holistic education and the two modes of consciousness 1
TRANSCRIPT
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Acknowledgments
+ would li,e to than,*-
Ste)han Hardin$% (hili) .ranses% Alan Dyer% Melanie Stewart and the many staff% teachers and
&olunteers who ma,e the MSc in Holistic Science )ossible/
Henri Bortoft for ta,in$ the use of conce)ts further that + e&er thou$ht was )ossible/
Manfred Ma0-eef for his ins)iration and wor, on basic human needs/
My wonderful $rou) mates who + shared the year with% each was an ins)iration in their own
way/2ebah .ur3e who read this dissertation% hel)ed with corrections and who has been a $reat
friend to discuss ideas with/
Tarchin Hearn% Mary 4en,ins and the 5an$a)e,a School of 6i&in$ Dharma which )ro&ided me
with a solid foundation% and intuiti&e under)innin$% from which + could e0)lore wholeness% and
without whose su))ort and teachin$ + wouldn7t ha&e been able to study for this MSc/
My brother Tom for allowin$ me to stay in his house while + was writin$/
My Mother Diana for her &aluable feedbac, and su))ort/
8emfira +no$amo&a for her ,ind words and warmhearted encoura$ement/
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Abstract
This dissertation sets out to e0)lore the two modes of consciousness% the conce)tual and the
non-conce)tual% to see how they interact in the )rocess of holistic learnin$/ +t e0)lores them
from many different )oints of &iew and disco&ers that they are in fact two different realities that
we inhabit/ These realities are inte$ral to our human e0)erience but ha&e fundamentally
different &alues and are in&ol&ed in a ,ind of stru$$le for dominance/ The analytical mode is
currently winnin$ and this is leadin$ to many of the )roblems that we now face/ :oetheanscience% the two modes of consciousness and the conce)t of wholeness are used to loo, at
education in an archety)al way and as, ;what is the fundamental )ur)ose of education
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Contents
Cover:-Snow Buddha at Schumacher Colle$e
Created by myself with the hel) of 8emfira and ?scar/ 1
Ac,nowled$ments
Abstract 9
Contents >
+ntroduction @
Chapter one:-Holistic learning and the two modes of consciousness
The )oet and the en$ineer
The hermeneutic circle 1
The world created in the mind of a child 1
The child7s world as a teachin$ alle$ory 1@
Chapter two:- The two modes of consciousness and the 1
bi-hemispheric structure of the brain
Absent without lea&e
Distin$uishin$#relatin$ >
The bi-hemis)heric brain
Authentic and counterfeit wholes @
The new &erses the ,nown @
(ossibility &erses )redictability
+nter$ration &erses di&ision
The hierachy of attention "
The illusion of the real world 91
The left hemis)here7s blind s)ots 9
Creation of the self-entity
by the feedbac, loo) of focused attention and familiarity 9>
The ri$ht left ri$ht hemis)heric relationshi) 9
Summary of cha)ter two 9@
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Chapter three:- Creation of the subject#di&ide% >!
the )rimordial birth of question
:oethe7s ur)flan3e >9
itesurfin$ >@
Dee) Ecolo$y !
:oethe7s way of science 9
Chapter four:-The self-entity @1
Chapter five:-Holistic education and the ri$ht left ri$ht @
hemis)heric relationshi)
The )ur)ose of education !
The ur-)roblem 9
The )rimary )ur)ose of education >
Conclusion
2eferences 9->
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Cha)ter three e0amines the creation of the subject#object di&ide and uses :oethe7s ur-
)henomenon to su$$est that the moment of di&ision is the birth of questionin$ in an archety)al
sense/ My e0)erience teachin$ ,itesurfin$ is then used as a )ractical e0am)le to brin$ in the
subject of embodied learnin$ and how the two modes of consciousness coo)erate in the
learnin$ )rocess/ Then usin$ dee) ecolo$y and :oethean science + loo, at how the two modes
of consciousness can be acti&ely utili3ed when learnin$/
Cha)ter four e0)lores the )resence and absence of the 7self-entity7 as another lens throu$h
which to &iew the two modes of consciousness and disco&ers the sense of oursel&es% or e$o% is
intimately lin,ed to many of the )roblems we are now facin$/ Cha)ter fi&e draws all the
)re&ious wor, to$ether and focuses on the to)ic of holistic education usin$ the wor, of Ste)hen
Sterlin$ and Manfred Ma0-eef/ :oethe7s ur-)henomenon is used to question the fundamental
)ur)ose of education and the root cause of the )roblems we face in the world today/ Ma0-eefs
system of basic human needs is su$$ested as a methodolo$y that could be used to wor, with
the ri$ht left ri$ht hemis)heric relationshi) in a learnin$ en&ironment/ .inally a few
comments are made about my e0)erience of the learnin$ en&ironment at the Schumacher
Colle$e and the chan$es ta,in$ )lace there and + offer my intuiti&e insi$hts on the miracle of
this human e0istence/
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lands/ +n the conte0t of the abo&e% they are the ones referred to as )oets/ +f we thin, of the )oet
in the broader archety)al sense as it is intended here we can ima$ine that the )oet is someone
who is in touch with the mystery% with the non conce)tual as)ect of life/ +n the 4un$ian sense
the )oet would ha&e a stron$ intuiti&e function% the function that di&ines meanin$ from direct
e0)erience/ They would be dee)ly in touch with this way of ,nowin$ and% as a )oet% would try
to brin$ somethin$ of this to e0)ression throu$h the creati&e use of conce)ts and words/ The
)oet within each of us )lays an im)ortant role in understandin$ the first of these two ways of
,nowin$ the world/
The other cate$ory is that of the en$ineer/ An en$ineer would be a &ery )ractical )erson who is
familiar with all of the boats systems and is able to maintain and fi0 them as and when they
need to/ The archety)al role the en$ineer )lays is that of the )erson who can ta,e conce)ts and
a))ly them in a )ractical way to sol&e )roblems/ +n a 4un$ian sense the en$ineer would ha&e a
stron$ thin,in$ and sensin$ function/
+ s)ent almost three wee,s in En$lish harbour li&in$ aboard &arious boats as + waited for the
start of the &oya$e/ Durin$ that time% as + met the different characters in the harbor% my
a))reciation for the life afloat dee)ened/ Cruisin$ sailors are &ery much li,e birds% they
emi$rate in floc,s around the world with the seasons/ They s)end the winter in the Caribbean%
lea&in$ in s)rin$ before the hurricane season to sail around the to) of the A3ores hi$h and
callin$ in at the A3ores before headin$ for Euro)e/ +n late summer and early autumn hundreds
of yachts $ather in the Canary islands while they wait for the trade winds to establish
themsel&es before settin$ out once more for the Caribbean/
+ thin, it is interestin$ that in the sayin$ it is ac,nowled$ed that it is the 7$oin$ to sea7 which
transforms the )oet into an en$ineer and the en$ineer into a )oet/ Settin$ off on a sailin$ tri) is
a &ery si$nificant e&ent with many interestin$ and &ital as)ects to learn and remember/ Gou
need to )re)are well in order to ensure your own sur&i&al/ +n the dee)er conte0t of this sayin$
7$oin$ to sea7 re)resents enterin$ into life as a dynamic )artici)ant as o))osed to li&in$ life as
an objecti&e obser&er/ The &ery act of $oin$ to sea means that theory and abstraction soon $et
left behind in fa&or of )racticality and sur&i&al/ The stable $round and security of the shore is
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left behind and the un)redictable world of the ocean is entered into/ The dynamic )artici)ation
in life on the ocean becomes the teacher/ The )oet is forced to become an en$ineer in order to
sur&i&e and maintain the systems necessary for life on board/ The en$ineer is immersed for
lon$ )eriods of time in the world of the wind and the wa&es% the sea and the s,y% the natural
elements which ine&itably draw them beyond the realm of conce)ts and into the world of
meanin$ the world of a dee)er ,nowin$ beyond conce)ts/
This brin$s me to the $eneral to)ic of this dissertation which is Holistic Education and more
s)ecifically the im)ortant role that the two ways of ,nowin$ )lay in holistic learnin$/ The aim
of Holistic Education is to 7ta,e the students to sea7/ That is% to immerse them in the world of
dynamic )artici)ation/ Therefore life becomes the teacher/ o lon$er is it )ossible to stand on
the shore% as an obser&er% in the world of abstraction/ The wind and the wa&es are imminent and
real% they mould and sha)e the student/ The relationshi) with the other crew members can not
be a&oided as you all de)end on each other to ma,e the shi) sail in the intended direction/ The
wor,in$s of the shi) are loo,ed after and maintained by the crew members as they learn new
theories and s,ills% and the dynamic )artici)ation draws them into the mystery of life and the
di&inin$ of meanin$/ Therefore the )rocess of learnin$ becomes the )rocess of transformation/
The en$ineers disco&er the )oet within and the )oets learn the )ractical s,ills of the en$ineer/
The bein$ becomes whole% no lon$er one or the other but able to occu)y both worlds% the
conce)tual and the non-conce)tual with awareness/
.or holistic learnin$ to e0tend to the breadth and de)th necessary for the )rocess of learnin$ to
be dee)ly transformati&e% it is necessary to become intimately familiar with these two ways of
,nowin$ the world/ To be$in with + will refer to them as two ways of ,nowin$ but later + ho)e
it will become clear that these are two different realities that we inhabit% each as real as the
other and in some ways each contradictin$ the other in a form of )arado0/ .irstly howe&er it is
necessary to understand these different ways of ,nowin$ and secondly we must be able to
identify them in our li&ed e0)erience/ +f we can7t reco$ni3e these two ways of ,nowin$ in our
