interesting insights is that Vedantic literature points in this direction about the presence of different universes which have life and are also spiritual in nature. This idea is feasible from the strong Anthropic principle as Roger Penrose says – “This is the argument that only the physical constants of nature which have specific values may be suitable for life. Only in the world where the numbers are suitable for consciousness we will find beings present in that world. It may be a completely different kind of life, which is not like us at all, which does not depend on chemistry the way we do. So that may open up the possibility of a world or spiritual world.”
Looking into Einstein’s life, we all admire his great insights for a scientific worldview having mathematical foundations. At same time he also had some profound feeling for religion. In other words, he tried to relate both scientific and religious worldviews in his life. He said-“Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind.” Another of his famous quotes is –“God doesn’t cast dice.” This may be a serious question posed to the propaganda that life is a chance phenomenon. Roger Penrose remarks in this connection – “There are remarkable interrelations between truth and beauty. Even there is a mystery of our perceptions of mathematical truths. I would say that these are higher and deeper aspects of reality of which we have little conception at the present time.” Einstein didn’t see any conflict between science and religion while he considered them complementary. He could live happily by synthesizing both the worldviews. It is from this religious paradigm, especially Vedantic paradigm where we get a precisely correct understanding of consciousness which is a mystery for the modern thinkers.
Universe and life is not created by humans so the proposal to study and demarcate its ingredients and intricacies by research-based approach may not be well-placed and successful. It may actually be like an ant’s attempt to study the architecture of Mercedes-Benz, which is quite too much for the ant! However the religious side in this direction, particularly the Vedantic conception offers interesting comprehensive facts and insights…for example, Bhagavad Gita says that “the soul (atma) or spirit is the cause of consciousness. This spirit or atma interacts with matter through the agency of the Paramatma or the all-pervading conscious aspect of the absolute truth. This interaction depends on higher order, non-mathematical laws relating to psychological principles such as desire and free-will.” Bhagavad Gita mentions that “the size of spirit or atma is 1/10000 of the tip of a hair; it is inconceivable or spiritual in nature and it is eternal and unborn.” In fact, our present science cannot explain this. As some prominent scientists (as Max Born, Roger Penrose and William D. Phillips) say – “We need a new science, a higher dimensional science to explain this subtle conception of the source of life.” Yet, its presence in the form of consciousness can be experienced by us all. Max Born says – “I saw in the atom the key to the deepest secret of nature and it revealed to me the greatness of creation and the Creator.”
Roger Penrose and Dr T.D. Singh
So, probably, the sincere mind of a great scientist would need to blur these boundaries between science and religion and sincerely take up this quest to understand life and conscious paradigm. This has been the attitude of a galaxy of prominent thinkers, scientists and vastly learned men such as Nicholas Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, James Clerk Maxwell, Albert Einstein, Max Born, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Werner Heisenberg, Charles Townes, William D. Phillips and hundreds more. Albert Einstein says-“I sense these things deeply…the most beautiful and profound religious emotion that we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. And this mysticality is the power of all true science. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power which is revealed in the comprehensible universe forms my idea of God.” In the words of Charles Townes-“I believe there is no long-range question more important than the purpose and meaning of our lives and of the universe.” Indeed, such a positive and synthesized approach offers a key to solve this mystery of life and consciousness, to know the distinction between life and non-life and to delve deeper into Absolute Reality.
References: 1. General Theory of Relativity http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/cosmology/gravity.html 2. Discussion between Sir Roger Penrose and Dr T.D. Singh entitled “Science, Spirituality and Nature of reality”, Bhaktivedanta Institute, 2005. 3. Turing Test : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test 4. Chinese room Argument : http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-room/ 5. Anthropic Principle – see Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking, Bantam Trade Paperback, 1996. 6. “Life, Matter and their Interactions “ by Dr T.D. Singh, Bhaktivedanta Institute, 2006. 7. “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” by A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. New York: Macmillan 1972. 8. “God is a Person”, Reflections of two Noble Laureates, Bhaktivedanta Institute, 2006. 9. Lincoln Barnett, “The Universe and Dr. Einstein, 2nd Edition, New York, 1957, pp.108-109.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Consciousness is a Spiritual Function.
Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Love is attachment to the form vs Love is the nature of the substance
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man and the world on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I would use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual Connection between Energy and Life. The Laws of Thermodynamics are important unifying principles of Biology. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Spiritual Optics accounts for the capacity of photoreception and the term Spiritual Light refers to the creation of Light by God to begin the designing of Matter described by Physics and Chemistry. I may not be able to discover the Purpose in my Life if I exist in Spiritual Darkness.
SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL:
Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Love is attachment to the form vs Love is the nature of the substance. Beyond Good and Evil: Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher introduced the concept of “Life as Will to Power.” He explained his Moral Philosophy in his books, ‘Beyond Good and Evil : Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future’ (1886), and ‘On the Genealogy of Morals’ (1887).
I define ‘Spirituality Science’ – ‘Adhyatma Vidya’ (The Knowledge of Spiritual Self) as an investigation of the spiritual nature of corporeal or material substances. I must clarify that I am not seeking to discover a soul or a spirit that could have existence independent of the man’s physical being. My inquiry pertains to the relationship between soul, spirit, and human body. When I speak of the man as a Spiritual Being, the truth or falsity of my proposition depends on the fact of man’s having a corporeal substance that is of spiritual nature. The structure and the behavior of things contribute to their individual being, and function. In my view, the ability called discernment, the capacity to make a distinction between good and evil is a spiritual function. Good is a property of being or existence and hence it provides the direction of conduct and behavior that support self-preservation. The specific qualities of the maxims that define the difference between good and evil are Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility. The term evil is the opposite of good. Evil is often associated with violence, agitation, disharmony, disturbance, confusion, and unruly behavior or conduct. Life comes into existence when matter and energy come together. The human being comes to life when the body matter uses its potentiality or power to acquire energy and matter from its external environment. This power to exploit matter and energy for the establishment and preservation of existence is called the power of “Nutrition.” It demands the operation of a principle called discernment, a fundamental, or primary function of knowing what is good or bad for the purposes of self-preservation.
“LIFE AS WILL TO POWER”
Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Love is attachment to the form vs Love is the nature of the substance. Beyond Good and Evil: Nietzsche described Life as “Will to Power”, which is precisely the “Will to Life.” In Physiology, the term that can be used is “NUTRITION”, the Power with which the living corporeal substance called Protoplasm or Cytoplasm exploits matter and energy available from its external environment.
The term ‘will’ denotes the power of choice and deliberate action, the power of controlling one’s own actions. The desire, the disposition, the attitude, the purpose, a reasoned choice, or decision to influence actions come under the purview of the term ‘will’. While describing actions, we may have to make a careful distinction between the living functions and the behavior of the organism in response to other stimuli including mental stimuli. The living functions do not depend upon mental stimuli. The man may use his ‘will power’ to find food to keep his existence. But, the living function called ‘Nutrition’ does not depend upon such ‘will power’ or some other mental stimulus. However, the Power of Nutrition does require the operation of the principle called discernment of good and evil, the choice between right and wrong in the context of self-preservation or existence. This function is dependent upon the spiritual nature of man’s corporeal substance. Nietzsche correctly observed that life is associated with an instinct for growth and durability. He writes, “Exploitation does not belong to a depraved, or imperfect and primitive society; it belongs to the nature of the living being as a primary organic function, it is a consequence of the intrinsic Will to Power, which is precisely the Will to Life.” Nietzsche contends, “That all the supreme values of mankind lack this ‘Will’, that values which are symptomatic of decline, nihilistic values, are lording it under the holiest names.” In his opinion, traditional philosophy, religion and morality simply represent the masks that a deficient ‘Will to Power’ wears. In Nietzsche’s analysis, the sustaining values of Western Civilization have been sublimated products of decadence using the ‘ascetic’ ideal that endorses existence as pain and suffering. He rejects the concepts of ‘common good’ or ‘common evil’. “Absolute good or absolute evil don’t exist, and instead there’s a universal driving force in humans called the ‘Will to Power’ (expressed in ambition, greed, social rank, achievement etc.,) that makes it impossible for ‘common good’ or ‘common evil’ to exist.” He further observes, “And how could there be a ‘common good’! The expression contradicts it self; that which can be common is always of small value….. the great things remain for the great, the abysses for the profound, the delicacies and thrills for the refined, and to sum up shortly, everything rare for the rare.” In my view, the “Will to Power” and the “Will to Life” are not the same. The “Will to Life” is similar to the Power called Nutrition and it is a ‘common good’ for it relates to the purpose called existence.
THE GENEALOGY OF MORALS:
Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Love is attachment to the form vs Love is the nature of the substance. Beyond Good and Evil: In his book, The Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche interpreted traditional morality using an etymological approach.
Nietzsche locates the origin of Good and Bad in the distinction between the nobility and the commoners.To interpret traditional morality, he uses an etymological approach. He examines the etymology of the German words ‘good’, ‘bad’, and ‘evil’. He maintains that the distinction between good and bad was originally descriptive. Good is a non-moral reference to those who are privileged, the masters as opposed to those who are base, the slaves. His criticism is based on the typology of “master” and “slave” morality. The nobility determined that their actions are good. The actions of the strong in Nietzsche’s opinion stand only from their inherent power, not from malice. The good and evil contrast arose when slaves avenged themselves by converting attributes of mastery into vices. Since the masters who represent good and powerful, it is opposed by introducing the idea that the ‘meek’ would inherit the earth. Pride became a sin. Charity, humility, and obedience replaced competition, pride, and autonomy. The Slave Morality further secured its triumph by claiming that it is the only true morality. In his view, both traditional philosophical and religious ethics are based on this insistence on absoluteness. “There is Master-Morality and Slave-Morality, – It is obvious that everywhere the designations of moral value were at first applied to the men, and were only derivatively and at a later period applied to Actions; (it is a gross mistake, therefore,) the noble type of man regards Himself as the determiner of values…. He is a CREATOR OF VALUES.” Nietzsche took an optimistic view of this new, Noble type of man and confidently predicts, “A good and healthy aristocracy would be able to elevate themselves to a higher Existence.” Nietzsche attacks Christianity and Democracy as moralities for the “Weak Herd.” He argues for the natural aristocracy of the Superman who driven by the “Will to Power” celebrates life on Earth rather than sanctifying it for some heavenly reward. Such a heroic man of merit has the courage to live “dangerously” and thus rise above the masses, developing his natural capacity for the creative use of passion.”
“WHAT IS DONE OUT OF LOVE ALWAYS TAKES PLACE BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL”
Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Love is attachment to the form vs Love is the nature of the substance. BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL: Nietzsche’s main concern is about man’s “Will to Power” in the context of human behavior. He has not adequately explored the true or real human nature that is primarily involved in the performance of living functions that shape human existence and self-preservation. But surprisingly, he recognizes the attribute called ‘LOVE’ that operates Beyond Good and Evil.
