The paper argues for a distinction between mind and consciousness. According to the Orthodox Cope... more The paper argues for a distinction between mind and consciousness. According to the Orthodox Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum theory, which is the dominant way to understand the subject, consciousness is complementary to materiality and it is not a property of matter, and the recently published One Observer Theorem implies that consciousness transcends materiality. Given these results, one must take consciousness to be the non-changing stratum of reality that serves as a kind of light illuminating the contents of the mind. All animals experience consciousness although they may do it in a variety of ways, using structures that have evolved variously in time for different species. The brainstem and diencephalon in conjunction with neocortical connectivity and recurrent processing are used by humans and since the brains of mammals and birds have similar structures one may assert that their experience has a degree of similarity. With continuing evolution in time, the capacity of the future mind may go beyond what humans can currently do.
Consciousness is not a physical property, so it cannot be located at a specific center of the bra... more Consciousness is not a physical property, so it cannot be located at a specific center of the brain. Its transcendence may be represented by showing it as hidden and as a point. This is what is done in the representation of the inner cosmos in Sri Vidyā or Sri Chakra where consciousness is a dot in the middle of the yantra, which may be seen as three bodies, seven chakras, and nine circuits. The logic behind the representation in these numbers is provided.
Wheeler coined the phrase “it from bit” to stress that whatever we know of the universe arises fr... more Wheeler coined the phrase “it from bit” to stress that whatever we know of the universe arises from our interrogating it in a manner that leads to yes-no answers and this makes information fundamental to reality. But each of our interrogations occurs in a specific context and this view leaves out the matter of how the questioner acquires the capacity to obtain information or the manner in which this questioning is done. Given that the situation is more complicated than assumed by Wheeler, this note investigates the question of the agency of the observer arguing that rather than considering a bit, one must consider a nat, for it appears to include the observer. If information is fundamental then physical reality may be seen to be constructed out of this basic information, or we may assert “that from nat”.
In Quantum and Consciousness Revisited. M.C. Kafatos, D. Banerji, and D. Struppa (editors). DK Publisher, New Delhi., 2024
Classical reality is described in terms of objects and things and their mutual relationships. On ... more Classical reality is described in terms of objects and things and their mutual relationships. On the other hand, in the case of quantum reality, the collapse of the state in an interaction assigns a unique position to the observer. These two disparate views are based on different logics of representation, the history of which can be traced back to Greek and Indian thought. In this chapter, we first summarize the early evolution of these ideas and then go beyond the implicit dependence of the quantum theory framework on the mathematical apparatus of calculus and vector spaces, by delving one layer deeper to an information-theoretic understanding of symbol representation. We examine some epistemic implications of the fact that, mathematically, e-symbol representation is optimal and three symbols are more efficient than two symbols and this optimality leads to the idea that space itself is e-dimensional and not three-dimensional. We also discuss the principle of veiled non-locality as a way to understand the split between the observer and the physical process. By considering how information is obtained from a quantum system, we argue that consciousness is not computable, which means that it cannot be generated by machines.
This paper presents a mathematical proof of the claim that machines will never be conscious. This... more This paper presents a mathematical proof of the claim that machines will never be conscious. This means that consciousness is a transcendent phenomenon which is precisely the claim of Vedanta in both the classical or Kashmir Shaivism version.
It is known that biological systems are approximately scale invariant and self-similar like other... more It is known that biological systems are approximately scale invariant and self-similar like other natural systems. In the case of the brain, the scales relate to physical geometry as in the arborization of dendrites and axons at the microscopic level, connectivity patterns of networks at the mesoscopic level, and the scale-free dynamics at the macroscopic level in the long-range, inter-area connecting fibers. The geometries of microscopic and macroscopic arboreal structures are reasonably well mapped out, but the mesoscopic connectivity of the fractal networks is yet to be deciphered. In this article, we argue that the noninteger dimensionality approach to biology can serve as the key to understanding the linkage between the three scales in the brain. The significance of epistemic factors in biological information is also summarized.