li&ed e0)erience then we may just remain seein$ the world from the one )oint of &iew and not
be able to utili3e the other/ Thirdly we must understand how the two interact with each other in
our li&ed e0)erience and brin$ forth our ,nowin$ of the world/
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+ would li,e to say at this )oint that throu$hout the course of this dissertation + will not use
consistent labels to describe these two ways of ,nowin$ the world/ + belie&e this is im)ortant as
it will hel) me to consistently a&oid fallin$ into the tra) of )uttin$ a fi0ed conce)t onto a real
)henomenon and then ma,in$ the mista,e of belie&in$ that + ,now what + am referrin$ to just
because it is labeled/ This will hel) me to maintain a de$ree of anti-structure or )oetic mindset
as + use conce)ts and will therefore be in line with the )artici)ati&e way of ,nowin$/ Ha&in$
said that + will be tryin$ to $i&e as much clear discernment and elucidation to the conce)ts that
+ do use in order to dee)en my understandin$ and )ro&ide an element of clear structure to
su))ort the more intan$ible as)ects of this subject/ The relationshi) between the )oet and
en$ineer will not just be a subject for abstract discussion it will also be )layed out in the
)rocess of writin$% as the )oet and en$ineer within me wor, to$ether to try and understand each
other/
This relationshi) of the )oet and en$ineer% the non-conce)tual and conce)tual lies at the heart
of holistic science/ 5hen loo,ed at from a 4un$ian )ers)ecti&eholistic science requires a well
de&elo)ed use of the thin,in$ function in the form of reasonin$ and analy3in$% the s,ilful use of
the sensin$ function in the form of careful Icare-filledJ obser&ation throu$h our fi&e senses and
the a))aratus we ha&e created to e0tend their reach/ +t requires the s,ilful use of the feelin$
function by always bein$ aware of our inner reaction to 7the other7 and culti&atin$ a wholesome
relationshi) with all manifestations of life% and finally it requires bein$ o)en enou$h to let $o
into the dee)er ,nowin$ of the intuiti&e function/
Throu$h the followin$ sections + will be loo,in$ at these two ways of ,nowin$ from many
different )oints of &iew/ + e0)ect they will not corres)ond accurately to each other but within
their own conte0t + will endea&or to )resent them as clearly and accurately as )ossible/ (lease
consider the different manifestation of the two ways of ,nowin$ as the )arts and allow the
whole Ithe meanin$J to emer$e simultaneously with the )resence of the )arts/
This conce)t of wholeness and the relationshi) between the whole and the )arts is central to
holistic science and + intend to use it as one of the main methodolo$ies for this e0)loration/ The
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nature of this relationshi) is co&ered e0tensi&ely in Henri BortoftFs boo, 7The 5holeness of
ature K :oethe7s way of Science79/ + will be referrin$ to this boo, throu$hout the course of the
dissertation but the s)ecific )oint that + want to illustrate now is that of the hermeneutic circle%
the meanin$ that is deri&ed from the written word/ The written word is the chosen medium for
this dissertation and it is im)ortant to understand how it wor,s for two reasons/ .irstly it is
hel)ful because understandin$ the way that the written word wor,s can hel) to )ro&ide $reater
clarity and distinction to what is said/ This is similar to how a )ainter must understand the
)aints% brushes and )a)er that he uses% as well as the subtle relationshi) between% and meanin$
held within% the colors and shades of li$ht and dar,/ Secondly understandin$ the hermeneutic
circle Ihow meanin$ arises from a te0t and the te0t $i&es rise to meanin$J will hel) to fill in
)art of the )icture of holistic learnin$% the two ways of e0)eriencin$ the world% and will
therefore $i&e an introduction to the conce)t of wholeness and the relationshi) between the
whole and the )arts/
The hermeneutic circle
The relationshi) between the whole and the )arts is reflected in many different as)ects of life/
+n the conte0t of the written word the meanin$ of the te0t can be thou$ht of as the whole and
the words can be thou$ht of as the )arts/ The )arts $i&e rise to the whole Ithe words $i&e rise to
the meanin$J and the whole emer$es from the )arts Ithe meanin$ emer$es from the wordsJ/ +
am now $oin$ to draw on Bortofts wor, from 7The 5holeness of ature7 to e0)lain this more
fully/
The hermeneutic circle 7///was first reco$ni3ed by .riedrich Ast in the ei$hteenth century and
subsequently de&elo)ed by Schleiermacher in his )ro$ram for $eneral hermeneutics as the art
of understandin$/ At the le&el of discourse% this circle says that to read an author we ha&e to
understand him first% and yet we ha&e to read him first to understand him/ +t a))ears that we
ha&e to understand the whole meanin$ of the te0t ;in ad&ance= to read the )arts which are our
)athway towards the meanin$ of the te0t as a whole/7>5hat this re&eals to us doesn7t ma,e
sense from a linear lo$ical )oint of &iew/ +t shows us that we need to ha&e read the te0t before
we read it in order to understand the meanin$ arisin$ from the words/ The lo$ical linear way of
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)arts% because it necessarily im)lies that the whole comes after the )arts/ +t im)lies a linear
sequence* first the )arts% then the whole/ The im)lication is that the whole always comes later
than its )artsF@/ +f one thin,s that the words come first and $i&e rise to the whole in a linear
sense then ho)efully the distinction between the totality and the whole will )ro&ide further
clarity/ +n the conte0t of the written word the totality would refer to all of the te0t written on the
)a$es whereas the whole refers to the meanin$ that arises from the te0t/ So in a linear sense we
can see that the )arts can be assembled to create the totality but this linearity doesn7t a))ly to
the relationshi) between the )arts and the whole/
So we ha&e seen that the )arts are not )rimary to the whole and the same is true the other way
round% the whole isn7t )rimary to the )arts/ To say that the whole is )rimary to the )arts is to
turn it into a )art and it is therefore no lon$er whole/ This is what Bortoft refers to as a
counterfeit whole/ +f we were to say that the whole was )rimary to the )arts then 7+t )uts the
whole in the )osition of a false transcendental which would come earlier than the )arts% and so
would lea&e them no )lace/ This a))roach effecti&ely considers the whole as if it were a )art%
but a ;su)er)art= which controls and dominates the other% lesser )arts/ +t is not the true whole%
and neither can the )arts be true )arts when they are dominated by this counterfeit whole/
+nstead% there is only the side-by-sideness of would-be )arts and the counterfeit whole/ This is
false dualism/7
+ would now li,e to return to the analo$y of the )oet and the en$ineer to hel) to lin, the
conce)t of the whole and the )arts to the two ways of ,nowin$ world/
There are two types of people who go to sea.
There are poets who become engineers
And there are engineers who become poets.8
E&en as you are readin$ these words it is quite li,ely that there are creati&e#intuiti&e ty)e
sailors busy readin$ manuals on board their boats tryin$ to wor, out how on earth to fi0 their
faulty diesel )um) and li,ewise there will be )ractical#lo$ical ty)es on watch at ni$ht under the
brilliant ni$ht s,y bathin$ in the mystery of the uni&erse/ Each of these two ways of ,nowin$ is
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$enerally )resent in all of us in e&ery moment but they can7t ,now each other e0ce)t on their
own terms/ + belie&e this is the cause of much of the confusion and conflict in the world today
and o&er the course of human history/ As we saw with the hermeneutic circle it isn7t )ossible for
the lo$ical linear mind to understand meanin$ because the &ery nature of meanin$ e0ists
outside the realm of conce)ts/ + ha&e been reflectin$ on this inability for one way of ,nowin$ to
see the other and an interestin$ memory came to mind/
The world created in the mind of a child
+ ha&e distinct memories of meal times as a child/ + can remember one )articular occasion when
+ was sittin$ at the table eatin$ as the adults were tal,in$/ Their con&ersation seemed borin$ infact it wasn7t e&en borin$ from a content )oint of &iew because + would ha&e needed to be able
to hear it to discern that/ +t was just noise without joy or e0citement/ There were other children
)resent and we had been )layin$ to$ether before dinner/ As soon as the meal was finished we
as,ed if we could $et down so we could continue )layin$/ + can remember not understandin$
why on earth the adults would continue sittin$ at the table and not join us )layin$ on the floor/
Their world seemed so dull and lifeless com)ared to the world that we children occu)ied/ +
literally couldn7t see them in their own conte0t/ + couldn7t see their world/ The reason + couldn7t
see them in their world was because they e0isted in my world and in my world they a))eared to
be shadows% lost )eo)le% blind to the real world of joy and )lay/ 5hy didn7t they join us runnin$
around the house and rollin$ on the floor> in his )a)er The Duality of the Mind. His thin,in$ was 7O//)rom)ted by a handful of
cases which he stumbled across where an indi&idual who had remained a))arently
unremar,able in life was found at )ostmortem to ha&e one cerebral hemis)here destroyed by
disease/ ?&er a )eriod of ! years 5i$an collected further instances% concludin$ that each
hemis)here on its own could su))ort human consciousness% and therefore we 7must ha&e two
minds with two brains7% with mental disease resultin$ when they were in conflict/71>This &iew