In my view, Nietzsche fails to define the terms ‘man’ and ‘existence’ and hence his perspective on human morality lacks balance. He has failed to make the distinction between human nature and human behavior and actions. I view the man as a multicellular organism that comprises of trillions of individual, independent, living cells. The man is constituted as a biological community of cells and hence there is a need to define ‘common good’ to establish the existence of the Individual who exists because of the living functions performed by all the cells of the human body. When Nietzsche speaks about Actions, he has failed to recognize the actions that are described as ‘Metabolism’ or the living functions that each individual cell performs to keep its own existence. Life is possible because of the intraspecific biotic interactions, the interactions between the cells, the tissues, the organs, and the organ systems that are central to define man as a Physical Being. The man cannot directly rule or govern even a single cell in his entire human body. The reality of cellular autonomy is known to all the students of Biology. Most medical interventions to help the man in sickness or health are designed taking into account the problem of cellular autonomy. The man has the primary organic ability to exploit nature because of the ability of green plants to exploit Sun’s energy. Man has no direct ability to exploit Sun’s energy for the purposes of his existence and self-preservation. Even the green plants need the help of microbes to fix atmospheric Nitrogen to synthesize organic compounds. Nietzsche’s claim that a good and healthy aristocracy would be able to elevate themselves to a “Higher Existence” has no merit. In reality, the man leads a dependent, mortal existence under the influence called Time. The only hope for “Elevation” in the context of human existence is the operation of God’s Unconditioned Love which does not demand that man must acknowledge the existence of God. The Unconditioned or Whole Love of God always exists Beyond Good and Evil and this Love formulates the ability called Discernment and the man makes the distinction between Good and Evil as a tool for his self-preservation. In other words, I state that the man is constituted as a Moral Being and he fundamentally knows the difference between Good and Evil.
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? What is the Color of Money? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would offer the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Who Can See the Light? The Man or the Plant? The Concept of Whole Perspectivism
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man and the world on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I would use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual Connection between Energy and Life. The Laws of Thermodynamics are important unifying principles of Biology. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Spiritual Optics accounts for the capacity of photoreception and the term Spiritual Light refers to the creation of Light by God to begin the designing of Matter described by Physics and Chemistry. I may not be able to discover the Purpose in my Life if I exist in Spiritual Darkness.
WHOLE DUDE-WHOLE DESIGNER-WHOLE PERSPECTIVISM:
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Who Can See the Light? The Man or the Plant? The Concept of Whole Perspectivism: Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche(1844 to 1900), German philosopher who shaped the history of 20th-century philosophy, theology, and psychology. He is considered to be the most influential philosophers who ever lived.
Nietzsche is considered to be the most influential philosophers who ever lived. He is considered to be German language’s most brilliant prose writer. In the words of Sigmund Freud, “Nietzsche had a more penetrating understanding of himself than any man who ever lived or was ever likely to live.” Apart from his critiques of traditional religion, philosophy, and morality, Nietzsche shared a concept called ‘Perspectivism’. The word ‘perspective’ is stated as the relationship or proportion of the parts of a ‘Whole’, regarded from a particular standpoint or point in time. It describes a specific point of view in understanding or judging things or events, especially one that shows them in their true relationship to one another. Perspective requires the ability to see things in a true relationship. John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887) provides a perspective in his famous poem “Indian Legend.”
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Who Can See the Light? The Man or the Plant? The Concept of Whole Perspectivism: John Godfrey Saxe in his famous poem ‘Indian Legend’ provides a perspective on human limitations to acquire knowledge by direct observation. It would be like that of Six Blind Men examining the Reality called Elephant using the powers of their direct observation. Each person comes to his own conclusion about the nature of Reality.
John Godfrey Saxe describes the problem of knowing the reality using the human powers of observation and compares it to the conclusions arrived by the Six Blind Men who had examined a huge Elephant:
“It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind).
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.”
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Who Can See the Light? The Man or the Plant? The Concept of Whole Perspectivism: What is Reality? What is Illusion? What is your Perspective? In my opinion, my view, or perspective is preceded by the fact of my physical existence on the surface of planet Earth. My perspective may have to always include the reality of my relationship with planet Earth. I am blissfully unaware of the Speed of Earth’s Motion. My intellectual awareness of Earth’s Motion cannot overcome the Power of Illusion caused by the Fundamental Force known as Gravitation.
Perspectivism is a concept which holds that knowledge is always perspectival, or knowledge demands perception of a range of information, facts, or experience. Nietzsche claims that there are no immaculate perceptions. Nietzsche will not be able to make a similar claim about the impossibility of certain kinds of perception such as the perception of light which the man performs if and only if he has access to the photosynthetic energy trapped by the plants.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Who Can See the Light? The Man or the Plant? The Concept of Whole Perspectivism
In animals, the ability of photoreception is dependent upon the chemical energy provided by organic molecules called Adenosine triphosphate or ATP that is produced by intracellular organelles called mitochondria which use the chemical reaction called oxidation-reduction to oxidize the organic molecules created by plants using photosynthetic energy.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Who Can See the Light? The Man or the Plant? The Concept of Whole Perspectivism. Photoreception by human eye requires energy and the energy is acquired by oxidation of organic molecules created during the Photosynthetic process. Plants have the ability called Photoreception and yet they do not have the capacity called Vision. Man has the ability called Photoreception and performs the sensory function called Vision and yet he directly, or indirectly depends upon the photoreceptive abilities of plants that cannot see the products of their photosynthetic function.
Thus photoreception is the fundamental photobiological process that maintains life on planet Earth. If God is viewed as the Creator of Light, Photoreception could be stated as the most important feature of a Whole Design to establish life on planet Earth. For the man has the capacity called vision, he should be able to visualize the Whole Design used by the Whole Designer, or Whole Architect, or a Whole Artist.
Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Who Can See the Light? The Man or the Plant? The Concept of Whole Perspectivism
In my view, in the “Immaculate Perception” of the Whole Designer, the man exists not because of his perception of reality but with the assistance of Illusion which specifically blocks the sense perception of the reality of Earth’s speed. In Nietzsche’s opinion, knowledge from no point of view is as incoherent a notion as seeing from no particular vantage point. Nietzsche’s Perspectivism denies the possibility of an all-inclusive perspective which could contain all others. It is correct to claim that there can be no all-inclusive perspective on reality that could make reality available as it is in itself. Nietzsche concludes that the concept of such an all-inclusive perspective is as incoherent as the concept of seeing an object from every possible vantage point simultaneously.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics: The Pencil in Water Illusion. The man leads a ‘conditioned’ existence, just like the Pencil in Water. The Reality of the Pencil can be easily demonstrated by simply removing the Pencil from Water. In case of man it is not easy to conduct such a demonstration as man needs the help of an Illusion and not the experience of Reality. Science can explain the reason for this Illusion, but Science has no Power/Force/Energy to alter the properties of Light rays that produce the Illusion. While being conditioned, man has no choice other than that of ignorance; the Reality of planet Earth’s motions are not needed as direct sensory experience.
The man cannot avoid the issue of the problems of sense perception and man has to reconcile with the problem caused by the absence of an all-inclusive perspective about the nature of Truth and Reality. I approach the problem of human perspective from a different direction. Firstly, the man’s ability called perception is always preceded by the fact of man’s existence. There is no existence without the influence called Illusion that blocks aspects of man’s perception of reality. The fundamental basis of human existence on the surface of planet Earth is conditioned by the experience called Illusion which defends existence from the danger of reality and the consequences of experiencing the reality of Earth and the universe in which the man exists. In my opinion, it will be possible to formulate an “all-inclusive” perspective about Illusion even while human beings have a problem to share an “all-inclusive” perspective on Truth and Reality. I am using the term “Whole Perspectivism” to describe an all-inclusive perspective about the Whole Human Existence that demands both Illusion and Reality.
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? What is the Color of Money? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would offer the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Magic of Creation vs The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence.
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man and the world on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Magic of Creation vs The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence. The Cyclical Flow of Time, Matter, and Energy is not about the recurrence or the repetition of the events in a man’s lifetime.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I would use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual Connection between Energy and Life. The Laws of Thermodynamics are important unifying principles of Biology. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Spiritual Optics accounts for the capacity of photoreception and the term Spiritual Light refers to the creation of Light by God to begin the designing of Matter described by Physics and Chemistry. I may not be able to discover the Purpose in my Life if I exist in Spiritual Darkness.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Magic of Creation vs The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence. The Cyclical Flow of Time, Matter, and Energy is not about the recurrence or the repetition of the events in a man’s lifetime.
WHOLE DUDE-WHOLE DESIGNER-THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL RECURRENCE:
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Magic of Creation vs The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence: Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844 to 1900), German philosopher in his most celebrated book ‘Thus Spake Zarathustra’ (1883-85) introduced in eloquent poetic prose the concepts of the ‘Superman or ‘Superior Man’, and the ‘Will to Power’ using his doctrine of Eternal Recurrence.
The eternal recurrence is a central notion of Nietzsche’s thought. It supposes that you’d have to experience the same life, with the same events and same experiences, repeated for eternity.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Magic of Creation vs The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence: The German word ‘Übermensch’ means a Superman or a Superior Man. Nietzsche argued for the “Natural Aristocracy” of the ‘Superman’ who driven by the ‘Will to Power’ celebrates life on Earth rather than sanctifying it for some heavenly reward. Nietzsche described the concept of ‘Superman’ or ‘Superior Man’ based on his doctrine of “Eternal Recurrence.”
Nietzsche in his most celebrated book ‘Thus Spake Zarathustra’ introduced the concepts of the Superman or Superior Man and the Will to Power. The basic conception of Thus Spoke Zarathustra asks the question: “How well disposed would a person have to become to himself and to life to crave nothing more fervently than the infinite repetition without alternation, of each and every moment?” Nietzsche says, the person who could accept recurrence without self-deception or evasion would be a super human being or “UBERMENSCH”, a Superman whose distance from the ordinary man is greater than the distance between man and ape. This Superior Man would not be a product of long evolution; rather, he would emerge when any man with superior potential completely masters himself and strikes off conventional Christian “Herd Mentality” to create his own values, which are completely rooted in life on this Earth. Nietzsche attacked Christianity and Democracy as moralities for the “Weak Herd”. He argued for the “Natural Aristocracy” of the Superman who driven by the ‘Will to Power’ celebrates life on Earth rather than sanctifying it for some heavenly reward. Such a heroic man of merit has the courage to live “dangerously” and thus rise above the masses, developing his natural capacity for the creative use of passion. Nietzsche’s goal was a “Caesar with Christ’s Soul.”
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Magic of Creation vs The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence: Nietzsche described the concept of “UBERMENSCH”, the Superman or the Superior Man. Nietzsche’s goal was a “Caesar with Christ’s Soul.” Nietzsche argued for the “Natural Aristocracy” of the Superman and ridiculed the idea of the “MEEK” inheriting Earth.