A new science of consciousness is emerging in response to fundamental difficulties in the current... more A new science of consciousness is emerging in response to fundamental difficulties in the current science paradigm that sees living systems as governed by biological laws and chance and, consequently, lacking in agency.
Hinduism describes the nature of the outer and inner realities and instructs on ways to obtain se... more Hinduism describes the nature of the outer and inner realities and instructs on ways to obtain self-knowledge. The formal name of Hinduism is Sanātana Dharma (Eternal or Universal Law) and its oldest text is the Ṛgveda. It also has a huge amount of ancillary literature that covers a wide variety of subjects. Hinduism is also called the Ātma Vidyā (Science of Consciousness). Lived Hinduism is Yoga, in which one of the first steps is the practice of āsanas that has become well-known all over the world. Preceding this practice is ethical and moral preparation that makes one ready to delve into a deeper understanding of the tradition. There are many misconceptions about Hinduism both in academic writing and in the popular press. Some of these misconceptions are so ridiculous that to paraphrase the Roman scholar Cicero only academics and journalists would believe them.
This paper considers the matter of representation in Vedānta by examining key claims in the Ṛgved... more This paper considers the matter of representation in Vedānta by examining key claims in the Ṛgveda and the Upaniṣads, which are some of its principal texts. Specifically, we consider the logic behind the paradoxical verses on creation and the conception of consciousness as the ground on which the physical universe exists. This also is the template that explains the logical structure underlying the principal affirmations of the Upaniṣads. The five elements and consciousness are taken to pervade each other, which explains how gross matter is taken to consist of all the four different kinds of atoms that get manifested in different states of the substance. The verses on creation are an example of the use of catuṣkoṭi in Indian philosophy prior to the use of it by Nāgārjuna in the Madhyamaka tradition. It also contrasts central ideas of Vedānta with the corresponding contemporary scientific ideas on consciousness.
The significant conclusion to be drawn from this study is that Kuchean and Sanskrit are much more... more The significant conclusion to be drawn from this study is that Kuchean and Sanskrit are much more intimately related than has been assumed. This means that the question of the place of Kuchean in the larger family of Indo-European languages needs to be reopened. We used common synonyms ignored by previous scholars who have stuck to the “standard” list rather mechanically. Thus why should the standard list contain hasta for “hand” and not kara; or puccha for “tail” rather than lūma, from which both Hindi and Saka duma are derived. Many Prakrit forms easily traced to Sanskrit texts, which are in popular usage in modern Indian languages, are closer to some Saka and Kuchean words than those in classical Sanskrit texts that linguists have used for guidance. We cannot afford to study languages of Uttarakuru (Tarim Basin) without a serious comparison with Sanskrit. The rigid adherence to historical word-lists for Sanskrit has been a mistake. If Uttarakuru languages have a Sanskrit substratum, as indicated by Vedic texts, this needs to be examined carefully.
I argue why the Khotanese goddess Śśandrāmatā who is generally taken to be the Avestan Spəntā Ārm... more I argue why the Khotanese goddess Śśandrāmatā who is generally taken to be the Avestan Spəntā Ārmaiti, or the earth, is the same as Śrī.
In view of the relationship between Indus and Brahmi that was revealed by a frequency analysis, o... more In view of the relationship between Indus and Brahmi that was revealed by a frequency analysis, other parallels in the records in these scripts are investigated. This includes the use of abbreviations and similarities in the numeral signs. An identification for the sign for 10 in Indus has been made, and this turns out to be similar to the Brahmi sign for 10.
Translation of seven hymns from the Ṛgveda, done around 2010. It is part of the essay "The Secret... more Translation of seven hymns from the Ṛgveda, done around 2010. It is part of the essay "The Secret of the Veda".