held that if one hemis)here was dama$ed then the other could maintain the human
consciousness and ensure sur&i&al/ + thin, that the interestin$ )oint that 5i$an ma,es here
thou$h is that it is as if one had two minds and two brains/ This may be a sim)listic &iew
com)ared to what is ,nown today but maybe intuiti&ely he was onto somethin$% the fact that
each hemis)here was ca)able of su))ortin$ a human consciousness/
So how are these two hemis)heres connected and how do they relate to each other< Maybe
loo,in$ at this connection from the outside can yield some &aluable insi$hts into how the two
worlds relate from within/ +n fact why are there two hemis)heres at all and not just one whole
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Absent without lea&e
To illustrate what + mean by this + would li,e to draw on an e0am)le $i&en by Antonio Damasio
in his boo,% 7The .eelin$ of 5hat Ha))ens7/ 5e normally thin, of a loss of consciousness as
bein$ a )assi&e state li,e that of dee) slee) or a comer and the )resence of consciousness as
bein$ an acti&e state with autonomous control howe&er Damasio $i&es an e0am)le where it
seems that a hi$h le&el of consciousness is )resent but there is no ,nowin$ of it/ + am $oin$ to
su$$est that this is a similar state that a human would inhabit if it weren7t for the bi-hemis)heric
structure of the brain/
7Thirty two years a$o% a man sat across from me in a stran$e% entirely circular% $ray-)aintedroom/ The afternoon sun was shinin$ on us throu$h a s,y li$ht as we tal,ed quietly/ Suddenly
the man sto))ed% in mid sentence% and his face lost animation his mouth fro3e% still o)en% and
his eyes became &acuously fi0ed on some )oint on the wall behind me/ .or a few seconds he
remained motionless/ + s)o,e his name but there was no re)ly/ Then he be$an to mo&e a little%
he smac,ed his li)s% his eyes shifted to the table between us% he seemed to ha&e seen a cu) of
coffee and a small metal &ase of flowers because he )ic,ed u) the cu) and dran, from it/ +
s)o,e to him a$ain and a$ain he did not re)ly/ He touched the &ase/ + as,ed him what was
$oin$ on% and he did not re)ly% his face had no e0)ression/ He did not loo, at me/ ow% he rose
to his feet and + was ner&ous + did not ,now what to e0)ect/ + called his name and he did not
re)ly/ 5hen would this end< ow he turned around and wal,ed slowly towards the door/ + $ot
u) and called him a$ain/ He sto))ed% he loo,ed at me% and some e0)ression returned to his face
K he loo,ed )er)le0ed/ + called him a$ain% and he said% ;what
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So what do the two hemis)heres do< Accordin$ to Mc:ilchrist each hemis)here $i&es rise to a
different quality of attention/ +n con&entional neuro)sycholo$y these different qualities of
attention are referred to as the intensitya0is of attention and theselectivea0is of attention/ The
intensity a0is of attention contains within it the cate$ories of &i$ilance% sustained attention and
alertness/ The selecti&ity a0is com)rises of focused and di&ided attention/ 76oo,in$ at the
e&idence from brain research% it becomes clear that &i$ilance and sustained attention are $rossly
im)aired in subjects with ri$ht-hemis)here lesions es)ecially ri$ht frontal lobe lesions% by
contrast% in )atients with left hemis)here lesions Itherefore relyin$ on their intact ri$ht
hemis)hereJ &i$ilance is )reser&ed/ (atients with ri$ht-hemis)here lesions also e0hibit what is
called )erce)tuomotor slowin$% a si$n of diminished alertness% associated with la)ses of
attention/71"5hat this means is that o&erall the intensityquality of attention has been shown to
be more reliant on the acti&ity of the ri$ht hemis)here of the brain/
Theselectivityquality of attention is how e&er a different story/ 7Deficits in focused attention
are more se&ere with left-hemis)here injury//////And scannin$ studies su$$est focused attention
is associated with acti&ity in the left orbitofrontal corte0 and basal $an$lia/7!+nterestin$ly the
same clear )reference between the hemis)heres isn7t true for di&idin$ attention/ 7As re$ards
di&idin$ attention% the e&idence is di&ided/ 5hile some studies su$$est that both left and ri$ht
hemis)heres are in&ol&ed% there a))ears to be a clear )rimary role for the ri$ht hemis)here%
es)ecially the ri$ht dorsolateral )refrontal corte0/71 + thin, this shows firstly that focused
attention is definitely a feature of the world that is created by the left hemis)here/ This means
that focused attention will ta,e us into to the world of the left hemis)here but also the left
hemis)here will tend towards focused attention/ .ocus in this conte0t refers to focus on a
s)ecific object or )art to the e0clusion of the whole/ +t is necessary to ma,e the distinction here
between this ,ind of focus and the absor)tion which can result from focused attention/
Althou$h instincti&ely + would feel that di&ided attention should be a feature of the left
hemis)here + thin, that it is &ery interestin$ that the ri$ht hemis)here has been shown to )lay a
)redominant role in this quality of attention/ +t ma,es sense that both hemis)heres will )lay an
acti&e role in di&ision because it is the bi-hemis)heric structure of the brain that allows the
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e0)erience of di&ision/ +t would be &ery unli,ely that we could e0)erience di&ision solely in
one hemis)here because di&ision by its nature needs the ,nower and that which is ,nown%
which is )robably one of the most im)ortant features made )ossible by the bi-hemis)heric
structure of the brain/
Distin$uishin$#relatin$
+ would li,e to say at this )oint that somethin$ within me feels as if di&ision should be a feature
of the left hemis)here/ +n fact it is only in re-readin$ that + am writin$ this/ After reflectin$ on
why + feel li,e this it has become a))arent to me that my &iew of the subject of di&ision is a
result of a &ery interestin$ one-sided &iew% which is actually a result of the objectifyin$ nature
of the mind/ +n order to e0)lain this more fully + would li,e to draw on Bortofts wor, on the
7or$ani3in$ idea in co$niti&e )erce)tion7 in his boo, 7The 5holeness of ature7/ By 7or$ani3in$
idea7 Bortoft is referrin$ to 7the )rimary act of ;distin$uishin$ which is relatin$%= and not the
secondary o)eration of orderin$ what is already distin$uished/7 My feelin$ that di&ision
should be a feature of the left hemis)here results from an assum)tion that di&ision by its nature
is objectifyin$/ But this is due to my su)erficial une0amined assum)tion which is that di&ision
is the di&idin$ of an object and subject that ha&e an inde)endent inherent e0istence as o))osed
to% di&ision which creates the a))earance of subject and object in the first )lace Ithe first is
objecti&e and the second is relationalJ/
Bortoft )oints out that the act of distinction is also simultaneously the act of relatin$ and that
the mista,e comes when we consider di&ision to be the or$ani3in$ of that which is already
distin$uished/ +f we loo, at the or$ani3in$ idea which is the creatin$ of our world then we can
see that di&ision is holistic/ The act of distinction in the )rimary sense is the act of
simultaneously distin$uishin$ and relatin$/ 7There is the oneact of ;distin$uishin$ which is
relatin$%= and not two se)arate acts* distin$uishin$ andrelatin$/ This act ta,es )lace in
;o))osite= directions simultaneously/ This )olar mo&ement% intrinsic to the )rimary act of
distin$uishin$% is beforeanalysis and synthesis% which come later% at the secondary sta$e of
se)aratin$ and then unifyin$/ Analysis and synthesis are two se)arate acts/ The ori$inal
;distin$uishin$ which is relatin$= falls a)art into analysis and synthesis as the act of
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distin$uishin$ falls into ;se)aratin$ the already distin$uished/= This is the fall from the li&in$
)resent of the )rocess to the dead )ast of the )roduct/7 9This is why + felt intuiti&ely that
di&idin$ should be a feature of the left hemis)here because + was seein$ in terms of ;se)aratin$
the already distin$uished= as o))osed to seein$ the ;distin$uishin$ which is relatin$/=
Di&idin$ attention may be a )redominantly ri$ht hemis)here holistic function% howe&er the left
hemis)heres way of seein$ can only see the result of this di&ision in terms of se)arate )arts/
This is im)ortant as later + will tal, about the left hemis)heres role in creatin$ the
subject#object di&ide/
Bortoft tal,s about this when he )oints out that at the le&el of our ordinary consciousness we
are already in the )ast of oursel&es because we miss the )rocess that leads to us comin$ into
bein$% the )rocess of ;distin$uishin$ which is relatin$/= 7This is a fall from the li&in$ )resent of
the )rocess to the dead )ast of the )roduct/ +t is because our ordinary consciousness is
ontolo$ically at the le&el of the )ast that we miss this simultaneous )olar mo&ement of
;distin$uishin$ which is relatin$%= which is before analysis and synthesis/ 5e are already too
late/7 >
+f we want to mo&e from this e&eryday mode of consciousness that sees 7what is distin$uished7
into the holistic mode of consciousness% which sees the comin$ into bein$ or 7distin$uishin$
which is relatin$7% then we need to chan$e the focus of our attention/ 5e need to chan$e the
focus from attention on what isseento theseeingacti&ity itself/ 7+f this ha))ens% we become
aware of the appearanceof what a))ears instead of whata))ears/7
The bi-hemis)heric brain
5e ha&e seen that althou$h the two hemis)heres are both used in almost e&ery acti&ity% there is
a clear bias in different acti&ities towards one hemis)here or the other/ +t seems that the left
hemis)here )lays a stron$er role with focused attention whereas the ri$ht hemis)here seems to
)lay a $reater role in alertness% &i$ilance and sustained attention but di&ided attention is a