George Bernard Shaw popularized the term “Superman” by his play ‘Man and Superman'(1903).
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Magic of Creation vs The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence: Nietzsche’s concept of Superman was popularized by George Bernard Shaw in his play ‘Man And Superman’. This is a picture of the cast of Roundabout Theater’s production of that play directed by William Woodman. The cast includes Kim Hunter, David Birney, John Carpenter, Frances Conroy, Michael Cumpsty, Anthony Fusco, I.M. Hobson, Jonathan Walker, and Harriet Harris.
WHOLE DUDE- WHOLE DESIGNER-THE CONCEPT OF BHAVANAJAGAT:
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Magic of Creation vs The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence: Nietzsche’s concept of Superman, Superior Man, or “UBERMENSCH” is based on the Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence. In the concept of ‘BHAVANAJAGAT’ the world or ‘JAGAT’ exists in a constant state of motion. Fundamentally, there is no possibility of the infinite repetition without alteration of each and every moment as visualized by Nietzsche.
Nietzsche’s concept of Superman, Superior Man, or “UBERMENSCH” is based on his doctrine of Eternal Recurrence. He visualizes the possibility of the infinite repetition without alteration of each and every moment. In my concept of “BHAVANAJAGAT”, the term ‘JAGAT’ refers to planet Earth which exists in a state of constant motion and hence each instant always occurs as a new instant and there is no going backwards or forwards to the instant called present. The man exists in a world without the possibility of the infinite repetition. The Magic of Creation enforces the alteration of each and every moment and no man is born with the same genome that existed in the past or may exist in the future. The man’s thoughts, ideas, and the power of imagination have no effect on the reality of planet Earth and its nature of existence. Earth churns each future moment into a past moment without ever giving the man the opportunity to know the existence of any present moment. Each moment in the life of planet Earth is a new moment and there is no infinite repetition of any given or recognized moment. Man has to recognize the basic reality about Earth where there can never be two identical moments. “BHAVANAJAGAT” uses the term ‘BHAVANA’ to describe the Unchanging Principle that establishes the human existence in a constantly changing world. For man has no power to experience the repetition of any single moment during his entire period of physical existence, there is no possibility of man evolving into a Superman, Superior Man, or “UBERMENSCH”. Nietzsche’s concept is fundamentally flawed; his doctrine of Eternal Recurrence is a simple product of his mental imagination and it has no correspondence with an external reality. In fact, the man has no physical or mental power to establish his own existence on Earth. The man has no intrinsic superior potential to master himself. The man is designed to exist in a constantly changing world without any potential to govern or rule the functions of the independent cells that constitute his body.
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? What is the Color of Money? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would offer the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
I ask my readers to review the following article by Emrys Westacott, Professor of Philosophy, Alfred University.
Nietzsche’s Idea of Eternal Recurrence
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Magic of Creation vs The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence.
By Emrys Westacott, Professor of Philosophy, Alfred University
Westacott, Emrys. “Nietzsche’s Idea of Eternal Recurrence.” ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/nietzsches-idea-of-the-eternal-recurrence-2670659.
The idea of eternal return or eternal recurrence has existed in various forms since antiquity. Put simply, it’s the theory that existence recurs in an infinite cycle as energy and matter transform over time. In ancient Greece, the Stoics believed that the universe went through repeating stages of transformation similar to those found in the “wheel of time” of Hinduism and Buddhism.
Such ideas of cyclical time later fell out of fashion, especially in the West, with the rise of Christianity. One notable exception is found in the work of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), a 19th-century German thinker who was known for his unconventional approach to philosophy. One of Nietzsche’s most famous ideas is that of eternal recurrence, which appears in the penultimate section of his book The Gay Science.
Eternal Recurrence
The Gay Science is one of Nietzsche’s most personal works, collecting not only his philosophical reflections but also a number of poems, aphorisms, and songs. The idea of eternal recurrence—which Nietzsche presents as a sort of thought experiment—appears in Aphorism 341, “The Greatest Weight”:
“What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: ‘This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence—even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again, and you with it, speck of dust!’
“Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: ‘You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine.’ If this thought gained possession of you, it would change you as you are or perhaps crush you. The question in each and every thing, ‘Do you desire this once more and innumerable times more?’ would lie upon your actions as the greatest weight. Or how well disposed would you have to become to yourself and to life?”
Nietzsche reported that this thought came to him suddenly one day in August 1881 while he was taking a walk along a lake in Switzerland. After introducing the idea at the end of The Gay Science, he made it one of the fundamental concepts of his next work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Zarathustra, the prophet-like figure who proclaims Nietzsche’s teachings in this volume, is at first reluctant to articulate the idea, even to himself. Eventually, though, he proclaims that eternal recurrence is a joyful truth, one that should be embraced by anyone who lives life to the fullest.
Oddly enough, eternal recurrence doesn’t figure too prominently into any of the works Nietzsche published after Thus Spoke Zarathustra. However, there is a section dedicated to the idea in The Will to Power, a collection of notes published by Nietzsche’s sister Elizabeth in 1901. In the passage, Nietzsche seems to seriously entertain the possibility that the doctrine is literally true. It is significant, however, that the philosopher never insists on the idea’s literal truth in any of his other published writings. Rather, he presents eternal recurrence as a sort of thought experiment, a test of one’s attitude toward life.
Nietzsche’s Philosophy
Nietzsche’s philosophy is concerned with questions about freedom, action, and will. In presenting the idea of eternal recurrence, he asks us not to take the idea as truth but to ask ourselves what we would do if the idea were true. He assumes that our first reaction would be utter despair: the human condition is tragic; life contains much suffering; the thought that one must relive it all an infinite number of times seems terrible.
But then he imagines a different reaction. Suppose we could welcome the news, embrace it as something that we desire? That, says Nietzsche, would be the ultimate expression of a life-affirming attitude: to want this life, with all its pain and boredom and frustration, again and again. This thought connects with the dominant theme of Book IV of The Gay Science, which is the importance of being a “yea-sayer,” a life-affirmer, and of embracing amor fati (love of one’s fate).
This is also how the idea is presented in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Zarathustra’s being able to embrace eternal recurrence is the ultimate expression of his love for life and his desire to remain “faithful to the earth.” Perhaps this would be the response of the “Übermnesch” or “Overman” who Zarathustra anticipates as a higher kind of human being. The contrast here is with religions like Christianity, which see this world as inferior, this life as mere preparation for a better life in paradise. Eternal recurrence thus offers a notion of immortality counter to the one proposed by Christianity.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Magic of Creation vs The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. What is the Purpose in my Life?
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man and the world on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I would use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual Connection between Energy and Life. The Laws of Thermodynamics are important unifying principles of Biology. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Spiritual Optics accounts for the capacity of photoreception and the term Spiritual Light refers to the creation of Light by God to begin the designing of Matter described by Physics and Chemistry. I may not be able to discover the Purpose in my Life if I exist in Spiritual Darkness.
WHOLE DUDE-WHOLE DESIGNER-WHOLE NIHILISM:
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Whole Nihilism: German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844 to 1900) often thought of his writings as struggles with “Nihilism.” In his view, Knowledge and Rationality in themselves do nothing to justify the Human Existence and do nothing to justify the existence of the World. I appreciate this thought shared by Nietzsche and would like to keep my independence by contesting his views on Human Existence.
Nietzsche often thought of his writings as struggles with Nihilism. In his view, Knowledge and Rationality in themselves do nothing to justify Human Existence and do nothing to justify the existence of the World. I agree and at the same time, I disagree with him. I would like to share my concept of “Whole Nihilism” to contest his views on Nihilism. In my opinion, Nietzsche fails to make the following distinctions and hence fails to establish his thesis of Nihilism. The fundamental distinctions that we need to consider are:
1. The distinction between Acquired Knowledge and Innate Knowledge,
2. The distinction between Human Essence and Human Existence,
3. The distinction between Human Behavior and Human Nature,
4. The distinction between Human Identity and Human Individuality, and
5. The distinction between a Mortal Being and a Created Being.
Firstly, I would like to describe Nietzsche’s thoughts on Nihilism and explain his views on this subject.
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Whole Nihilism: In the emergence of 19th-century “POSITIVISM”, Nietzsche predicted the ushering of a new era that dissolves the religious and philosophical absolutes. Nietzsche visualized the collapse of the metaphysical and theological foundations and sanctions for traditional morality. The decadence of the sustaining values of Western Civilization would leave behind a pervasive sense of purposelessness and meaninglessness. And the triumph of meaninglessness is the triumph of Nihilism.
“POSITIVISM” is a system of philosophy basing Knowledge solely on the data of sense experience. It is a system of philosophy originated by French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857) who demanded that Knowledge must be exclusively based on observable scientific facts and their relation to each other, and he rejected speculations about or search for ultimate origins. Positivism as a theory of Knowledge is fundamentally flawed for it fails to acknowledge the existence of Innate Knowledge. For example, the genetic information and biological information implanted in the living cells is the Knowledge that is used to perform a variety of complex, sequential, goal-oriented living functions. In the absence of this Innate Knowledge, life and existence is simply impossible. For this reason, I define Life as Knowledge in Action. Having said this, I recognize that in the 19th-century Positivism, Nietzsche visualizes the emergence of an age that dissolves the religious and philosophical absolutes. Nihilism as a philosophical doctrine denies the existence of any basis for Knowledge or Truth. Nihilism is often stated as the belief that there is no meaning or purpose in Human Existence. Nihilism demands the rejection of customary beliefs to religion, and morality. Nietzsche uses the term Nihilism to describe the devaluation of the highest values or the ‘ascetic ideal’ postulated by traditional philosophy and religion. Nietzsche was apparently preoccupied by the origin and function of values in human life. In his view, life neither possesses nor lacks intrinsic value and yet is always being evaluated. He concludes that the evaluations of life must be read as symptoms of the condition of the evaluator. Nietzsche may want to suggest that any evaluation of life is simply a matter of subjective opinion and there is no objective basis for evaluation of human life. I find a problem with Nietzsche’s view and want to state that the fact of life, the condition of life, and the state of life do always have an objective basis and the objective basis of life could be verified by other scientific observers and by experimentation. Nietzsche probes the fundamental cultural values of Western philosophy, religion, and morality which he characterizes as expressions of ascetic ideal. Nietzsche claims that the ascetic ideal is born when suffering becomes endowed with its ultimate significance. The Judeo-Christian tradition makes suffering tolerable by interpreting it as God’s intention and as an occasion for atonement. In Nietzsche’s opinion, Christianity makes a deceptive claim by attaching cosmic significance to each individual’s life and death. Similarly, Nietzsche points that traditional philosophy expresses the ascetic ideal when it privileged soul over body, mind over senses, duty over desire, reality over appearance, and the timeless over the temporal. Nietzsche attaches no merit in Christianity’s promise of Salvation to the Sinner who repents and to the same extent he ridicules the promise of Emancipation or Enlightenment offered by philosophy to the seekers of its Knowledge. Nietzsche makes a valid point in his statement about religion and philosophy which make the assumption that existence requires explanation, justification, and some form of expiation by either paying a penalty or by atonement. Nietzsche argues that both religion and philosophy denigrate experience in favor of true world. He views both as symptoms of a declining life in distress. In the decadence, in the decline and in the eventual collapse of the metaphysical and theological foundations and sanctions of traditional morality, Nietzsche apprehends a huge void, a pervasive sense of purposelessness, and meaninglessness. And the triumph of meaninglessness is the triumph of Nihilism. From this perspective, Nietzsche claims that “God is Dead.”