This essay summarizes recent arguments in favor of the view that consciousness cannot be derived ... more This essay summarizes recent arguments in favor of the view that consciousness cannot be derived from material ground, which may be seen as proof of the existence of God.
This note presents Virahāṅka's original proof of the sequence associated with prosody that is now... more This note presents Virahāṅka's original proof of the sequence associated with prosody that is now known variously as the Virahāṅka-Fibonacci sequence, Fibonacci sequence, or just the Virahāṅka sequence. This sequence is also seen as the number of arrangements of beads in a necklace of a certain value, where each bead has the value of 1 or 2. This sequence was implicitly known as early as fourth to second century BCE in the work of Piṅgala, and was formally derived by Virahāṅka about 600 years before Fibonacci and, therefore, the last name is appropriate. The proof given here leads easily to the generalization of the Nārāyaṇa sequence.
The paper argues for a distinction between mind and consciousness. According to the Orthodox Cope... more The paper argues for a distinction between mind and consciousness. According to the Orthodox Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum theory, which is the dominant way to understand the subject, consciousness is complementary to materiality and it is not a property of matter, and the recently published One Observer Theorem implies that consciousness transcends materiality. Given these results, one must take consciousness to be the non-changing stratum of reality that serves as a kind of light illuminating the contents of the mind. All animals experience consciousness although they may do it in a variety of ways, using structures that have evolved variously in time for different species. The brainstem and diencephalon in conjunction with neocortical connectivity and recurrent processing are used by humans and since the brains of mammals and birds have similar structures one may assert that their experience has a degree of similarity. With continuing evolution in time, the capacity of the future mind may go beyond what humans can currently do.
Consciousness is not a physical property, so it cannot be located at a specific center of the bra... more Consciousness is not a physical property, so it cannot be located at a specific center of the brain. Its transcendence may be represented by showing it as hidden and as a point. This is what is done in the representation of the inner cosmos in Sri Vidyā or Sri Chakra where consciousness is a dot in the middle of the yantra, which may be seen as three bodies, seven chakras, and nine circuits. The logic behind the representation in these numbers is provided.
Wheeler coined the phrase “it from bit” to stress that whatever we know of the universe arises fr... more Wheeler coined the phrase “it from bit” to stress that whatever we know of the universe arises from our interrogating it in a manner that leads to yes-no answers and this makes information fundamental to reality. But each of our interrogations occurs in a specific context and this view leaves out the matter of how the questioner acquires the capacity to obtain information or the manner in which this questioning is done. Given that the situation is more complicated than assumed by Wheeler, this note investigates the question of the agency of the observer arguing that rather than considering a bit, one must consider a nat, for it appears to include the observer. If information is fundamental then physical reality may be seen to be constructed out of this basic information, or we may assert “that from nat”.
In Quantum and Consciousness Revisited. M.C. Kafatos, D. Banerji, and D. Struppa (editors). DK Publisher, New Delhi., 2024
Classical reality is described in terms of objects and things and their mutual relationships. On ... more Classical reality is described in terms of objects and things and their mutual relationships. On the other hand, in the case of quantum reality, the collapse of the state in an interaction assigns a unique position to the observer. These two disparate views are based on different logics of representation, the history of which can be traced back to Greek and Indian thought. In this chapter, we first summarize the early evolution of these ideas and then go beyond the implicit dependence of the quantum theory framework on the mathematical apparatus of calculus and vector spaces, by delving one layer deeper to an information-theoretic understanding of symbol representation. We examine some epistemic implications of the fact that, mathematically, e-symbol representation is optimal and three symbols are more efficient than two symbols and this optimality leads to the idea that space itself is e-dimensional and not three-dimensional. We also discuss the principle of veiled non-locality as a way to understand the split between the observer and the physical process. By considering how information is obtained from a quantum system, we argue that consciousness is not computable, which means that it cannot be generated by machines.