function of both/ There are many different lenses throu$h which we can discern the different
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roles the hemis)heres )lay/ +n the followin$ )a$es + would li,e use information $athered from
many different scientific studies and )resented in Mc:ilchrist7s boo, as a form of research into
the bi-hemis)heric structure of the brain/ Therefore $ainin$ further insi$hts into the two ways
of ,nowin$ the world/ + will re&iew these one at a time and% + ho)e build u) a more
com)rehensi&e )icture of the two worlds that we inhabit/ My holistic science research
methodolo$y is that of the hermeneutic circle% in this case a))lied to the understandin$ of the
two realities Ithe wholeJ throu$h the )resencin$ of the )arts Ithe in&ol&ement of the two
hemis)heres in &arious functions of the mindJ/
Authentic and counterfeit wholes
7The sco)e of the ri$ht hemis)here7s world is broad/ (atients with a ri$ht-hemis)here lesion
Itherefore relyin$ on their intact left hemis)hereJ start with the )ieces and )ut them to$ether to
$et the o&er all )icture% where as those with a left-hemis)here lesion Irelyin$ on their ri$ht
hemis)hereJ )refer a $lobal a))roach7/@
There is an interestin$ correlation here with Bortofts thin,in$ on authentic and counterfeit
wholes/ +f the )arts are assembled to create a whole the result is a counterfeit whole/ Bortoft
refers to this as 7belon$in$ together' Iem)hasis on togetherJ as o))osed to allowin$ the whole
to become )resent itself throu$h the )resencin$ of the )arts 7belongingto$ether7 Iem)hasis on
belongingJ and therefore an authentic whole/
The new &ersus the ,nown
Accordin$ to Mc:ilchrist 7O/in almost e&ery case what is new must first be )resent in the ri$ht
hemis)here% before it can come into focus for the left7/ The reasons that he $i&es for this are
firstly that 7O//the ri$ht hemis)here alone attends to the )eri)heral field of &ision from which
new e0)erience tends to come only the ri$ht hemis)here can direct attention to what comes to
us from the ed$es of our awareness% regardless of side7/+t has also been shown that 7Anythin$
newly enterin$ our world instantly tri$$ers a release of noradrenalin K mainly in the ri$ht
hemis)here7/"And 7no&el e0)erience induces chan$es in the ri$ht hi))ocam)us% but not the left/
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So it is no sur)rise that )henomenolo$ically it is the ri$ht hemis)here that is attuned to the
a))rehension of anythin$ new7/9!This ri$ht hemis)here dominance a))lies not only to new
e0)eriences but also to the learnin$ of new s,ills Ie&en if they are learned by &erbal meansJ/
?nce learned thou$h if the s,ills become familiar they become a left hemis)here acti&ity e&en
for creati&e s,ills such as )layin$ a musical instrument/ So to summari3e it is the ri$ht
hemis)here that can brin$ us that which we don7t already ,now and it is the left hemis)here
which deals most efficiently with familiar routine subjects and situations/
(ossibility &ersus )redictability
+n the conte0t of )ossibility &ersus )redictability it lo$ically follows that the ri$ht hemis)heredeals with the realm of )ossibility whereas the left hemis)here is more in&ol&ed with
)henomena that can be )redicted/ This can be shown by loo,in$ at cases where the ri$ht
hemis)here has been dama$ed/ 7The ri$ht frontal lobe is es)ecially im)ortant for fle0ibility of
thou$ht% with dama$e in that area leadin$ to )erse&eration% a )atholo$ical inability to res)ond
fle0ibly to chan$in$ situations/ .or e0am)le% ha&in$ found an a))roach that wor,s for one
)roblem% subjects seem to $et stuc,% and will ina))ro)riately a))ly it to a second )roblem that
requires a different a))roach///// +t is similar with )roblem sol&in$/ Here the ri$ht hemis)here
)resents an array of )ossible solutions% which remain ali&e while alternati&es are e0)lored/ The
left hemis)here by contrast% ta,es the sin$le solution that seems to best fit what it already
,nows and latches onto it7/91E&en thou$h lan$ua$e is often thou$ht of as a left hemis)here
acti&ity the ri$ht hemis)here is )redominant when it comes to the creati&e use of lan$ua$e or
the e0)ression of distant connections/ 7Because the ri$ht hemis)here ma,es infrequent or
distantly related word meanin$s a&ailable% there is increased ri$ht hemis)here in&ol&ement
when $eneratin$ unusual or distinctly related words or no&el use for objects/ This may be one
of the many as)ects that tend to associate the ri$ht hemis)here with a freer% more 7creati&e7
style7/9
Mc:ilchrist )uts forward an ar$ument that% contrary to the )o)ular belief% the world of the ri$ht
hemis)here is in fact the )rimary world/ ?ne of the reasons he su$$ests for this is that the ri$ht
hemis)here is in&ol&ed in many more functions of human acti&ity than the left/ 7The more
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fle0ible style of the ri$ht hemis)here is e&idenced not just in its own )references% but also at
the 7meta7 le&el% in the fact that it can also use the left hemis)here7s )referred style% where as the
left hemis)here cannot use the ri$ht hemis)here7s/ .or e0am)le% althou$h the left hemis)here
$ains more benefit from a sin$le stron$ association than se&eral wea,er associations% only the
ri$ht hemis)here can use either equally7/99This is an introduction to the ar$ument which )laces
the world of the ri$ht hemis)here in the role of the 7master7 and the world of the left in the role
of the 7emissary7/
(ossibility and the role of the ri$ht and left hemis)here are also reflected in how our memory
wor,s/ A common e0)erience seems to be that when tryin$ to recall a name or thin, of a word
it can feel as if it is on the ti) of ones ton$ue/ The harder one tries to remember it the more
difficult it is to recall the word/ Mc:ilchrist su$$ests that this is because the harder one tries to
remember the more the focus is narrowed and the left hemis)here is en$a$ed/ The left
hemis)here functions &ery well in the realm of the )redictable and that which is already ,nown/
5hen it is en$a$ed in tryin$ to recall that which is currently in the realm of the un,nown the
&ery 7tryin$ to remember7 is what inhibits the ability to recall/ ery often when we let $o or sto)
tryin$ to recall then the ri$ht hemis)here can start to function and seemin$ly from no-where
what we were tryin$ to remember a))ears in our consciousness/
+nte$ration &ersus di&ision
+t seems that on the neurolo$ical le&el it is a))arent that the left hemis)here is wired in such a
way that facilitates self referencin$ Ithat is it establishes an 7other7 in relation to its selfJ whereas
connecti&ity with the senses and the ability to construct a broad &iew is a function of the ri$ht
hemis)here/ 7+n $eneral the left hemis)here is more closely interconnected within itself and
within re$ions of itself% than the ri$ht hemis)here/ This is all )art of the close focus style% but is
also a reflection at the neural le&el of the essentiallyself-referringnature of the world of the left
hemis)here* it deals with what it already ,nows the world it has made for itself/ By contrast% as
+ ha&e mentioned% the ri$ht hemis)here has a $reater de$ree of myelination% facilitatin$ swift
transfer of information between the corte0 and centers below the corte0% and $reater
connecti&ity in $eneral///// 5e would e0)ect on first )rinci)les that ha&in$ widely different
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"
,inds of functions $rou)ed to$ether in the more diffusely or$ani3ed ri$ht hemis)here should
lead to a different quality of inte$ration from that characteristic of the more focally or$ani3ed
left hemis)here* there would be a $reater con&er$ence of dis)arate ty)es of information% and
one mi$ht )redict heteromodal inte$ration to an e0tent sur)assin$ that )ossible in a focally
or$ani3ed hemis)here/ +n )lain En$lish% this means brin$in$ to$ether in consciousness different
elements% includin$ information from the ears% eyes% and other sensory or$ans% from memory
and the other qualities of attention% so as to $enerate the richly com)le0% but coherent% world
that we e0)erience/ By contrast% the left hemis)here would be inadequate for the more ra)id
com)le0 syntheses achie&ed by the Qri$htR hemis)here7/9>
The result is that the ri$ht hemis)here is better equi))ed to see the bi$$er )icture and the
different relationshi)s $oin$ on/ Howe&er the left hemis)here7s em)hasis on focused attention
and self referencin$ means that it is unable to deal with the bi$$er )icture or com)le0
relationshi)s/
7This broader field of attention% o)en to what e&er may be% and cou)led with $reater inte$ration
o&er time and s)ace% is what ma,es )ossible the reco$nition of broad or com)le0 )atterns% the
)erce)tion of the 7thin$ as a whole7% seein$ the wood for the trees/ +n short the left hemis)here
ta,es a local short-term &iew% whereas the ri$ht hemis)here sees the bi$$er )icture7/9
The hierarchy of attention
So far we ha&e been loo,in$ at the differences between the hemis)heres and seen that the left
hemis)here e0cels in focused attention% self-referencin$ and the familiar where as the ri$ht
ta,es in the broader o&er&iew% ma,es distant connections and encounters the new/ So in a way
we ha&e just been $atherin$ information about the two worlds/ ow lets loo, at how the two
relate to each other/
A &ery fundamental question that a))ears in many different forms is addressed this time in the
conte0t of the two hemis)heres/ 5hich hemis)here is 7in char$eF% or )rimary and which is
subser&ient/ +n the conte0t of Mc:ilchrists wor, he refers to 7the master and his emissary/7 But
which is which< +s the lo$ical% rational world of the thin,in$ mind the master and the world of
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9!