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. What is the Purpose in my Life?
THE DOCTRINE OF WHOLE NIHILISM:
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Whole Nihilism: The man is a Created Being. The Conception of Human Life involves the use of a Creative mechanism that ensures the birth of a human Individual who exists with a unique, distinctive, one of its own kind of Genome that never existed in the past, and will not again exist in the future. Life can only be explained as the Unity of Matter, Energy, and Spirit functioning under the influence called Time which makes the man a Mortal Being.
At a fundamental level, the man has no ability to attach meaning, purpose, or values to his own human existence. The religious doctrines, the different schools of philosophy do not provide the basic Knowledge and information that is used by the fertilized Egg Cell that divides, multiplies, grows, and develops into the complex, multicellular human organism. The man has no choice other than that of existing as an Individual with Individuality. Each human being arrives into the World as a Created Being and the man has no ability to create a replica of the one of its own kind of living object. The fertilized Egg Cell does not depend upon Knowledge that is exclusively acquired from Sensory Experience. To establish the fact of human life, the fertilized Egg Cell does not depend upon learning from Knowledge contained in books or imparted by educational experience. The ‘ascetic ideal’ stated by Nietzsche has no relevance and has no significance as human life is not guided by those metaphysical, or theological values. The man cannot simply choose to exist by defining his Essence through his actions or things he want to do. The fact of Existence must always precede the ability to describe the attributes called Essence. The fertilized Egg Cell proceeds to perform its functions without any concerns about the meaning, purpose, or significance of the Life that it establishes as a Physical, Objective Reality. Human Knowledge and Human Rationality are not the requirements for establishing the fact, the state, and the condition called Human Existence. To the same extent, it may be said that man is a Mortal Being as his Human Existence in the World he exists is operated under the influence of Time and not by Human Knowledge and Rationality.
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Whole Nihilism: What is Reality and What is Appearance? What is Timeless and What is Temporal? Can mind, and senses explain the reality of this World? What is the Purpose in my Life?
The man may never know the distinction between Reality and Appearance if he is not existing under the influence called the Grand Illusion that blocks the man’s sensory awareness of the speed of the Earth. The man’s physical existence on planet Earth has a cosmic significance as his Existence depends upon an extraterrestrial or Cosmic source of Energy. The external source of energy required for Life is not found on planet Earth and it has to be continuously supplied. This source of external Energy does not depend upon the man’s ability to find meaning or purpose in his own existence. The concept of ‘Whole Nihilism’ describes the fact, the reality, and the truth of Human Existence without any concern for meaning or purpose for that Existence. In any case, the man is not the ruler, the governor, the controller, or the regulator of the living functions of his own body. In fact, the man may have no jurisdiction over the purpose in his own life. What is the Purpose in my Life is not the right question. I have to ask myself, “What is God’s Purpose in my Life?”
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? What is the Color of Money? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would offer the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cells
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man and the world on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I would use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual Connection between Energy and Life. The Laws of Thermodynamics are important unifying principles of Biology. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Spiritual Optics accounts for the capacity of photoreception and the term Spiritual Light refers to the creation of Light by God to begin the designing of Matter, the designing of the Living Matter which lives by consuming Matter called Food which is created by the use of the creative mechanism called Photosynthesis. The Substance called Food describes the activities of Life. The Red Blood Cell delivers Oxygen for the oxidation of food substances.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: In multicellular organisms, cells with the same genes must differentiate into many types. Complex control mechanisms determine which genes are active in a given cell at a given time. Human life begins as a single fertilized Egg Cell. The multicellular organism grows and develops as it has definite capabilities for differentiation. The “Design” of cells has been modified to serve the specialized functions of tissues and organs that comprise the human body. The Red Blood Cells are “designed” to perform their highly specialized functions.
If a man is viewed as a multicellular organism, the human subject finds his objective existence because of the living functions of the cells, tissues, and organ systems that provide the biological basis for that existence. In multicellular eukaryotes, cells with the same genes must differentiate into many types. Multicellularity is accomplished by definite capabilities for differentiation. The functional differentiation is not a simple process that can be called adaptation. To achieve differentiation, complex control mechanisms determine which genes are active in a given cell at a given time. The “Design” of cells has been modified by a predetermined plan to serve the specialized function of tissues and organs. The structural differentiation and the functional organization of various organ systems makes a man a very complex living organism. It must be clearly understood that the living cell is a thermodynamically unstable system. This means that without a continuous input of energy, a cell will degrade spontaneously into a nonliving collection of molecules. The cells that comprise the human organism derive their energy by oxidation of food substances such as glucose. The cells of the body require oxygen to obtain the energy stored in food substances. The loss of oxygen is very critical as there is no means of storing oxygen in the human body. During the entire course of human life, the human body requires continuous delivery of oxygen to its various cells, tissues, and organs. The Red Blood Cells display functional subordination to the requirements of the organism as a Whole. Altruism is a theory of conduct that regards the good of others as the end of moral action. The Red Blood Cells have very short, individual lifespans and the entire period of their existence involves unselfish concern for the welfare of other cells.
THE RED BLOOD CELL-ERYTHROCYTE-THE RED CORPUSCLE:
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: Erythropoiesis. Red Blood Cells are formed in the bone marrow. Hemoglobin Synthesis begins during the Proerythroblast stage of the RBC Cycle. Heme synthesis takes place in the mitochondria and the protein, globin molecule is synthesized in ribosomes. The mature Red Cells have no nuclei, and no intracellular organelles like the mitochondria and the ribosomes.The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: Red Blood Cells are packed with hemoglobin. Each Red Cell contains over 600 million hemoglobin molecules. A normal man has about 5 liters of blood containing more than 25 trillion Red Blood Cells. Each lives for about 100 to 120 days. Red Blood Cells sustain their meager energy needs by a form of anaerobic respiration. If man is viewed as a biotic community of cells, Red Cells show no concern for their individual gains or losses and they serve and contribute to the continuation of the Whole community.
Red Blood Cells, or Erythrocytes, or Red Corpuscles are tiny, flat, round, biconcave disks, with depressed center, averaging 7.5 microns in diameter. In its profile view, the Red Blood Cell appears dumbell-shaped. A normal man has about 5 liters of blood containing more than 25 trillion Red Blood Cells. There are about 5.2 million Red Blood Cells per cubic millimeter of blood in adult humans. The normal lifespan of Red Cells is only about 100 to 120 days. More than 200 billion Red Cells are normally destroyed each day by the spleen and must be replaced. The creation of new Red Cells and their subsequent destruction proceeds during all the days of human life. The Red Cells give the blood its characteristic color. The cell is flexible and can change its shape to pass through extremely small blood vessels. It is covered with a membrane composed of lipids and proteins. The mature Red Blood Cells lacks a nucleus and hence cannot divide into new daughter cells. The mature Red Blood Cell also lacks intracellular organelles called mitochondria which provide energy for metabolic functions. During the course of its development and maturation, the nucleus and mitochondria disappear from the Red Cell. The amount of oxygen required by the Red Cell for its own metabolism is very low. The Red Cell shows the features of a careful design or plan that makes it to perform its function of delivering oxygen with great efficiency. In invertebrate organisms, the oxygen-carrying pigment called Heme is found in a free state in the plasma for they lack the Red Blood Cells. The concentration of Heme pigment and the biconcave shape of the Red Blood Cell makes it very efficient to perform the function of exchange of gases; the Red Cell can deliver almost all of its oxygen it carries and free it into the tissues where there is demand for oxygen and its shape allows oxygen exchange at a constant rate over the largest possible area.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: The Red Cell has the ability to work as an oxygen sensor and it also has the ability to modulate the tone of the blood vessel in which it travels passively. By initiating a mechanism, the Red Cell can cause an effect called vasodilation that would increase the flow of blood in blood vessels to meet the local tissue oxygen demand.The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: The Red Cells move passively in the blood circulation, but can actively interact with the blood vessel in response to the oxygen tension of the tissues. These interactions are helped by PR(Purinergic Receptor), Erythrocyte-derived Adenosine triphosphate(ATP), Gi(Heterotrimeric G Protein), cAMP(3’5′-Adenosine monophosphate), PKA(Protein Kinase A), CFTR(Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, ? unidentified conduit for ATP release + stimulation. Through oxygen-dependent release of the vasodilator ATP, signal transduction within the RBC and microvessels, the SMC(the smooth muscle cell) of the blood vessel is stimulated to dilate. The signals pass through the Endo(endothelium) or the cells that line the inner surface of the blood vessel.
The main function of the Red Cells is to transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and organs of the entire human body. During the process of oxidation, the cells generate carbon dioxide as a waste product which must be removed. The Red Cells carry carbon dioxide to the lungs and release it to be returned to the atmospheric air. This is possible because of hemoglobin which forms unstable, reversible bond with oxygen; in the oxygenated state it is called Oxyhemoglobin and is bright red in color. When oxygen is delivered, in the reduced state the hemoglobin is purple-blue and this color can be easily noticed from the color of the veins that return blood to heart from various parts of the body. Asphyxiation occurs when the blood contains an excess of substances like carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide with which hemoglobin forms semipermanent or permanent compounds instead of reversible bonds that hemoglobin forms with oxygen.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: The Red Blood Cell is designed to efficiently perform its specialized functions.The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: The regulation of oxygen delivery. The Red Cell Membrane transport protein “Band 3” uses ion exchange transport mechanism to promote the release of oxygen from hemoglobin.The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: Oxygen Delivery is carefully regulated to maintain it at appropriate amounts as both excess and shortage in delivery of oxygen can be harmful.The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: The Red Cell apart from delivering oxygen, plays a role in the regulation of blood flow. Red Cells sequentially consume and release Nitric Oxide (NO) for control of blood flow in response to changing oxygen levels.The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: Metabolic Sensor in Red Cell, Ion Exchange Transport mechanism, Release of Nitric Oxide to modulate Vascular tone and to cause vasodilation.
