the course in consciousness

The course in consciousness is a continually updated free online book, written by Stanley Sobottka, Emeritus Professor of Physics at The University of Virginia.

He has also written an accompanying Dialogue In Consciousness, which succinctly summarizes the ground covered in the Course. This page presents an excerpt; you can read the entire paper HERE


From 1992 through 1995, I taught several seminars on reality and consciousness according to quantum theory for humanities undergraduates at the University of Virginia. These seminars attempted to outline in an understandable way to the nonscientist the reasons why consciousness is a necessary part of the most widely accepted interpretations of quantum theory.
– Stanley Sobottka

4.  What are polar, or dual, pairs of concepts?

a.  Conceptualization always results in inseparable pairs of concepts (polar, or dual, pairs) because every concept has an opposite.

b.  Reality is apparently split into polar (dual) pairs by conceptualization.  However, no concept is real since Reality cannot be split.

c.  The result of apparently splitting Reality into polar pairs of concepts is called duality.

d.  The two concepts of a pair are always inseparable because the merger of the opposites will cancel the pair.

e.  Example:  “I”/not-“I” is a polar pair of concepts.  If the “I” and not-“I” merge, neither concept remains.

5.  What is Awareness?

a.  Awareness is what is aware of the world.

b.  Awareness is self-evident because you are aware and you know that you are aware.  It does not change and It has no extension.  Therefore, Awareness is not a concept or object.

c.  The terms “Awareness” and “Reality” are equivalent conceptual pointers.

d.  All objects appear in Awareness and are Its contents.


Read the whole dialogue in consciousness HERE

Find the entire Course in Consciousness at
http://faculty.virginia.edu/consciousness/


stalking the mirage of the ‘me’

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