the intuiti&e ri$ht hemis)here the emissary% or the other way around< ?f course there is always
a de$ree of mutual co-o)eration it has already been shown that each hemis)here is in&ol&ed in
e&ery moment of brin$in$ forth a reco$ni3ably human world/ But accordin$ to Mc:ilchrist
these two worlds are loc,ed in a ,ind of )ower stru$$le with each one &yin$ for su)remacy/ 7+t
seems that they Qthe two realities created by each hemis)hereR coe0ist to$ether on a daily basis%
but ha&e fundamentally different sets of &alues% and therefore )riorities% which means that o&er
the lon$ term they are li,ely to come into conflict/ Althou$h each is crucially im)ortant% and
deli&ers &aluable as)ects of the human condition% and thou$h each needs the other for different
)ur)oses% they seem destined to )ull a)art/79@
+f we loo, at which comes first in a tem)oral sense% which is )rimary% we can see that world of
the left hemis)here arises as a result of a )rocess of self-referencin$% whereas the world of the
ri$ht hemis)here is created throu$h the use of the senses and attendin$ to that which is new%
both in a linear sense and e0)erience wise/ The attention to the new therefore means that the
world of the ri$ht hemis)here is in fact )rimary in a tem)oral sense to the world of the left/ 7+f
what e&er is new to e0)erience is li,ely to be )resent in the ri$ht hemis)here% this su$$ests a
tem)oral hierarchy of attention% with our awareness of any object of e0)erience be$innin$ in
the ri$ht hemis)here% which $rounds e0)erience% before it $ets to be )rocessed in the left
hemis)here//// :lobal attention courtesy of the ri$ht hemis)here% comes first not just in time%
but ta,es )recedence in our sense of what it is we are attendin$ to it therefore $uides the left
hemis)here7s local attention% rather than the other way about7/9
Accordin$ to Mc:ilchrist in schi3o)hrenia and in schi3oty)y the ri$ht hemis)here7s ability to
see the whole becomes lost% the indi&idual tries to create the whole from the )arts and therefore
the normal hierarchy is re&ersed/ This can also occur in normal indi&iduals 7O/the normal
hierarchy can also be in&erted in certain circumstances in normal indi&iduals/ 5hen there is a
hi$h )robability that what we are loo,in$ for lies at the local le&el% our window of attention
narrows% in order to o)timi3e )erformance at this le&el% thus re&ersin$ the natural tendency to
fa&our the $lobal as)ect/ Essentially the left hemis)here7s narrow focused attention beam%
which it belie&es it 7turns7 towards whate&er it may be% has in reality already been sei3ed by it/
+t is thus the ri$ht hemis)here that has dominance for eploratoryattentional mo&ements% while
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ne$lect7 followin$ a ri$ht hemis)here stro,e% after which the indi&idual is com)letely de)endent
on the left hemis)here to brin$ his body and his world into bein$/ Because the concern of the
left hemis)here is with the ri$ht half of the world only% the left half of the body% and e&erythin$
lyin$ in the left )art of the &isual field% fails to materiali3e/ So e0treme can this )henomenon be
that the sufferer may fail to ac,nowled$e the e0istence of anyone standin$ to his left% the left
half of the face of a cloc,% or the left )a$e of a news)a)er or boo,% and will e&en for$et to
wash% sha&e or dress the left half of the body% sometimes $oin$ so far as to deny that it e0ists at
all7/>!
This 7denial of e0istence of the left half of the body7 brin$s u) a &ery interestin$ )oint/ +t shows
that it is )ossible for the left hemis)here to 7not see7 somethin$ which in reality ob&iously
e0ists% to not ,now that it isn7t seein$ it and then to deny its e0istence because it can7t see it/
This adds further wei$ht to the ar$ument that conce)ts cannot be used to understand meanin$
or wholeness/ E&en when the conce)tual mind thin,s that it understands wholeness% it is still
not seein$ the whole )icture/ .urthermore the )art that it is seein$ is in fact just that% a )art/ +t
can7t be said to be whole because that would be a counterfeit whole/ +t is only in the li&ed
e0)erience of the world of the ri$ht hemis)here that meanin$ or wholeness can be e0)erienced
or understood/
This form of hemi-ne$lect occurs in the case of a ri$ht hemis)here stro,e but interestin$ly
enou$h the same is not true the other way around/ 7O/you do not $et the mirror-ima$e of the
ne$lect )henomenon after a left hemis)here stro,e% because in that case the still functionin$
ri$ht hemis)here su))lies a whole body% and a whole world% to the sufferer/ And% because the
ri$ht hemis)here alone subser&es the e0tremities of the attentional field Iwhether left or ri$htJ%
where hemi-ne$lect results in loss of the left field% there is e0traordinarily enou$h% also loss of
the e0treme rightfield7/>1
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9>
Creation of the self-entity by the
.eedbac, loo) of focused attention and familiarity
Cases of Hemi-ne$lect ha&e shown u) other interestin$ traits which may )ro&ide further
insi$hts into the wor,in$s of the world created by the left hemis)here/ +t is sus)ected that this
ne$lect of what is a))earin$ on the ri$ht isn7t so much ne$lect as it is the fact that the
7O//attention QisR bein$ ca)tured by the ri$ht side of s)ace% and bein$ unable to let $o/ The left
hemis)here has difficulty disen$a$in$ and this seems to be )recisely because% instead of
familiarity causin$ it to disattend% it causes it to attend all the more/ (atients start off by bein$
attracted towards items on the ri$ht% but then become stuc, to them% because instead of causin$
inhibition Ine$ati&e feedbac,J% as would normally be the case% re)eated or familiar stimuli on
the ri$ht side cause facilitation I)ositi&e feedbac,J>/ This shows a tendency within the
wor,in$s of the left hemis)here% if it is not adequately balanced by the ri$ht% to become fi0ated
on an object and unable to see the bi$$er )icture/
This facilitation or )ositi&e feedbac, loo) which causes the left hemis)here to become stuc, to
an object in e0treme cases is also )resent in the normal human condition albeit in a more
in&isible way/ + did want to say in a subtle way but + thin, it is only subtle in terms of ourawareness of it and not subtle in terms of its affect u)on us/ +n terms of it7s affect on us + would
say that it is in&isible to our e&eryday mode of consciousness but is hu$ely )rominent in our
human realm of e0)erience/ +f we ta,e this )henomenon of a )ositi&e feedbac, loo) of fi0ation
on the already ,nown% the familiar% and combine it with another left hemis)here acti&ity% that of
self referencin$% we see somethin$ &ery interestin$/ The sense of 7self7% created in e&ery moment
of conce)tual awareness by the constant self referencin$% is a sense of oursel&es which becomes
&ery familiar/ So althou$h our daily e0)erience will always chan$e and we will meet new
objects and situations% the sense of oursel&es which is created in relation to these objects and
situations will remain familiar and is a facet of the left hemis)here7s illusion of dominance/ This
fi0ed sense of oursel&es is one of the most interestin$ areas to in&esti$ate as it is the &ery often
unquestioned foundation u)on which our relationshi) to the natural world and other humans is
based/ + will $o into this in more detail later when we loo, at the 7self-entity7/
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9
The 2i$ht 6eft 2i$ht Hemis)heric 2elationshi)
So far we ha&e loo,ed at the characteristics of each of the hemis)heres and seen what we can
learn from dysfunction within the brain but what is the role of the world of the left hemis)here
in relation to the ri$ht< Mc:ilchrist su$$ests that e0)erience be$ins with the wholeworld of the
ri$ht hemis)here/ The left is a &ital tool which )ro&ides focused attention% distinction and a
sense of oursel&es% and this feeds bac, into the wholeworld of the ri$ht/ 7+t is )robably rele&ant
that the ri$ht hemis)here controls conju$ate eye mo&ements% that is that it ma,es the two eyes
mo&e to$ether% leadin$ to the interestin$ thou$ht that it may be the ri$ht hemis)here that also
,ee)s the hemis)heres to$ether% in the interests of a whole world of e0)erience% rather than
allowin$ the left hemis)here willfully $o its own way/ +n summery% the hierarchy of attention%for a number of reasons% im)lies a $roundin$ role and an ultimately inte$ratin$ role for the
ri$ht hemis)here% with whate&er the left hemis)here does at the detailed le&el needin$ to be
founded on% and then returned to% the )icture $enerated by the ri$ht/ This is an instance of the
ri$ht left ri$ht )ro$ression which////lies at the &ery foundation of e0)erience* attention%
where the world actually comes into bein$7/>9
4ust as the whole is )resent within each of the )arts this )attern of ri$ht left ri$ht is also
reflected in other areas/ Here it refers to the comin$ into bein$ of consciousness and the role of
the worlds created by each hemis)here/ 5e can also see a similar )attern in the course of
e&olution which ?wen Barfield refers to in his boo, 7Sa&in$ the A))earances7 and 4ules
Cashford then uses when she tal,s about the myth of the $oddess and the di&ine feminine/
Barfield notes three sta$es com)risin$ of ori$inal )artici)ation% withdrawal from )artici)ation
and final )artici)ation/ Cashford then uses these sta$es to illustrate the )resence of the :oddess
:aia in the human )syche/ The first sta$e of 7ori$inal )artici)ation7 is used to refer to the )hase
of an imminent connection with nature this is ,nown as the :oddess )hase/ 75hat this means is
that nature and humanity did not stand in o))osition and did not% therefore% ha&e to be
a))rehended by different modes of co$nition/7 >>e0t comes the )hase of withdrawal from
)artici)ation when the di&ine became a transcendent masculine :od/ o lon$er was the di&ine
imminent in life and inherent in nature/ The di&ide was 7u) there7/ Man,ind had fallen from