HEME PIGMENT AND HEMOGLOBIN – THE MAGIC OF CREATION:
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: The Magic of Creation will be appreciated by simply comparing the structure of Hemoglobin molecule with Chlorophyll molecule. The affinity of Hemoglobin molecule for oxygen is predetermined by the ability of Chlorophyll molecule to trap radiant energy which is converted into chemical energy during the photosynthetic reaction. These molecules perform goal-oriented, sequential actions to achieve a predetermined purpose. Living things obtain energy not because of random, unguided, interactions of chemical molecules. The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: The designing effect of pigments. Among biochromes, Heme, and Chlorophyll are the most important pigment substances that provide a striking contrast in color while having similar molecular structures.The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: The four subunits( 2 alpha, and 2 beta chains) of tetrameric Hemoglobin molecules. The synthesis of these chains need genetic information derived mainly from chromosomes 16 and 11. The Magic of Creation will be appreciated when its structure and function is compared with the structure and function of Chlorophyll molecules that impart green color to plants. The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: Heme is a respiratory pigment found in the Red Blood Cells of all vertebrates and some invertebrates. Pigment is a substance that imparts color to materials. Plants derive their green color from Chlorophyll pigment, and blood derives it red color from Heme pigment. Both Chlorophyll and Heme are similar molecules containing ring structures called Porphyrins. Chlorophyll contains Magnesium and Heme contains Iron that imparts the red color.
Adult hemoglobin is an alpha(2):beta(2) tetrameric hemeprotein; a combination of heme and the protein component called globin. Each subunit of a hemoglobin tetramer has a heme prosthetic group. The variations in amino acid composition impart marked differences in hemoglobin’s oxygen carrying properties. The quaternary structure of hemoglobin leads to physiologically important allosteric interactions between the subunits. Oxygen is incrementally loaded into the four subunits. In deoxygenated tissue, oxygen is incrementally unloaded from the four subunits and the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen is reduced. Thus at the lowest oxygen tensions found in very active tissues, the bonding affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen is very low allowing maximal delivery of oxygen to the tissues. To maintain the status called good and positive health, the cells, tissues, and organs of the multicellular human organism have to be interacting with each other in a harmonious manner. These interactions during normal, good health display characteristics such as mutual assistance, mutual cooperation, mutual tolerance, and mutual functional subordination to provide a benefit to the human individual who lives because of the functions of the cells, tissues, and organs that comprise his human body.
SPIRITUAL BIOTIC INTERACTIONS – THE ROLE OF RED BLOOD CELLS:
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cell: The nature of Spiritual Biotic Interactions that maintain the man’s existence can be studied by knowing the role of Red Blood Cells and their interaction with the tissues, and organs of the entire human body.
The terrestrial human organism represents a biotic, or biological community of about 100 trillion, individual, independent, mostly autonomous living cells that participate in constant interactions with each other. These interactions at cellular level are dependent upon the cognitive nature of the living cell. The living cell has the ability to recognize the presence of other cells in its immediate, external environment. The life of all of the cells in this biotic community that forms the human body requires energy input from an external source. The term “Spiritual” describes a relationship, a partnership, an association, a bonding, or a connection between two living entities that can formulate an interaction that can display features such as assistance, cooperation, tolerance, subservience, subordination, sympathy, and compassion to provide some benefit to the partner that is participating in the biotic interaction. The Red Blood Cells interact with the cells of tissues, and organs of human body to provide them a service, assistance, or a benefit without seeking any benefit in return. The Red Blood Cells do not seek to reproduce, have very minimal requirement for energy and willingly deliver oxygen to the tissues and relieve them from the burden imposed by the waste products of their metabolic activities. The ‘spiritual’ nature of such interaction is a reflection of the ‘spiritual’ nature of the Creator of the living entities who could be called the Whole Artist, the Whole Designer, or the Whole Architect who meticulously planned and instituted the mechanisms and provided the necessary tools for such varied interdependent, and interrelated interactions between living cells. Thus, the Red Blood Cells constitute the principal stabilizing, connective linkage among the trillions of living cells that comprise the biological community which gets recognized as the human being.
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? What is the Color of Money? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would offer the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Designing of the Red Blood Cells. The Dutch Microscopist Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680), the first person to describe the Red Blood Cells.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. What is Spirit? What is Life?
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man and the world on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I would use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual Connection between Energy and Life. The Laws of Thermodynamics are important unifying principles of Biology. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Spiritual Optics accounts for the capacity of photoreception and the term Spiritual Light refers to the creation of Light by God to begin the designing of Matter, the designing of the Living Matter which lives by consuming Matter called Food which is created by the use of the creative mechanism called Photosynthesis. The Substance called Food describes the activities of Life.
WHOLE DUDE – WHOLE DESIGNER -WHOLE SPIRIT
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. What is Spirit? What is Life?
Life depends upon a virtually uninterrupted supply of materials or matter for its metabolism. If the word Spirit or Soul is defined as the vital, animating principle found in all living things, we need to understand the relationship between Matter and Spirit. The concern about the importance of matter is often ridiculed as Materialism, and man is often directed to value Spiritualism where the point of emphasis is man’s direct relationship with God. The separation of Matter and Spirit as two distinct entities will not help us to understand the reality of human existence. Man has to know that there is no disunity between Matter and Spirit. If Spirit is the medium of direct relationship between man and God, the nature of this medium is discovered from the nature of matter that man consumes as food and drink to establish his life. Food always represents the activities of the Living Things and hence the Source of Food and the Source of Life share a Common Source of Origin.
WHAT IS MANNA? WHAT IS IT? IS IT FOOD?
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Whole Spirit: What is Manna? What is it? Is it Food? Manna is described as a special substance provided for the Hebrews during the exodus from Egypt. The name is of uncertain meaning. This substance or matter called Manna saved the lives of Hebrews and specifically protected them from hunger and thirst, the two primary sensations that reveal man’s dependence upon physical matter for his conditioned existence. Its miraculous delivery from heaven shows the nature of relationship between man, matter, spirit, and God.
The Old Testament Book of Exodus (Chapter 4, verse #4) and the Book of Numbers (Chapter 11, verse#9) describe “Manna” coming with the dew, and may have collected in dewdrops. It was white, of delicious flavor, and resembled the seed of coriander, and it was both tasty, and nourishing. Being seed like in form, it had to be ground and was used in making bread. As soon as other food was available, the miraculous supply of Manna ceased (The Book of Joshua, Chapter 5, verse #12). No known substance meets the description of this food material. The Bible makes it certain that Manna came as a temporary provision and Hebrew writers described it as “corn from heaven”, bread from heaven, and as “angels’ bread.” However, I see its importance from the statement made by Jesus to make a distinction between physical matter, and Spirit or Spiritual Matter.
GOD IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE WITH MATTER AND SPIRIT:
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Whole Spirit: God has absolute Life in Himself and is the source of all Life. If God is uncreated, Life is Eternal, Immortal, Imperishable, Indestructible, Immutable, Immovable, and is uncreated. The Gospel According to Apostle John, Chapter 5, verse#26 states:”For as the Father has Life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have Life in Himself.” It must be noted that Spirit inhabits the entire body and is not limited to some unknown area of brain, or heart. Spirit belongs to both flesh, and blood. The condition called “Death” is a variable condition like the dimensions of Matter, Energy, Space, and Time, the building blocks used in the plan and in the design of all things present in the universe.
Life is a complex concept with varied shades of meaning. It may denote physical or natural life. The term Life is often used to describe the actions, or experiences, the activities, and the relations that make up Life. If Spirit is the vital principle of Life, or Breath of Life, God has infused Spirit into the substance of man making him a living Soul. This Spirit inhabits the entire body of the person and makes man a Spiritual being. The Old Testament Book of Genesis, Chapter 2, verse#7 proclaims: “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” The problem of physical death, the period of man’s earthly existence, and the duration of man’s lifetime has to be explained taking into account the imperishable nature of Matter and the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy. Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, who was described as a leading Pharisee, and a member of the Sanhedrin. He came to Jesus by night and the conversation is reported in the New Testament Book of John, Chapter 3, verses 1 to 21. He instructed him: “Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of the water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit”(verses 5 and 6) and made Nicodemus aware of his need by announcing the necessity of a new birth in order “to see the Kingdom of God.” The man is constituted as a Spiritual being and due to the intervention of sin, the man has become ignorant of his own true, or real spiritual nature. To save himself from the burden imposed by sin, the man has to be infused with Spirit and Jesus says that man who is born, must experience rebirth. Jesus further explained this relation between Matter and Spirit in the Book of John, Chapter 6, in several verses(#25-69). In verse#35 Jesus declared: “I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus has clearly recognized that Matter and Spirit serve the same function, the function of supporting Life in two different dimensions. Jesus is the source of Life and Spirit and that Spirit inhabits His entire body, in flesh and blood, and is not limited to a secret hiding place in either mind or heart. The Old Testament Book of Leviticus, Chapter 17, verse#14 states: “because the life of every creature is its blood.” If Life is associated with blood, Spirit is also associated with blood. In John 6:63, Jesus states: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life.” Man who faces the burden of sin called Death, is required to infuse himself with Spirit, and the source of this Spirit is the Word that was spoken.
THE LIVING WATERS – THE SATIATION OF HUNGER AND THIRST – THE EXPERIENCE OF JOY:
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Whole Spirit: The Concept of Living Waters. Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well near the village of Sychar. Apparently, Jesus was thirsty like any other human being and had asked the woman to serve Him water and carefully explained as to how the physical matter or substance called water can become the “Living Waters” in both physical Life and Spiritual Life. Water is physical matter and is the most important chemical molecule of all physical Life. And in a similar manner, when infused with Spirit, it becomes the source for eternal Life. The satisfaction of both physical, and Spiritual hunger and thirst is experienced by man.
It is very easy to understand the experience called thirst. Hunger and Thirst are the symptoms that define the nature of man’s conditioned existence. The conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well near the village of Sychar is reported in the New Testament Book of John, Chapter 4, verses # 4 to 42. It is abundantly clear that the nature of Spirit can be understood from the nature of Matter as both of them have a role in providing sustenance to man and maintain his Life. To fetch water from a well, man needs tools like a rope, and a cistern. Similarly, man needs the tools called Faith and Belief to insert or to infuse, or imbibe Spirit into his mind, heart, and body and gain access to eternal Life. Just like the rope, and the cistern, to quench Spiritual Thirst, and to feed Spiritual Hunger, man needs tools called Faith and Belief. When man’s thirst, and hunger are fully satisfied, the satiated person gets the experience called Contentment. When Spiritual Thirst, and Spiritual Hunger are satiated, man gets the experience called Joy. The human experience called Joy is as real as the experience of hunger and thirst.
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Whole Spirit: What is Spirit? What is Life? Matter and Spirit Relationship: The Living Waters: The New Testament, The Gospel According to John, Chapter 3, verse#5 , Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of the water and the Spirit.” Water is physical matter but it is derived from an Infinite Substance called God and hence it can be a source of eternal Life.
In my opinion, Matter, and Spirit work together to establish man’s relationship with God. For God is the only unchangeable, or eternal reality; wherever man is, in Life or in Death, God will be there. If this relationship pertains to a matter of Faith and Belief, The Old Testament Book of Psalms, The Book of King David, Psalm 16, verse #10 gives the Hope:
“Because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy one see decay.”
