thoughts are not of material matter,
I rely on that to draw the sharp distinction between physical reality-body-brain v. our mind.
Although a devil’s advocate can immediate counter: Are you claiming the electro-magnetic spectrum isn’t physical???
# Brain Waves - www.sciencedirect.com
With EEG, these brain waves are measured in terms of electrical activity over time and the relative dominance of different types of waves, e.g. alpha waves, can be identified.
No I could never do that, though please note,
2.1.1 Brain Waves
Brain waves are oscillating electrical voltages in the brain measuring just a few millionths of a volt. There are five widely recognized brain waves, and the main frequencies of human EEG waves are listed in Table 2.1 along with their characteristics.
At a few millionths of a volt you have to admit it’s about as tenuous a shadow of the physical realm as can be, yet that’s the realm where everything humanity has ever dreamt up, has unfolded.
I don’t think the millionth volt nature of the dance detracts from my observation that the realm of our thoughts is qualitatively, profoundly distinct from the physical realm of Earth, biology and physics.
Furthermore, I believe recognizing that divide provides an intellectual benchmark that helps us assess the difference between serious science and pseudo science.
Why would that be?
A) recognizing and appreciating the Human Mindscape ~ Physical Reality divide.
B) recognizing that I am not a figment of my own imagination and that Earth is a real thing beyond my own existence.
C) Therefore, Earth and we must have unfolded down one and only one specific evolutionary cascade, or we wouldn’t be here to begin with.
D) Our human challenge is to learn as much as we can about it. Rather than to think reality needs to prove itself to us. Or that we need to define it.
Rather than being satisfied with perceiving it best we can.
What I see all around me is folks who are more focused on peddling their own ideas, it’s become careers and fortunes, and the great talking heads are overtaken by their own egos and start believing they are creating the shape of reality for us.
Hubris personified.
That’s the Abrahamic Mindset in action.
To repeat the thesis:
Recognizing that the divide between our thoughts and actual physical reality provides an intellectual benchmark that helps us assess the difference between serious science and pseudo science. Between serious scholars and egos run amok.
Table 2.1. Characteristics of the Five Basic Brain Waves
Frequency band Frequency Brain states Gamma (γ) >35 Hz Concentration Beta (β) 12–35 Hz Anxiety dominant, active, external attention, relaxed Alpha (α) 8–12 Hz Very relaxed, passive attention Theta (θ) 4–8 Hz Deeply relaxed, inward focused Delta (δ) 0.5–4 Hz Sleep Various regions of the brain do not emit the same brain wave frequency simultaneously. An EEG signal between electrodes placed on the scalp consists of many waves with different characteristics. The large amount of data received from even one single EEG recording makes interpretation difficult. The brain wave patterns are unique for every individual.