$race/ This was the )hase which has allowed the abstraction of the left hemis)here to e&ol&e to
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9@
its )oint of dominance/ +t was the 7O//dissolution of the human bond with nature* settin$ the
outer and inner world free from each other% so that each could be e0)lored se)arately/ This
)olari3es humanity and nature* ature becomes an 7other7% an object without soul or s)irit% an 7it7
as 7it7 has been for the last three thousand years/ Barfield calls now for a )hase which he calls
7final )artici)ation7% in which the old )artici)ation is made )ossible in a new way* throu$h the
ima$ination/7 >This could be li,ened to the sacred marria$e of the :oddess and the :od% the
conscious union of the left and ri$ht hemis)here/ + will tal, more about this mythical union
later on/
Summary
5e started off this section with Mc:ilchrists thesis that there are two o))osed realities we
inhabit and that their difference is rooted in the bi-hemis)heric structure of the brain/ He )uts
forward that these two o))osed realities are in a constant )ower stru$$le with each other and
this stru$$le e0)lains many as)ects of our contem)orary western culture/ 5e saw that when
in&esti$atin$ these two worlds% loo,in$ at the structure of the brain can )ro&ide &aluable
insi$hts into the nature of each/ As Mc:ilchrist )oints out we can only in&esti$ate the mind
from within and we can only in&esti$ate the brain from without/ 6oo,in$ at these two worlds
from each )ers)ecti&e will hel) to $i&e us a more holistic o&er all &iew/ The brain structure
$i&es us somethin$ tan$ible and objecti&e to wor, with which com)liments the
)henomenolo$ical first hand e0)erience of loo,in$ at the mind from within/ This way of
wor,in$ is the basis of holistic science% the use of both quantitati&e and qualitati&e methods/
The quantitati&e e&idence )ro&ided by neuro)hysiolo$y about the brain structure and the
qualitati&e e&idence of first hand e0)erience to$ether )ro&ides a holistic research a))roach to
the two ways of ,nowin$/
5e ha&e seen that the bi-hemis)heric structure of the brain is not an accident% the structure has
e&ol&ed for a )ur)ose and the worlds created by each hemis)here are both essential in brin$in$
forth a reco$ni3ably human e0)erience/ Ha&in$ said this it is )ossible for each of the
hemis)heres to su))ort a human consciousness and research with sufferers of brain dama$e has
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led to &aluable insi$hts into the characteristics of and roles )layed by each hemis)here/ The
cor)us collosum connectin$ the two hemis)heres doesn7t just facilitate communication it also
)lays a lar$e role in actually inhibitin$ communication between the hemis)heres/ This may
form )art of the mechanism which allows the two different realities to e0ist side by side and
may also e0)lain why one can7t ,now the other e0ce)t within the conte0t of its own world/ 5e
also saw that without the bi-hemis)heric structure of the brain% conscious consciousness may
not be )ossible at all/
+n con&entional neuro)sycholo$y the two hemis)heres each $i&e rise to a different quality of
attention/ These are called the selecti&e a0is of attention and the intensity a0is of attention/ The
intensity a0is of attention arises as a function of the ri$ht hemis)here and com)rises of
&i$ilance% sustained attention and alertness/ The selecti&ity a0is of attention arises as a function
of the left hemis)here and com)rises of focused and di&ided attention Ialthou$h di&ided
attention is a function of both hemis)heresJ/ This $i&es us an insi$ht into the qualities of the
two realities/
As we loo,ed at the e&idence that had been $athered it became increasin$ly a))arent that the
world of the ri$ht hemis)here was o)en to recei&e the new% where as the left could only deal
with that which was already ,nown/ The ri$ht would see the world of )ossibilities where as the
left was at home wor,in$ with )redictability/ The left is wired in such a way that lends itself to
self-referencin$ where as the ri$ht hemis)here has a $reater connecti&ity with the senses%
memory and the broader &iew/ Therefore the ri$ht hemis)here will be able to see the bi$$er
)icture whereas the left will ha&e a more limited short term &iew/ Because of its connecti&ity
with the senses and memory% and its ability to see the bi$$er )icture the ri$ht hemis)here is
)rimary in terms of our e0)erience of the world where as the left hemis)here )ro&ides the self
referencin$ commentary and analysis of what the ri$ht has already brou$ht into our ,nowin$/
There is a )ositi&e feedbac, loo) within the world of the left hemis)here between focusin$ in
and familiarity/ The more familiar somethin$ is the $reater the tendency for the left hemis)here
to focus in on it and the more that it focuses on it the more familiar it becomes/ +n a normal
mind the $reatest effect of this feedbac, loo) is )robably when it is combined with self
referencin$ Ianother feature of the left hemis)hereJ/ A sense of oursel&es Ia subjectJ is created
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simultaneously in relation to what is ,nown Ian objectJ/ 5hile what is ,nown will constantly
chan$e the main constant a))ears to be the sense of oursel&es created in relationshi) to it/
The interestin$ thin$ is that in order for the left hemis)here to become dominant when in reality
it is in fact subser&ient to the immanent world of the ri$ht hemis)here it needs to create a sense
of 7a self7/ +n order to do this it simultaneously needs to create an objecti&e world which this self
e0ists in relationshi) to/ Therefore the )resence of the ri$ht hemis)here which quite literally
brin$s forth our world can be easily for$otten because accordin$ to our left hemis)here the
world that we ,now has now become an objecti&e reality that e0ists inde)endently of our
,nowin$ of it/ All we need is our Ileft hemis)hereJselfin order to ,now this realIleft
hemis)hereJ world/
The im)lications of this are &ast/ The familiarity of the sense of oursel&es $oes hand in hand
with the objectifyin$ of the world/ The stron$er the sense we ha&e of oursel&es as autonomous
indi&iduals the more objectified the world becomes/ The culmination of which is the objecti&ity
which )er&ades the western culture/ +f the objectifyin$ of the world were to die then the sense
of oursel&es would die alon$ with it/ So our cultural return to a world of meanin$% imminent
)resence and seein$ all forms of life as intrinsically &aluable just because of there e0istence
also% by its &ery nature% requires the seein$ of the illusory nature of the 7self-entity7 within each
of us/ IThis will be co&ered in more detail later/J
So where does this lea&e the master and his emissary< The relationshi) that e0ists between the
ri$ht and left hemis)heres in reality is that the ri$ht hemis)here brin$s forth the wholeness of
e0)erience which e0ists before the subject#object di&ide/ The 6eft hemis)here throu$h self-
referencin$ creates an objecti&e world and an autonomous indi&idual to ,now it/ This objecti&e
,nowin$ of it be it in the form of conce)tuali3in$% analy3in$ and usin$ lan$ua$e is then fed
bac, into the whole to )ro&ide a richer ,nowin$ of the whole/ The function of the world of the
left hemis)here is that it is intended to be a discriminatin$ tool of focused awareness/ +t is a tool
which di&ides e0)erience into that of the subject and object so that what it disco&ers throu$h
this way of ,nowin$ is then fed bac, into the 7whole7 world of the ri$ht hemis)here/
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Chapter three
Creation of the subject/object divide the birth of primordial !uestion"
5e ha&e seen in the )re&ious cha)ter that the two worlds which coo)erate to$ether to brin$
forth our ,nowin$ of the world% com)ete with each other for dominance in terms of our
awareness and therefore influence our way of bein$ in the world accordin$ly/ These two worlds
are made )ossible because of the bi-hemis)heric structure of the brain and to$ether they form
our normal human e0)erience/ The ri$ht hemis)here world forms the bi$$er )icture and the
world of the left hemis)here ta,es the bi$ )icture and creates a sense of self that can
analytically &iew the world and feed its findin$s bac, into the whole to enrich our ,nowin$ of
it/ 5e can see that the dysfunction which has been created by the dominance of objecti&ity and
the rational mind within the western culture has been caused by the lac, of $eneral
understandin$ about this )rocess and how our minds wor,/ Because of this lac, of
understandin$ it has been )ossible for the world of objecti&ity and abstraction to claim its
su)eriority o&er the world of imminent )resence which is imbued with meanin$% and to quite
literally ensla&e our minds/ 5e ha&e become a sla&e to the 7self-entity7 or the 7sense of
oursel&es7/ Many would disa$ree with this and may feel threatened or sim)ly not understand/ +t
is interestin$ here to note whoit is that doesn7t a$ree or feels threatened/ +f we loo, carefullywe will find that it is the self-entity% of course/ This cha)ter howe&er is not $oin$ to dwell on
the dysfunctional as)ect of the human mind it is $oin$ to loo, at the radiant as)ect of
consciousness and del&e dee) into the mystery of the human e0)erience throu$h the lens of the
di&ine moment of the subject#object di&ide and the birth of )rimordial question/
Throu$h loo,in$ at the creation and non-creation of the subject-object di&ide in relation to
questionin$ + ho)e to further dee)en the understandin$ of the two ways of ,nowin$ the world
and how they are used in the )rocess of questionin$/ 5e ha&e seen that the 7sense of oursel&es7
as inde)endent autonomous indi&iduals is inherently lin,ed to the objectifyin$ of the world the
two co-e0ist as )artners in the same way of ,nowin$/ This &iew that the world is real and that it
e0ists inde)endently of our ,nowin$ of it is so in$rained in our )syche that it is rarely