Life means the experience of Peace, Harmony, Tranquility, Hope, Fear, Love, Joy, and Wisdom. The problem of Death is experienced as a Fear as Death means the inability to have the subjective experiences associated with Life. But, the man does not exist in the physical world because of the abilities of his physical, or mental work. The man exists because of the nature of Matter, and Spirit and this nature is only an extension of the Divine Nature.
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? What is the Color of Money? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would offer the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
National Chemistry Week (NCW) is a public awareness campaign that promotes the value of chemistry in everyday life. Celebrate National Chemistry Week 2021 October 17–23, with the theme, “Fast or Slow Chemistry Makes it Go.”
The Father of Modern Chemistry – Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794), French Chemist and Physicist. He discovered the Composition of Water Molecule and of various other Organic Compounds.
In celebration of the National Chemistry Week, I invite my readers to explore Matter, Chemical Elements, and Chemical Compounds that are important for understanding Life and Spirituality.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man and the world on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I would use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual Connection between Energy and Life. The Laws of Thermodynamics are important unifying principles of Biology. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Spiritual Optics accounts for the capacity of photoreception and the term Spiritual Light refers to the creation of Light by God to begin the designing of Matter described by Physics and Chemistry.
MATTER – CHEMICAL ELEMENTS AND CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS:
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
HENNING BRAND(c. 1630-c. 1710), GERMAN ALCHEMIST WHO DISCOVERED PHOSPHORUS DURING c.1669 or 1674. I WOULD DESCRIBE CHEMISTRY AS THE SCIENCE OF SPIRITUAL INTERACTIONS.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
ROBERT BOYLE (1627-1691). THE FATHER OF MODERN CHEMISTRY. Anglo-Irish Physicist and Chemist who separated the Science of Chemistry from Alchemy. He gave the first precise definitions of a Chemical Element, a Chemical Reaction, and Chemical Analysis. He discovered Boyle’s Law (Gas Laws).
All ‘Matter’ is composed of fundamental materials called Chemical Elements. A substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary chemical processes is by definition an Element. There are about 88 ‘naturally’ occurring Elements, and about 20 Elements are used in measurable amounts by most living organisms. Phosphorus is an essential Element to all Life as it is a component of DNA and RNA that make up the genetic material of all cells and control reproduction of both the cell and the organism. Phosphorus is part of the energy storage and utilization system at the cellular level. In addition, Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Cobalt, Cadmium, Copper, Manganese, Zinc, Molybdenum, Boron, Sodium, Chlorine, Fluorine, Iodine, Sulfur, and Chromium are all essential to one form of life or another. Elements can combine with one another to form a wide variety of more complex substances called Chemical Compounds. A Chemical Compound is a substance in which two or more Elements are joined by Chemical Bonds. A Chemical Compound can be created or broken down by means of a Chemical Reaction but not by mechanical or physical separation techniques. It helps to make the distinction between Mixture and Compound. Most naturally occurring Matter represents Physical Mixtures of Chemical Compounds that could be separated using simple physical techniques. While the number of known Elements is small, the number of possible Compounds is almost ‘infinite’; perhaps a million or more Chemical Compounds are known to exist. When two or more Elements combine to form a Compound, they lose their separate identities, and the product called Chemical Compound has characteristics quite different from those of the constituent Elements. For example, the Common Salt or Sodium Chloride is a combination of the highly reactive metallic element Sodium (Na) and the poisonous gas Chlorine (Cl). The unique taste and flavor imparted by Salt cannot be discovered by studying the physical and chemical properties of Sodium or Chlorine. Elements in Compounds always are combined in a definite proportion. For instance, a molecule of Water is always made up of two Hydrogen (H) atoms and one Oxygen (O) atom. Again, I would like to pay attention to the fact of two gaseous elements, Hydrogen, and Oxygen with quite different physical and chemical properties can combine to form the Compound Water which has altogether different properties from either Hydrogen or Oxygen. The simple, pure, original, and sweet taste imparted by Fresh Water cannot be discovered in its constituent Elements. I have mentioned that the Element Phosphorus is basic to all Life. Phosphorus is discovered in c.1674 by Hennig Brand. It is an extremely poisonous, yellow to white, waxy, solid substance. When exposed to air, Phosphorus ignites spontaneously. Some of the commercial uses of Phosphorus include the making of detergents, toxic nerve gases and explosives. We have to learn to make the distinction between Chemical Elements and Chemical Compounds and apply this understanding to know the nature of the relationship between things. Calcium Phosphate is the principal material found in bones and teeth. Adenosine triphosphate or ATP is the fundamental energy source in living things. It is very understandable that all Matter is composed of units called Atoms and the physical structure of Atom is well-known. We have to be very careful and avoid deriving understanding about Life and Living Matter from the descriptive knowledge derived from Quantum Physics. To understand the nature of living experience, we need Chemical Molecules and Chemical Compounds whose qualities and characteristics may not be discovered from the study of Nuclear Physics. The phenomenon of creating and breaking down Chemical Compounds in living organisms is known as Metabolism. A Chemical Compound’s smallest units are Molecules and Ions. A Molecule can exist in the free state and still retain the characteristics of the Element or Compound; a Molecule can be formed by an Element when it consists of one Atom, or two, or more similar Atoms; a Molecule can be formed by a Compound when it consists of two or more different Atoms. The term ‘Ion’ is used to describe an Atom or Molecule bearing an electric charge as a result of having a number of negative electrons unequal to the number of positive protons in its nuclei. ‘Ionization’ is the process that describes the formation of ‘Ions’ from neutral Atoms or Molecules. ‘Ions’ that are positively charged are known as ‘Cations’, and that are negatively charged are known as ‘Anions’. Simple ‘Ions’ consist of a single charged Atom; double, triple, or even higher positive or negative charges are possible. Oxidation of Hydrogen removes its single electron and gives H+ or cationic Hydrogen which contains no electrons and it has a nucleus which is composed of one proton. This cationic Hydrogen plays a particularly important role in the Acid-Base Chemistry of the human organism with many reactions exchanging protons between soluble molecules. The internal environment of a living cell includes Hydrogen, Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium, Calcium, Chloride, Sulfate, Phosphate and several organic acid ‘Ions’. The chemical events collectively called ‘Metabolism’ require the concentration of Hydrogen Ions and electrolytes to remain within narrow limits in the tissue cells and in the fluid which bathes them. The term ‘pH’ or ‘Acidity’ is a measure of the Hydrogen Ion concentration and a reading level of 7 indicates ‘Neutral’. Human life is possible only if the Hydrogen Ion concentration of body fluid is kept within a narrow range. In health, a blood Hydrogen Ion concentration of 36 – 44 nmol/Liter or pH level of 7.37 – 7.45 is maintained by several closely integrated but widely differing mechanisms.
THE CHEMICAL ELEMENTS AND CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OF LIFE:
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
HENRY CAVENDISH (1731-1810), British Chemist and Physicist noted for his discovery of Hydrogen, a gaseous Element during 1766. French Chemist Lavoisier named the gas Hydrogen in 1783. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and it is the major fuel in fusion reactions of the Sun. However, this gas in its free state is very rare in our planet Earth.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Hydrogen, the most abundant Element in the universe is present in its diatomic, molecular form. Hydrogen is important for the formation of Stars. In the above photo image, NGC 604, a giant region of ionized Hydrogen in the Triangulum Galaxy is seen.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Hydrogen makes up most of the mass ( over 90%) of the universe and about 75 % of natural Matter by number of Atoms. Naturally occurring atomic Hydrogen is rare on Earth because Hydrogen readily forms covalent Compounds with most Elements. Hydrogen is present in the Water Molecule and in most Organic Compounds found in living organisms. Hydrogen forms a vast variety of Compounds with Carbon that are called Hydrocarbons.
To understand Life, we have to know about Hydrogen as it is the fuel that Sun expends in its role as the Cosmic source of Energy that supports the biological existence of all terrestrial organisms. The man exists on the surface of planet Earth, not on account of the merit of his physical, or mental work and effort. The man has no direct access to this source of energy produced from Hydrogen fuel. If Hydrogen is important to support the existence of Life, we have to understand the nature of ‘Spiritual Interactions’. Secondly, Hydrogen is important as it is required to form the Water Molecule. However, Oxygen, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, is the most abundant Element at the surface of the Earth. In the terrestrial environment, Oxygen accounts for about half of the mass of the Earth’s crust, 89% of the mass of the oceans, and 23% of the mass of the atmosphere or 21% of its volume. Oxygen makes up about two-thirds of the human body. It is a vital substance which supports vital functions. Among Chemical Elements used by the human body, Oxygen has the highest electronegativity and electron affinity. Oxygen can form ‘Anion’ with a double negative charge by accepting electrons from a donor like Hydrogen. Most of the Earth’s rocks and soils are principally compounds of Oxygen with Silicon and other metals. It is well understood that most organisms depend on Oxygen to sustain their biological processes. Biological Oxidation-Reduction Reactions are ultimately the sources of energy for the higher plants and animals. While speaking about the importance of Oxygen in the biosphere, we must recognize that Oxygen is responsible for natural decomposition of all organic material. Waste products from the activity of the living organisms, dead plants and animals decompose or oxidized through the agency of microorganisms. Thus, Oxygen plays a key role both in its support of important processes of Life and Death. Organic decay and decomposition are of fundamental importance for Life to renew itself and to be reborn and to cause rebirth. The study of ‘Spiritual Interactions’ must include the study of Life and Death.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Joseph Priestley and Karl Scheel were the first to isolate the gaseous Element during 1773-74 which was named by Antoine Laurent Lavoisier as Oxygen. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, and is the most abundant Element found on planet Earth.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Oxygen makes up about 90% of Water, two-thirds of the human body, and 20% by volume of Air. Normal atmospheric Oxygen is a diatomic Molecule.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
The common Chemical Reaction in which Oxygen unites with another substance is called Oxidation. Combustion or rapid oxidation, the burning of s substance may generate light and heat. The process called Oxidation need not involve the generation of light and heat. Oxygen itself does not burn. The Respiration of plants and animals is a form of Oxidation that is essential to the liberation of the energy stored in such food materials as Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins. Oxygen is necessary to sustain Metabolism which primarily involves the Oxidation-Reduction Chemical Reactions. If the Oxygen concentration were to drop to about half its value in the atmosphere, humans could no longer survive. The loss of Oxygen is critical as the human body has no means of storing Oxygen. Because the human body stores no Oxygen, any interference with breathing and ventilation that lasts more than a few minutes can cause Death.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Dr Daniel Rutherford (1749-1819), Professor of Medicine & Botany, Edinburgh University, Scotland, discovered Nitrogen in 1772. Joseph Priestley and Henry Cavendish in England, and Carl W. Scheele in Sweden also get credit for the discovery of Nitrogen. The French Chemist Antoine Lavoisier proved that it is an Element.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality.Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
On planet Earth, Nitrogen, the most abundant uncombined Element occurs as the diatomic molecule. Atmospheric air is 78.06% Nitrogen gas by volume. Nitrogen is an important component of Protoplasm or Living Matter. It is very remarkable to note that one type of organic molecule with a nitrogenous base plays a variety of roles in support of living functions.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Adenosine triphosphate or ATP is a Nucleotide; the monomeric unit of Nucleic Acid, contains a Purine or Nitrogenous base called Adenosine, a Sugar called Ribose and three Phosphate groups. In most Chemical Reactions of all cells in which transfer of energy occurs, the nucleotide ATP is involved. It functions as a Coenzyme in many enzyme-catalyzed reactions and helps in the performance of chemical, electrical, and osmotic work in animals, plants, and microorganisms.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate or cAMP is formed from ATP by the catalytic action of the enzyme Adenyl Cyclase. It controls many important functions in the cell including the ability of the cell to generate electrical impulses and is called “Second Messenger.” It is responsible for the intracellular mediation of hormonal effects on various cellular processes; e.g., Lipid Metabolism, Membrane Transport by opening Ion Channels, and Cell Reproduction.
