Page 184 - Spirit and Mind. Vol 1

Nicolai Levashov. Spirit and mind. Vol.1

It is precisely the process of long-term memory formation that holds the key to
the seemingly elusive, intangible, mirage-like stronghold of consciousness. Like the
Flying Dutchman, the nature of consciousness, obvious though it is, has remained a
mystery, sealed "under seven seals," throughout the course of several millennia.

Scientists and philosophers have argued endlessly about whether consciousness
or matter came first, but forgot the fact that the concept of consciousness has been
discussed without any ex-planation at all. So, for example, dialectic materialism came
up with a more or less acceptable ex-planation of matter as objective reality
apprehended through our senses. As for consciousness, they could invent no better

explanation of its manifestations than to assign it the same qualitative status as
"objective reality," that is, something "given to us through the senses."

A rather shocking misuse of logic, is it not?
And, in turn, the idealists hardly fared better in advocating the primacy of
consciousness — the "Absolute," "absolute idea," logos, or the Supreme Being, who

created the "objective reality" surrounding us.

And yet, we should realize that the very question itself as to which is primary is
an absurdity— as absurd as "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" A chicken
does not exist without an egg, and vice versa. By the same token, consciousness
does not exist without matter, nor matter without consciousness. For these
concepts are inseparable and cannot exist without each other. Further, the concept
of matter is much broader than modern science can imagine, and consciousness has
numerous states that differ from each other qualitatively.

Above all, let us distinguish the two main criteria of consciousness:
1. Awareness: distinguishing oneself from the environment as a carrier of
consciousness;

2. Harmonious interaction of the bearer of consciousness with the environment.
If we examine man through the prism of these criteria we can discern how
rational he is as a carrier of consciousness. And if Homo sapiens alienates himself too
much from the surrounding nature, his harmonious interaction with the environment
is severely compromised. Regrettably, the human species has embarked upon a
veritable war with nature instead of living in symbiosis with it.

To achieve harmony with nature, man does not have to return to a state of
savagery and wait for nature to give him what she wishes. Rather, he needs to learn
the laws of nature and use this knowledge wisely to implement qualitative changes in
the environment that will not disrupt the harmony of the ecological system. Fortified

in this way, man could control the planet's climate, control the elements and live in
harmony with all the other creatures on the planet that have, perhaps not less, but
even more right to breathe clean air, drink clear water and pass the gift of life on to
their descendants. It is astonishing that man looks upon nature with the eyes of a
conqueror, rather than seeing it as a child to care for and nurture. And as long as this
state of affairs continues, we should regard man as a potentially rational race, like a
newborn with everything still ahead of him. It is hoped that this "infantile phase" will
not last so long as to destroy nature's "kindergarten" and ruin any chance he may have
to enjoy it.

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