questioned/ 5hen it is questioned howe&er% it is often done so in the realm of conce)ts which
arise as a result of the )rocess of the creation of the 7real world7 and the 7autonomous
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indi&idualF% which is what is bein$ questioned/ So conce)ts and discussion arise as a result of
the &ery )rocess that we wish to in&esti$ate our ,nowin$ of the world )rior to the
subject#object di&ide and the comin$ into bein$ of the ,nower and the ,nown/
+ want to start with commonsense because that is a sensible )lace to start/ Commonsense is
&ery often used as a term to describe somethin$ that all reasonable )eo)le would a$ree with/
Commonsense quite literally means somethin$ that can be sensed by e&eryone/ Commonsense
tells us that the world is as real and tan$ible as we are% and we can all a$ree that this is true
because we all e0)erience it as bein$ so/ .rom the )oint of &iew of the subject#object way of
,nowin$ this is true% howe&er this isn7t the whole story/ 5hen we e0)erience the world without
the subject#object di&ide the whole ,nown uni&erse is arisin$ in our ,nowin$ and doesn7t e0ist
inde)endently of our ,nowin$ of it/ This may seem li,e a mind bendin$ incom)rehensible
mouthful/ This is because it can7t be ,nown in the realm of conce)ts/ 5hat we call our 7rational7
mind just doesn7t $et it because it can7t% it is not )ossible/ This doesn7t mean howe&er that one
$i&es u) and says that this way of ,nowin$ is un,nowable/
5e don7t need to $i&e u) just because our conce)tual mind stru$$les to understand/ +n fact it is
throu$h this stru$$le% if underta,en s,illfully with the ri$ht su))ort% that dee) learnin$ and
transformation occurs% and our e0)erience of what it means to be a human bein$ can be $reatly
enriched/ This enrichment of understandin$ will naturally lead to wholesome qualities such as
em)athy and com)assion for others/
+n order to counter this commonsense &iew of a 7real world7 and a 7real self7 that is ,nowin$ the
world% and to introduce another ta,e on the world that e0ists before the subject#object di&ide% +
would li,e to draw on Henri Boftofts wor, in 7The 5holeness of ature7 and tal, about the
7or$ani3in$ idea in co$niti&e )erce)tion7/ The or$ani3in$ idea in co$niti&e )erce)tion refers to
the )rocess which leads to us ha&in$ the e0)erience of ,nowin$/ ?r$ani3in$ here refers to the
)rimary act of distin$uishin$ as o))osed to the or$ani3in$ of that which is distin$uished/ This
is rele&ant to the subject of 7dee) questionin$7 and therefore holistic learnin$ because it is
loo,in$ at the )rocess by which a question comes into bein$/
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There are two main difficulties that we encounter when tal,in$ about the or$ani3in$ idea in
co$niti&e )erce)tion/ The first is that the )rocess that leads to our ,nowin$ ha))ens so quic,ly
that we are not aware of it/ 5e are only aware of the result of the )rocess unless the normally
smooth runnin$ of thin$s brea,s down/ This we ha&e seen in the )re&ious cha)ter when
sufferers of brain dama$e yielded &aluable insi$hts into the wor,in$s of the mind/ The normal
smooth runnin$ of the )rocess had bro,en down and this means that the )rocess could be
in&esti$ated instead of the result of the )rocess/ 7O/the )rocess of ,nowin$ the world ha))ens
&ery quic,ly% so that it is o&er before we can catch it/ This )roblem can be o&ercome to some
de$ree by ha&in$ recourse to situations where the normally smooth-runnin$ )rocess brea,s
down% so that the )rocess of ,nowin$ is re&ealed instead of just the result of the )rocess7/>The
second difficulty is that we arise as a result of the )rocess of ,nowin$ so if we try to loo, into
this )rocess we are already too late because our &ery conce)tuali3ation of it is the end result of
it/ Howe&er conce)tuali3ation is our startin$ )oint but we need to ,now that our thin,in$ about
it% howe&er wonderful our thou$hts are% is not it/ 7O/we our sel&es are )art of the )rocess of
co$nition/ 5e are )artici)ants% and not onloo,ers outside of the )rocess/ But also the waythat
we are )artici)ants in the )rocess of co$nition is not quite how we ima$ine it to be/ 5e are
)artici)ants in a dynamic and $enetic way% not in a static and finished way/ The inner dynamic
of the )rocess of co$nition is also an inner dynamic in the )rocess of the self/ 5hat this means
is that the ;self-entity= itself emer$esfromthe )rocess of co$nition and is not there as such
beforehand7/>
+n the )re&ious cha)ter we referred to the )rocess by which the worlds of the ri$ht and left
hemis)heres relate to each other/ 5e saw that the ri$ht is )rimary in terms of ,nowin$ the
whole% the bi$ )icture/ The world of the left hemis)here then di&ides the whole into
subject#object or ,nower#,nown/ The e0)erience and ,nowled$e $ained from this is then fed
bac, into the whole to )roduce a new enriched ,nowin$ of the whole/ So we had the ri$ht left
ri$ht )attern/ 5hat we are loo,in$ at now is the )rocess by which the whole is di&ided into
)arts/ +n our commonsense &iew of the world we e0ist )rior to the ,nowin$ of the world
howe&er loo,in$ more dee)ly into these )rocesses shows this not the case/ 7To our e&eryday
consciousness it seems e&ident that we are a self-entity which is )resent before co$nition Ito
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as 7O/the )rimal or archety)al )lant% whose &ariations are what we see as all the many different
)lants/7!This archety)al )lant was disco&ered by :oethe while he was in the holistic mode of
consciousness/ +t doesn7t e0ist inde)endently from its manifestation in the different forms of
)lants/ +t is not a )rimal )lant from which all other )lants ha&e e&ol&ed that can be disco&ered
by identifyin$ what all )lants ha&e in common/ Bortoft refers to this as tryin$ to find 7unity in
multi)licity7 or 7reducingmulti)licity to unity7 and is the way that the analytical mind
a))roaches the 'r)flan3e/ +nstead 7O/he was able to see into the indi&idual )lant to )ercei&e it
holistically% so now he saw into all of the )lants holistically/ He saw into the comin$-into-bein$
of the )lants so dee)ly that he saw all the )lants as one )lant/ 5hat he saw could be described
as ;the )ossibility of )lant/=7 1Bortoft refers to this as 7multi)licity in unity/7 7This has to be
understood intensi&ely% not e0tensi&ely% so as to a&oid im)lyin$ the contradiction that unity is
di&ided/ 5hat this means is that% whereas e0tensi&ely there are many )lants% intensi&ely there is
only one )lant because each )lant is the &ery same one K yet without bein$ identical in the
e0tensi&e sense% i/e/% li,e a number of co)ies/7
The reason that this is rele&ant in the conte0t of questionin$ is that the )rimal or archety)al
question can be considered in a similar way/ 'sin$ the holistic mind to &iew it it is )ossible to
see that in three different conte0ts there is an archety)al or )rimal question of which all
questions are manifestations/ + thin, that the term 7quest7 refers more accurately to the )rimal
question in this sense because it has an acti&e quality as o))osed to a static finished form/ The
comin$ into bein$ of this quest is not just a result of the subject#object di&ide K it is the
subject#object di&ide/ The moment of creation of the ,nower#,nown is the birth of the quest/
This can be seen in three different conte0ts/ .irstly in the course of a lifetime with the
de&elo)ment of a human consciousness in an indi&idual% secondly in an e&olutionary sense with
the e&olution of subjecti&e awareness and thirdly in e&ery instance of e0istence as a dynamic
)rocess which maintains our &ery ,nowin$ of oursel&es/
Before + carry on loo,in$ at the comin$ into bein$ of the ,nower and that which is ,nown +
would li,e to draw on the $reat fictional wor, of Dou$las Adams in 7Hitchhi,ers :uide to the
:ala0y7/ +n the story there is a scene where the mouse characters return to a su)er com)uter that
they constructed thousands of years before/ The )ur)ose of the com)uter was to answer the
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Con&entional questionin$% has its routes in the use of lan$ua$e which in turn mutually co-arises
with the creation of the di&ide into the ,nower and that which is ,nown/ Con&entional
questions e0ist in the realm of words or numbers/ These are symbols which ori$inally
re)resented somethin$ real/ 5ith the rise of abstraction they no lon$er ha&e to/ .or e0am)le in
mathematics one could say that ABUC/ The symbols in this equation no lon$er re)resent a real
)henomenon li,e the words hot water tea lea&es U a drin,/ ?ne of the features of
con&entional or analytical questionin$ is that questions ha&e answers/ The question ta,es the
form of a conce)t and the answer also ta,es the form of a conce)t/ As we saw with learnin$ to
,itesurf% embodied questionin$ is non-conce)tual/ The question is non-conce)tual and the
answer is also non-conce)tual/ +n fact as far as embodied learnin$ $oes the question isn7t a
question and the answer isn7t an answer/ This is because neither is a fi0ed be$innin$ or end/
Embodied questionin$ is enterin$ into a )rocess and the )rocess is also the answer/
The )roblem with usin$ conce)ts is also )resent in cuttin$ ed$e science/ Accordin$ to Bortoft
our current lan$ua$e structure becomes inadequate to describe the disco&eries bein$ made in
modern )hysics/ 7A basic structure of modern lan$ua$es is their subject-)redicate $rammar%
which has the effect of di&idin$ e0)erience into se)arate elements which are then treated as if
they e0isted inde)endently of each other/ .or e0am)le% ;+ see the tree= seems to entail the
e0ternal union of a disjoint set of elements com)risin$ subject% object% and the act of seein$
which lin,s them to$ether/ But the e0)erience indicated by this sentence can only artificially be
considered to be )ut to$ether li,e this% because in the case of co$niti&e )erce)tion there is no
seein$ without somebody there to see and somethin$ to be seen////// the $rammatical structure