All living organisms need organic nitrogen compounds such as Proteins, Vitamins like Thiamine and Riboflavin. In nature, Nitrogen from the air is ‘fixed’ by some bacteria and plants. It is then made available to all organisms through ‘Nitrogen Cycle’.
The nonmetallic Element, Carbon is known to man since ancient times. Organic Chemistry is the study of Carbon Compounds. All living organisms contain Carbon Compounds and hence Carbon is the central Element in the Compounds of which organisms are composed. The Carbon Element found in all living organisms is primarily derived from Carbon Dioxide found in atmospheric air or dissolved in water. It occurs both free and combined form in nature and makes up about 1% of the volume of dry air. Carbon Dioxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas. It is the raw material for Photosynthesis in green plants and is a product of animal respiration and of the decay of organic matter. It can cause Death by suffocation if inhaled in large amounts. If this Chemical Compound Carbon Dioxide, a gas that has the potential to cause Death, can impart ‘SWEETNESS’ to a substance that we recognize as ‘SUGAR’, it speaks about the potency that I describe as ‘Spiritual Interaction’ between the Elements of Life.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Plants incorporate Carbon into Carbohydrates and other complex organic molecules by means of Photosynthesis. During Respiration or Cellular Oxidation, living organisms combine Oxygen with portions of Carbohydrate molecule, releasing Carbon in the form of Carbon dioxide and water.
Water Molecules are the simplest and most abundant of all the Molecules found in the living cell. The simplest forms of Life such as the Virus particles may exist as Molecules of Nucleic Acids and need living cells for their replication. Most Chemical Reactions inside the living cell require the aqueous medium. Cells contain 70 to 80% Water. Cell Chemistry involves the study of Reactions in aqueous solutions. But, much of the Water in Cells is not ordinary Water; it is found ‘structured’ in shells surrounding macromolecules, especially proteins. The activities inside the Cell are separated and take place inside compartments that are regulated. It is important to know that most of the Water inside the living Cell is structured and the Chemistry of the living Cell demands separation of events at Molecular level.
National Chemistry Week October 18-24, 2020. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794), French Chemist and Physicist. He discovered the Composition of Water Molecule and of various other Organic Compounds.
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794), French Chemist and Physicist. He discovered the Composition of Water Molecule and of various other Organic Compounds.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Water Molecule looks very simple and yet it plays a mysterious role inside all living cells. It is essential to Life and its propagation. Its Spiritual nature is revealed by its pure, original, and sweet taste it imparts apart from its role as a Chemical Compound. It is the main mode of transport of many Elements that are needed by the living organisms. Water is the Agent that leaches Nutrient Elements and Compounds from rocks and soils and makes them available for use by plants, and animals.
THE CYCLICAL FLOW OF TIME:
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
SUN, THE COSMIC SOURCE OF ENERGY SHINES ALL THE TIME. IT IS APPARENTLY AN UNCHANGING EVENT. HOW DOES THE MAN MEASURE HIS TIME?
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
The Flow of Time is measured as the duration of the interval between two events; Time exists for man and other living organisms as the measure of the period of duration from Sunrise to Sunset that causes an environmental change; the alternating periods of Light (DAY) and Darkness (NIGHT). Earth’s Rotational Spin transforms the instant called ‘FUTURE’ into an instant called ‘PAST’ without giving the man any choice to know the instant called ‘PRESENT’. Earth’s Revolution brings Seasons that man experiences at regular and constant intervals of Time while the man simply exists on the surface of planet Earth with no physical experience of Earth’s Motions through Space.
Things in Nature change with Time. Does Time exert a ‘FORCE’ entirely of its own to change things in Nature? If Time is viewed as a ‘FORCE’, or ‘POWER’, who controls this Force or Power and what are the Laws that operate this Force or Power? The Clocks and Calendars that man has invented create the illusion that we live in a world of mathematically measured segments of Time. Sir Isaac Newton (1687) stated that the flow of Time is absolute. Time is looked upon as a flow like a river: It “flows equably without relation to anything external.” Herman Minkowski, a Mathematician, added Time as the Fourth Dimension of three-dimensional Space. Time is seen as a dimension like Height and Width and it gives meaning to events and the order in which they occur. In 1905, while postulating the Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein observed that the measurement of Time is affected by the motion of the observer and hence it is not absolute. Gravity affects both Time and Light. The measurement of Time is affected by the gravitational field of each celestial body. The experience of Time on this planet is an illusion, a false experience and it may not be an absolute experience. Physicists tend to describe Time and Space as the building blocks of this universe. In the context of understanding the relationship between Time and Life, we will be forced to see Time in the internal Biological Clocks that keep all living entities in ‘sync’ with Nature.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
The Biological Clock: Every Living System behaves as if it contains a highly dependable ‘CLOCK’. It is a self-sustained internal timing mechanism that controls the ability of an organism to synchronize its existence with events in its internal and external environment. Such Time-Dependent variability in Function is called a Biological Rhythm.
All living things have in their nature a plan for their own dissolution and have the ability to use some unique Time-Dependent biological mechanism that is indissociable from life itself. Biological Rhythms represent the periodic biological fluctuation in an organism that corresponds to and is in response to periodic environmental change. Biological Clock in the man measures Time as the Solar Day, the period of Earth’s Rotational Spin relative to the Sun. Such Biological Rhythms that occur once a Day are called Circadian ( Latin Circa: About, Di: Day ), Solar Day, Diel, Daily, or Diurnal (Day-Active) Rhythm. The Rhythm is synchronized with an external Time-giving stimulus. Within the 24-Hour Cycle, a person usually sleeps approximately 8 hours and is awake 16 hours. For the health and the well-being of the man, the daily alteration of Sleep and Wakefulness is important to maintain optimal physiological functions.The man is conditioned to exist under the influence of Time which is operated on planet Earth by its Rotation on its own axis.
THE CYCLICAL FLOW OF LIFE, MATTER, AND ENERGY:
All living organisms depend upon about 20 naturally occurring Chemical Elements. In order for Life to survive, these Elements must be constantly recycled in forms that plants and animals can use. Nutrient Cycle is the term used to describe the natural processes that keep all the Chemical Elements needed to support Life circulating within the Biosphere or Ecosphere. The far-reaching nature of Nutrient Cycles reveal the Interactions between Time, Life, Death, and Rebirth. Life continues using the process called Rebirth. Death is an important requirement to regenerate Life. The dissolution of individual living entities under the influence of Time is a prerequisite for Renewal of Life and the propagation of Life over the limits imposed by Time.
THE WATER OR HYDROLOGIC CYCLE:
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions
The Water Cycle or Hydrologic Cycle is necessary to the operation of all Nutrient Cycles. The energy for the transportation of Water Molecules is provided by the Sun and it is the Fundamental Basis for all other Time-Life Spiritual Interactions.
Water is important to all life forms for its role in the control of environmental conditions and as it is the main mode of transport of many nutrients; it is the agent that leaches nutrients from rocks and soils and make them available for further use by living organisms.
THE CARBON CYCLE:
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
The Carbon Cycle clearly illustrates the complexity of relationships involved in the processes of Recycling Nutrient Elements in Nature. Life depends on the interwoven and interdependent relationships of green plants and animals, supplemented by the activities of bacteria, and the constant transport of nutrients within the Ecosystem and within organisms.
The Carbon Cycle describes the exchange of Carbon between living organisms and non-living environment. To maintain Life, an organism not only repairs or replaces ( or both ) its structures by a constant supply of the materials of which it is composed but also keep its life processes in operation by a steady supply of energy. Living Systems must be supplied energy on a continual basis. Once spent, the energy for Life cannot be replenished except by further exposure of green plants to Sunlight. The Chemical Elements of Life are continually recycled by such processes as Photosynthesis and Respiration.
THE OXYGEN CYCLE:
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Photosynthesis and Respiration are complementary functions and drive the Oxygen Cycle. Oxygen is necessary to sustain Metabolism. Oxygen is also important and is responsible for natural decomposition of organic material, waste products of Metabolism, oxidative decomposition of dead plants and animals through the agency of microorganisms.
Oxygen is equally important for Life and Death as Death must be accompanied by decay and decomposition of organic material to release the Nutrient Elements for further use by other living organisms.
THE NITROGEN CYCLE:
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
All living organisms participate in the Nitrogen Cycle. It includes the processes and Chemical Reactions involved in producing organic Nitrogen from inorganic Nitrogen and subsequently breaking down organic Nitrogen back to the inorganic form.
The Nitrogen Cycle begins when atmospheric Nitrogen and Hydrogen combine to form Ammonia in a process called Ammonification. The Nitrogen Compounds are made available to plants which combine them with the products of Photosynthesis to form Amino Acids, which are the basic components of Plant Proteins. Animals eat plant Proteins, break them down into Amino Acids during the process of digestion, and recombine them to form their own particular forms of Proteins in order to build tissues and organs of their bodies. A thorough breakdown of waste products, death and decay, help organic Nitrogen compounds to reenter environment.
THE PHOSPHORUS CYCLE:
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Phosphorus recycles more slowly than other Nutrient Elements. Phosphates are taken up by the roots of green plants and used in organic synthesis. They are passed to animals through ‘Food Chains’. Ultimately, Phosphates are released to the soil through bacterial and fungal decomposition after the death of an animal.
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
We need to make the distinction between the Chemical Element Phosphorus and Phosphate the Chemical Compound that supports Life. The Phosphate mineral found in the rocks may have taken millions of years before it became available to plant Life.
ECOLOGY – LIFE AND DEATH SPIRITUAL INTERACTIONS:
National Chemistry Week October 17-23, 2021. The Chemical Basis of Life and Spirituality. Chemistry is the Science of Spiritual Interactions.