This paper presents a mathematical proof of the claim that machines will never be conscious. This... more This paper presents a mathematical proof of the claim that machines will never be conscious. This means that consciousness is a transcendent phenomenon which is precisely the claim of Vedanta in both the classical or Kashmir Shaivism version.
It is known that biological systems are approximately scale invariant and self-similar like other... more It is known that biological systems are approximately scale invariant and self-similar like other natural systems. In the case of the brain, the scales relate to physical geometry as in the arborization of dendrites and axons at the microscopic level, connectivity patterns of networks at the mesoscopic level, and the scale-free dynamics at the macroscopic level in the long-range, inter-area connecting fibers. The geometries of microscopic and macroscopic arboreal structures are reasonably well mapped out, but the mesoscopic connectivity of the fractal networks is yet to be deciphered. In this article, we argue that the noninteger dimensionality approach to biology can serve as the key to understanding the linkage between the three scales in the brain. The significance of epistemic factors in biological information is also summarized.
A new science of consciousness is emerging in response to fundamental difficulties in the current... more A new science of consciousness is emerging in response to fundamental difficulties in the current science paradigm that sees living systems as governed by biological laws and chance and, consequently, lacking in agency.
Hinduism describes the nature of the outer and inner realities and instructs on ways to obtain se... more Hinduism describes the nature of the outer and inner realities and instructs on ways to obtain self-knowledge. The formal name of Hinduism is Sanātana Dharma (Eternal or Universal Law) and its oldest text is the Ṛgveda. It also has a huge amount of ancillary literature that covers a wide variety of subjects. Hinduism is also called the Ātma Vidyā (Science of Consciousness). Lived Hinduism is Yoga, in which one of the first steps is the practice of āsanas that has become well-known all over the world. Preceding this practice is ethical and moral preparation that makes one ready to delve into a deeper understanding of the tradition. There are many misconceptions about Hinduism both in academic writing and in the popular press. Some of these misconceptions are so ridiculous that to paraphrase the Roman scholar Cicero only academics and journalists would believe them.
This paper considers the matter of representation in Vedānta by examining key claims in the Ṛgved... more This paper considers the matter of representation in Vedānta by examining key claims in the Ṛgveda and the Upaniṣads, which are some of its principal texts. Specifically, we consider the logic behind the paradoxical verses on creation and the conception of consciousness as the ground on which the physical universe exists. This also is the template that explains the logical structure underlying the principal affirmations of the Upaniṣads. The five elements and consciousness are taken to pervade each other, which explains how gross matter is taken to consist of all the four different kinds of atoms that get manifested in different states of the substance. The verses on creation are an example of the use of catuṣkoṭi in Indian philosophy prior to the use of it by Nāgārjuna in the Madhyamaka tradition. It also contrasts central ideas of Vedānta with the corresponding contemporary scientific ideas on consciousness.
The significant conclusion to be drawn from this study is that Kuchean and Sanskrit are much more... more The significant conclusion to be drawn from this study is that Kuchean and Sanskrit are much more intimately related than has been assumed. This means that the question of the place of Kuchean in the larger family of Indo-European languages needs to be reopened. We used common synonyms ignored by previous scholars who have stuck to the “standard” list rather mechanically. Thus why should the standard list contain hasta for “hand” and not kara; or puccha for “tail” rather than lūma, from which both Hindi and Saka duma are derived. Many Prakrit forms easily traced to Sanskrit texts, which are in popular usage in modern Indian languages, are closer to some Saka and Kuchean words than those in classical Sanskrit texts that linguists have used for guidance. We cannot afford to study languages of Uttarakuru (Tarim Basin) without a serious comparison with Sanskrit. The rigid adherence to historical word-lists for Sanskrit has been a mistake. If Uttarakuru languages have a Sanskrit substratum, as indicated by Vedic texts, this needs to be examined carefully.