of lan$ua$e articulates the world analytically/ +t discloses the analytical world/ But we belie&e
this to be ;the way the world is%= inde)endent of lan$ua$e% because lan$ua$e itself is
trans)arent in the act of disclosin$ this world/ +t is this analytical structure of lan$ua$e which
has made it inadequate for describin$ the domains which ha&e been disco&ered in modern
)hysics7/9
5e can see that there are more cases where our analytical% subject#object mode of questionin$
)ro&es to be inadequate/ +t functions &ery well in it own terms but because of its di&ided nature
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7quests7 are also di&ided into a question and an answer/ This way of questionin$ is )resent in the
realm of lan$ua$e from the curious child who )ic,s u) an object and as,s ;what is this
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named Hallin$s,ar&et in south-central orway/ He wrote many wor,s on )hiloso)hy and he
coined the term 7dee) ecolo$y7/ Dee) ecolo$y $rew from aess7s dee) e0)eriences of s)endin$
much time u) the mountain immersed in the natural elements of wind% snow and sunshine/
aess 7 O/first saw the mountain Hallin$s,ar&et in south-central orway when he was se&en
years old/ E&en at such a youn$ a$e he sensed that the mountain was a li&in$ bein$ that
emanated bene&olence% ma$nificence and $enerosity/ So $reat were these feelin$s that aess
&owed to li&e on his mountain as soon as he was old enou$h% for as lon$ as he could/ He held
onto his dream% and in his late twenties he built himself a cabin hi$h u) on the mountain% at the
)lace called T&er$astein K the )lace of crossed stones/ Durin$ his lon$ )eriods of li&in$ close to
his belo&ed mountain% aess $radually be$an to as, himself how the astonishin$% and
sometimes o&er)owerin$ li&in$ qualities in the roc, wind and ice which encircled his eyrie
hi$h u) in the tree line could hel) him to disco&er the right way to live.aess7s answer which
he calls 7dee) ecolo$y7% aims to hel) indi&iduals to e0)lore the ethical im)lications of their
sense of )rofound connection to nature% and to $round these ethical insi$hts in )ractical action
in the ser&ice of $enuine ecolo$ical sustainability/7
+n his boo, 7Animate Earth7 Ste)han Hardin$ outlines three as)ects of dee) ecolo$y which ha&e
an interconnected cyclical nature/ The first is dee) e0)erience% which leads to the second% dee)
questionin$% from which arises the third% a dee) sense of commitment and from the dee) sense
of commitment further dee) e0)eriences can arise/ Dee) e0)erience in this conte0t refers to a
dee) connection with the natural world as a dynamic )artici)ant not as an objecti&e obser&er/
This way of e0)eriencin$ is not )ossible in the analytical mind with its subject#object di&ide
and neither is it )ossible in the realm of the 7official7 disci)line of science in which the whole
)ur)ose is to be an im)artial objecti&e obser&er/ This dee) way of e0)eriencin$ is firmly rooted
in the world of the non-creation of the subject#object di&ide/ +t is &ery im)ortant to understand
it as such otherwise the ne0t two sta$es ha&e no firm foundation and will remain at the le&el of
conce)ts and lac,in$ the needed de)th/ +n the conte0t of the interconnected cycle that Hardin$
)ortrays% dee) questionin$ refers to the use of the rational mind to question the im)lications of
how one is li&in$ in li$ht of the dee) e0)eriences/ 7Dee) e0)erience is easily in&o,ed% but its
ethical im)lications are more difficult to assimilate/ This assimilation ha))ens when one
en$a$es in deep$uestioningof both oneself and society/ +n questionin$ oneself% one as,s
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whether one is li&in$ in a way which is consistent with the $eneral fla&our of one7s dee)
e0)erience by usin$ the rational mind to tease out the web of connections between assum)tions
and actions at all le&els of one7s life in order to articulate an ethical stand)oint% which% althou$h
)ro&isional and always under re&ision% can hel) to $uide our lifestyle choices/7 @
Hardin$ )uts this ,ind of dee) questionin$ in contrast with the &iew of the reformists which is
to ta,e a more su)erficial loo, normally at sin$le issues in isolation and to then ma,e
adjustments such as 7$reenin$ business7 or increasin$ efficiency and minimi3in$ waste/ But the
whole em)hasis is on ,ee)in$ on $oin$ with business as usual/
Dee) analytical questionin$ followin$ dee) e0)erience can lead to )arado0 and confusion
because as we ha&e seen it is not )ossible for the analytical way of ,nowin$ to ,now the
holistic mode of consciousness/ So the question is% is it e&en )ossible to li&e the im)lications of
dee) e0)erience in the world of the ,nower and ,nown< The )arado0 e0ists because the two
different worlds that are the foundation of our human e0)erience cannot ,now each other
e0ce)t in their own terms/ Dee) e0)erience occurs in the realm of wholeness% the world of the
non-creation of the subject object di&ide which is )rimary in terms of the human e0)erience/
The difficulty occurs when mo&in$ from this realm of immanent e0)erience and meanin$ into
the realm of the ,nower#,nown analytical way of &iewin$ the world/ (erha)s the difficulty
occurs if the )rocess is &iewed with the analytical mind/ This can lead to the )rocess and role of
the two worlds bein$ used in re&erse from the way that they wor, in reality/ The intuiti&e world
is treated as secondary to the analytical world of the ,nower#,nown/ The di&ided analytical
mind is treated as if it were )rimary/ The world of wholeness% of intuiti&e e0)erience% is di))ed
into in the form of deepeperienceand then there is an attem)t to assimilate the dee)
e0)erience into the 7real7 world of the analytical mind/
5hen the ri$ht left ri$ht relationshi) is made e0)licit in the )rocess then it becomes clear
that dee) e0)erience occurs in the holistic mode of consciousness/ Dee) e0)erience therefore
means enterin$ into the )rocess of questionin$ in the holistic non-&erbal mode of
consciousness/ +n this mode questions are not as,ed usin$ words and answers don7t come in the
form of conce)ts/ +t is the )rocess of dynamic )artici)ation with ,nowin$/ Therefore a
com)lementary form of dee) questionin$ can ta,e )lace in the analytical mode of
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:oethe7s way of science
4ohann 5olf$an$ &on :oethe de&elo)ed a way of questionin$ dee)ly usin$ the holistic mode of
consciousness from which has arisen a useful methodolo$y for $ainin$ intuiti&e insi$hts into
natural )henomena and human co$nition/ ?nce a$ain we can use :oethe7s scientific
methodolo$y as another lens with which to &iew the two different modes of e0)erience and
how they relate to each other/
:oethe7s way of science be$ins with direct )erce)tion of the )henomenon/ This is not the ,ind
of obser&ation of the )henomenon which is the foundation of con&entional science/ That would
be too )assi&e/ +t is not a feature of the analytical mode of consciousness where the
autonomous indi&idual just needs to direct their $a3e towards the object of obser&ation which
e0ists 7out there7 in the real world/ +nstead :oethe7s way of seein$ ta,es )lace in the holistic
mode of consciousness you are not inde)endent from what you are obser&in$/ Gou are a
dynamic )artici)ant in the act of seein$/ The way into this mode of seein$ is to )ut attention
into the act ofseeinginstead of )uttin$ attention onto what is seen/ 7?bser&in$ the )henomenon
in :oethe7s way requires us to loo%% as if the direction of seein$ were re&ersed% $oin$ from
oursel&es towards the )henomenon instead of &ice &ersa/ This is done by )uttin$ attentioninto
seein$ so that we really doseewhat we are seein$ instead of just ha&in$ a &isual im)ression/7
This way of seein$ means it is )ossible to e0)erience the qualities of the )henomenon/
The second sta$e in :oetheFs methodolo$y is referred to as e0act sensorial ima$ination/ This
sta$e in&ol&es a similar quality of attention as the first but this time the aim is to re)eat the
obser&ations in the realm of the ima$ination as accurately as )ossible/ The aim isn7t to 7thin,
about7 the )henomenon Iwhich would be a function of the analytical mode of consciousnessJ/
The aim of this is to 7thin%the )henomenon7 in the form of a &isuali3ation therefore brin$in$ a
)erce)ti&e sensory quality to the acti&ity of thin,in$/ 7The aim is to thin, the )henomenon
concretely in ima$ination% and not to thin, about it% tryin$ not to lea&e anythin$ out or to add
anythin$ that cannot be obser&ed/ :oethe referred to this disci)line as ;recreatin$ in the wa,e
of e&er-creatin$ nature/=7 'nderta,in$ this )rocess of enterin$ into relationshi) with the
)henomenon ma,es it )ossible to $ain intuiti&e insi$hts into qualities and relational as)ects
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which would be im)ossible to see in the analytical mode of consciousness/
:oethe ne&er laid out his e0act scientific methodolo$y but throu$h studyin$ his writin$s and
throu$h the e0)erience of )racticin$ :oethean science it has been )ossible to identify a
methodolo$y for his )henomenolo$ical way of science/ +n his boo, 7atures Due7 Brian
:oodwin lays out the :oethean )rocess in the form of ei$ht sta$es which he )oints out are not
intended to be a ri$id structure but merely a $uide to aid the )rocess of in&esti$ation/ + will
summari3e each of these sta$es as + thin, this methodolo$y can )ro&ide &aluable insi$hts into
how the relationshi) between the holistic and analytical mode of consciousness can be used in a
)ractical way/ +t also a $ood e0am)le of a functional relationshi) between the two modes of
consciousness with the analytical mode actin$ is ser&ice of the holistic mode/ As + $o throu$h
the sta$es + will tal, in terms of the four 4un$ian functions in order to )ro&ide further definition
to the )rocess/ + will also be referrin$ to Bortoft7s wor, and Barfield7s sta$es of ori$inal
)artici)ation% withdrawal