Life depends on the interwoven and interdependent relationships between living organisms and the environment. No organism leads a truly independent existence of its own. Each organism lives by either consuming other organisms or the products from other organisms. In a Biological Community, Life and Death have a relationship which has a Spiritual Basis.
Ecology describes the movement of Chemical Elements and Chemical Molecules in nature because of the interrelationships and interconnectedness of organisms that form the ‘Food Chains’. This flow has a cyclical pattern and Life and Death could be described as two stages in this exchange of material and energy between the living and non-living environment. Greek philosopher Heraclitus ( c. 535 B.C. – c. 475 B.C.) held that there is no permanent Reality except the Reality of Change. His famous maxim: “You cannot step twice in the same River.” I beg to differ from his view. The permanent Reality describes the unchanging Spiritual Nature of a Chemical Molecule that supports Life and Existence. Water Molecule came into its existence billions of years ago and it still retains its unique and distinctive properties and is entirely unaffected by the influence of Time while it undergoes both physical and chemical changes in its Interactions. I seek to describe Spirituality in the unchanging nature of Chemical Molecules that operate the dynamic events of both Life and Death. If Life involves a series of Chemical Reactions such as the Redox or Oxidation-Reduction Chemical Reactions, the same dynamic process continues into Death causing changes to promote Regeneration, Rejuvenation, Renewal, and Rebirth. Spirit could be defined as the Dynamic Force that promotes Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility in the material transformations of Life and Death.
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? What is the Color of Money? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would offer the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Light and Matter Interactions. The Magic Called Photochemistry. The artistic beauty of the surrealist masterpiece, LesAmantsII (1928), by René Magritte visualizes two entities, locked in an ambiguous setting and unable to truly communicate or touch but essentially entangled. This piece of art reveals a couple (like entangled entities) separated by the veil of physical realm, entities distinct yet connected
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man and the world on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I would use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual Connection between Energy and Life. The Laws of Thermodynamics are important unifying principles of Biology. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, states that Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Spiritual Optics accounts for the capacity of photoreception and the term Spiritual Light refers to the creation of Light by God to begin the designing of Matter.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Light and Matter Interactions. The Magic called Photochemistry.
WHOLE DUDE – WHOLE DESIGNER – PHOTOCHEMISTRY:
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Photochemistry: Johann Heinrich Schulze or Schultz (1687-1744), German Professor of Anatomy had discovered in 1727 that the phenomenon of darkening of silver salts was caused by light and not heat. He used those effects to capture temporary photographic images.
Photochemistry is the study of chemical processes that are exclusively brought about by the interaction of light with matter. The term design describes the action to make a plan, a pattern and carry out the execution by artistic arrangement in a skillful way. Artists, Designers, and Architects are persons who make plans, patterns, the artful scheme for the arrangement of parts, the details, the form, the substance, the color, etc., so as to produce an artistic unit. The study of Photochemistry helps us to recognize the artistic work of a Whole Designer, a Whole Architect, and a Whole Artist who uses Light, Matter, Color, Space, and Time to create living systems which are interdependent, interrelated, and interconnected. The existence of two major systems of Life, plants, and animals is perfectly synchronized and each performs its living functions to complement the living functions performed by the other. Photochemistry establishes the fundamental basis for this spiritual relationship among the living systems. I am pleased to narrate the story about Photochemistry sharing the images of a number of chief players who contributed to the understanding of the design that formulates the interaction between the Laws of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology to generate this amazingly wonderful artistic unit called planet Earth which provides the home to all living things.
THE LAW OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY:
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Photochemistry: Theodor von Grotthuss (1785-1822), German chemist in 1817 stated the first law of Photochemistry.Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Photochemistry: John William Draper (1811-1882), American chemist, physician, photographer conducted research in Photochemistry. He produced the first clear photograph of human face. He had confirmed the claim made by Grotthus; only light that is absorbed by a system can cause a photochemical reaction.
Grotthuss – Draper Law of Photochemistry: Light must be absorbed by a chemical substance in order for a photochemical reaction to take place. Photochemical reactions are chemical processes initiated by the absorption of energy in the form of visible, infrared or ultraviolet radiation. Johann Heinrich Schulze discovered in 1727 that silver nitrate darkens upon exposure to light. The darkening of silver salts is a phenomenon known since the 16th century and possibly earlier and the effect of light on chemical substances was not understood. The art and science of Photography is based on a photochemical process, the action of light on grains of silver chloride, or silver bromide.
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Photochemistry: Heinrich Rudolf Hertz 1857-1894), German physicist while experimenting on electromagnetic waves, discovered the Photoelectric Effect in which light falling on special surfaces can generate electricity.
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz who expanded James Clerk Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory discovered the Photoelectric Effect in 1887. His research contributed to the development of radio, television, and radar.
THE PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT:
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Photochemistry: Albert Einstein (1879-1955), American theoretical physicist received the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics particularly for his work on Photoelectric Effect.
Photoelectric effect describes the emission of electrons by substances when light falls on their surface. Light energy is transferred in discrete packets, or photons. The energy of each photon is equal to the frequency of the light multiplied by Planck’s Constant “h”. Light imparts energy to a charged particle when one of its photons collides with the particle. In a photochemical process, one atom or molecule absorbs a single quantum of light energy called photon. The immediate consequence of the absorption of one photon by one atom or molecule is called the primary photochemical process. The basic process by which light is absorbed by matter was first proposed by Albert Einstein (1905). His Theory of Light has established that a beam of light is a beam of photons, or quanta (energy packets) of electromagnetic radiation.
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Photochemistry: The Photoelectric Effect describes the emission of electrons by substances when light falls on their surface.Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Photochemistry: The energy change initiating a photochemical process always involves excitation of one electron from a state of low energy to a state of higher energy. The energy content of light depends upon its frequency.
When a quantum of light energy (a photon) is absorbed by a molecule, the direct consequence of this interaction is that the molecule is raised to an electronically excited state. The electronically excited state can be viewed as a molecule in which the distribution of the electrons about the atoms that compose the molecule is changed relative to the normal, or ground state of the molecule. Because the electronic distribution affects such properties as bond strengths and molecular geometry, many changes can take place in an electronically excited state that may not occur in the normal, or ground state. The consequences of the absorption of light by a chemical molecule and the subsequent formation of an electronically excited state can be grouped into two main classes; 1. Physical processes, and 2. Chemical processes. In a Photophysical process, a molecule undergoes no direct change in its chemical identity. Examples: Fluorescence, Phosphorescence, and the Photoelectric Effect. In Photochemical processes some change takes place in the bonding arrangement of the atoms in the molecule. Simple photochemical reactions involve the breaking or rearranging of a chemical bond, or both. Visible light and Ultraviolet light are intrinsically energetic enough to break several types of chemical bonds. Photochemistry differs from most other aspects of Chemistry in one regard. If an atom or molecule absorbs energy from a beam of light, it gains far more energy than it ever could by other methods; eg. from ordinary heating. Consequently, photochemical processes are sometimes extremely efficient for the conversion of energy from light into Chemical energy.
The most important photochemical process for living systems is the process of Photosynthesis.
PHOTOELECTRIC CELL:
Photoelectric Cell or Photocell is a device whose electrical characteristics vary when light is incident upon it. Three different kinds of Photoelectric Cells exist that use the three different forms of the Photophysical reaction called the Photoelectric Effect. 1. The Photoconductive Cell, known as a Photoresistor is the sensor that scans codes on grocery items in Supermarkets at Checkout Counters.
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Photochemistry: Photoconductive Cell or Photoresistor is popularly used in Supermarkets to scan the codes on grocery items at Checkout Counters.
2. The Photoemissive Cell; Phototubes, “Electric Eyes” that trigger the automatic opening of doors are examples of the Photoemissive Cells.
Whole Dude- Whole Designer-Photochemistry: Photoemissive Cells. A common example is the Electric Eye that triggers the automatic opening of doors.
3. The Photovoltaic Cell used in Fiber Optics technology, and the Solar Cells are common examples of Photovoltaic Cells which convert light energy into electric energy. For Solar Cells, Solar Energy, or Sun is the source of light and it has several applications.
Whole Dude-Whole Designer-Photochemistry: Photovoltaic Cell, Solar Cell uses Sunlight as the source of energy and converts it into electric energy.
Photochemical reactions that play a vital role in biological systems are called Photobiological processes. Photochemistry establishes relationship between the laws of Physics, and Chemistry with the living functions to synchronize the interactions between Light and Matter that is important for Life to exist on planet Earth.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Light and Matter Interactions. The Magic of Photochemistry. THE ART OF KNOWING : HOW DO PLANTS KNOW WHAT THEY KNOW ? PLANTS KNOW ABOUT LIGHT, THE LENGTH OF DAY, AND THE DURATION OF DARKNESS CALLED NIGHT. THERE IS NO “INTELLECT” INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS OF KNOWING. THE ABILITY OF KNOWING LIGHT OR PHOTORECEPTION IS EXPLAINED BY PHOTOCHEMISTRY.
Green plants with Chlorophyll pigment trap light energy, and transform it into chemical energy and use it in the process described as Photosynthesis. It is a creative mechanism to transform one form of energy into a different form of stored chemical energy that can be further used to create new forms of matter called organic molecules that are not present in nature. These organic molecules come into existence because of the activity of living things. It shows the intent of a designer to use energy, and matter to create the visual, sensory effect.
Who is the Artist? Who is the Designer?
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. The Phenomenon of Color Perception. Who is the Artist? Who is the Designer? An artist uses colors with imagination to create forms and to generate a desired visual effect. A “Whole Artist” is a person who creates his own canvas, his own tools, his own pigments, and creates the desired visual effects while the forms that are created have no such creative and cognitive abilities.
No single function can explain the coloration of living things. We need a comprehensive theory that predicts the lines and patterns of coloration of plants and animals. An artist’s palette containing only three properly chosen colors is entirely adequate under most circumstances to produce the various visual effects of color that is observed. The optical mechanisms involved in the production of color are complex. Coloration is a dynamic and complex characteristic and the term must be clearly distinguished from the term ‘color’ which only refers to the spectral qualities of emitted or reflected light. It is apparent that plants, and animals have no cognitive abilities to produce the coloration by which they are recognized. However, the coloration displayed gives us a clue about the nature of the “Whole Artist” who could be using imagination, has feelings for the forms created and seeks satisfaction from the visual effects that he produced. If man has the ability called visual perception, he must use the ability to visualize the “Whole Artist” who is at work. I ask my readers to give attention to the three dimensions of Color Perception. These are, 1. The Designer or the Artist, 2. The Object of Perception, and 3. The visual capacity of the Viewer.
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? What is the Color of Money? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would offer the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. Spiritual Optics. Light and Matter Interactions. The Magic of Photochemistry demonstrates the distinction between the Living and Nonliving Matter.
Whole Dude - Whole Spirituality 