I argue why the Khotanese goddess Śśandrāmatā who is generally taken to be the Avestan Spəntā Ārm... more I argue why the Khotanese goddess Śśandrāmatā who is generally taken to be the Avestan Spəntā Ārmaiti, or the earth, is the same as Śrī.
In view of the relationship between Indus and Brahmi that was revealed by a frequency analysis, o... more In view of the relationship between Indus and Brahmi that was revealed by a frequency analysis, other parallels in the records in these scripts are investigated. This includes the use of abbreviations and similarities in the numeral signs. An identification for the sign for 10 in Indus has been made, and this turns out to be similar to the Brahmi sign for 10.
Translation of seven hymns from the Ṛgveda, done around 2010. It is part of the essay "The Secret... more Translation of seven hymns from the Ṛgveda, done around 2010. It is part of the essay "The Secret of the Veda".
This essay summarizes recent arguments in favor of the view that consciousness cannot be derived ... more This essay summarizes recent arguments in favor of the view that consciousness cannot be derived from material ground, which may be seen as proof of the existence of God.
This note presents Virahāṅka's original proof of the sequence associated with prosody that is now... more This note presents Virahāṅka's original proof of the sequence associated with prosody that is now known variously as the Virahāṅka-Fibonacci sequence, Fibonacci sequence, or just the Virahāṅka sequence. This sequence is also seen as the number of arrangements of beads in a necklace of a certain value, where each bead has the value of 1 or 2. This sequence was implicitly known as early as fourth to second century BCE in the work of Piṅgala, and was formally derived by Virahāṅka about 600 years before Fibonacci and, therefore, the last name is appropriate. The proof given here leads easily to the generalization of the Nārāyaṇa sequence.
The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, from the Atharvaveda tradition, is the shortest Upaniṣad consisting of twe... more The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, from the Atharvaveda tradition, is the shortest Upaniṣad consisting of twelve verses that describe three states of consciousness. This is of enormous interest since consciousness is the frontier of science, for we would like to know if machines can become conscious.
I was very young when I first read the Kaṭha Upaniṣad and it absolutely electrified me. It is not... more I was very young when I first read the Kaṭha Upaniṣad and it absolutely electrified me. It is not only a book of great philosophical insight; it is also an aesthetically brilliant literary masterpiece. The setting is dramatic where a boy, Naciketā, disappointed in his father for giving away as gifts useless and old animals, mocks him and asks repeatedly, who will he be given to. The father ignores him first but at last in anger says that he is being given to Death. The son not wishing to make his father a liar sets out for his appointment. The two meet and the dialogue between them touches upon the deepest mysteries of reality.
Think of the most puzzling questions of life: Who controls the mind and speech, and directs the e... more Think of the most puzzling questions of life: Who controls the mind and speech, and directs the eyes and the ears? And how do we know that we know, or if others know? These questions are posed most directly in the Kena Upaniṣad and it is explained that the Ātman is the light of the mind, the seer behind the eyes, the hearer behind the ears, and the witness that tells us if things are in accordance with the truth.
This is a translation of the Īśāvāsya or Īśā Upaniṣad, which presents a summary of the central id... more This is a translation of the Īśāvāsya or Īśā Upaniṣad, which presents a summary of the central ideas of Ātma-vidyā (Science of Consciousness) of the Vedas.
This book describes the Aśvamedha rite and its symbolism to explain distinctive aspects of the Ve... more This book describes the Aśvamedha rite and its symbolism to explain distinctive aspects of the Vedic sacrifice system. Several questions related to the Aśvamedha are posed and answered in the context of Vedic epistemology. This rite has three important functions: (i) it presents and equivalence of the naksatra year to the heaven, implying that it is rite that celebrates the rebirth of the Sun; (ii) it is symbolic of the conquest of Time by the king, in whose name the rite is performed; and (iii) it is celebration of social harmony achieved by the transcendence of the fundamental conflicts between various sources of power.
Uploads
Papers by Subhash Kak