ON THE NATURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS: THE NARRATIVE, A WORKING MODEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS, THE COGNIZABLE, THE KNOWN

I believe that I have worked out a theory of mind and self that describes how our minds constructs existence, reality and consciousness in a way that creates the stage and venue of the “reality” that we experience and that underpins all human social and psychological structures. I believe that understanding the true nature of reality can lead to greater self-determination and control over one's life.Simply put, the theory posits that because nothing can exist, i.e., lived, experienced, without a story about it--whether the narration describes the self, universe, reality, emotions, culture, society, etc.,--all aspects of existence, mind and our psychological and social structures are analogues/stories constructed and retained in the mind as references which serve as venue, map and context as we move through our daily life and experience as the drama of existence, consciousness, self-consciousness and culture that constitute life and the meaning of life. Try imagining anything that you perceive or experience without "telling" a story about it. I cannot. My conclusion is that nothing can exist without a story describing it, ergo, existence, reality, consciousness, self-consciousness, culture are just our shared stories about everything. A story gives form and sustenance to things culled in the physical and mental landscape, including the self and others. Human existence and mind at its core are just shared stories.In this book, I postulate a paradigm which I call the “Narrative,” that describes the process of building and sharing constructs of reality, consciousness, self, others and culture that are generated in interactions between body and mind (the corporeal and ethereal) that we experience as existence, consciousness, reality, self, others and culture. These structures make individual and social action and interaction possible. Without these structures, survival and group action is not possible.I hope that you enjoy my book and perhaps give me your assessment. This is a novel and unfolding theory of mind even for me—a work in progress. Read more