From Science to God:
The Mystery of Consciousness

Based on the book by Peter Russell

At the heart of the thousands of spiritual and self-development books published each year is the subject of human consciousness. Meditation, healing, subtle energies, alternative therapies, yoga, psychic abilities, astrology, and the many other areas of interest that fall under the category of 'new age' all assume we are capable of enhancing the quality of our conscious experience.

But what is consciousness?  And where does it come from? As far as Western science is concerned, consciousness is a great enigma. That we are conscious beings is the most obvious fact of our existence. Yet there is nothing more difficult to explain. Why should the complex processing of information in the brain result in a corresponding experience? There is nothing in physics, chemistry, biology, or any other science that predicts any of us should have an interior world. Paradoxically, scientists would be much happier if there were no such thing as consciousness; yet without consciousness there would be no science.

Today, largely as a result of a growing understanding of the human brain, a number of psychologists and philosophers are investigating the mystery of consciousness. The last few years have seen a variety of conferences devoted to the science of consciousness, while new academic journals, such as The Journal of Consciousness Studies, and various Internet sites have deepened the inquiry.

Some believe that a deeper understanding of brain chemistry will explain how consciousness arises. Others look to quantum physics. Some explore cybernetics; others find sources of hope in chaos theory. Yet whatever idea is put forward, one thorny question remains unanswered: How can something as immaterial as consciousness ever arise from something as unconscious as matter?

In From Science to God, I propose that we are in a similar situation to the medieval astronomers who tried in vain to explain the irregular motion of the planets with a complex system of circles rolling around circles. Copernicus realized that if the Earth were not the center of the universe, but a planet orbiting the sun, then the wondering motion of the planets could be easily explained. But the church did not take kindly to his ideas. Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake in Rome for supporting the Copernican model (and for referring to God as 'she'), while Gallileo was put under house arrest for the remainder of his life.

In present times we may be approaching a similar paradigm shift with regard to consciousness. Most scientists assume that consciousness emerges in some way or other from brain activity. But if this approach is getting us nowhere, perhaps we should consider an alternative worldview – one found in many metaphysical and spiritual traditions. Here, consciousness is held to be an essential quality of the cosmos, as fundamental as space, time and matter.

Interestingly, expanding our worldview to include consciousness as a fundamental quality does not actually threaten any of the conclusions of modern science. Mathematics remains the same, as do physics, biology, chemistry, and all our other discoveries about the material world. What changes is our understanding of ourselves. If consciousness is indeed fundamental, then the teachings of the great sages and mystics begin to make new sense.

Those who have penetrated to the core of their minds have frequently discovered a profound connection with the ground of all being. The sense of being an individual self – that feeling of I-ness that we all know so well but find so hard to define – turns out to be not so unique after all. They repeatedly claim that the light of consciousness shining in me as my self, is the same light that shines in you and in every other sentient being.

Some have expressed this realization in the statement 'I am God.' To modern science, such statements are nothing more than self-delusion. Physicists have looked out into deep space to the edges of the universe, back into 'deep time' to the beginning of creation, and down into 'deep structure' to the fundamental constituents of matter. In each case they find no evidence for God; nor any need for God. The Universe seems to work perfectly well without any divine assistance.

But when mystics speak of the divine, they are not speaking of some supernatural being who rules the workings of the universe; they are talking of the world within. If we want to find God, we need to look into the realm of 'deep mind' – a realm that science has yet to explore. But when it does, it may find that it has embarked on a course that will lead not only to a much fuller understanding of ourselves, but also to that long sought for synthesis and spirit and the last great frontier – the human mind.

Physicist Peter Russell studied meditation and Eastern philosophy in India. His newest book, From Science to God: A Physicist's Journey Into the Mystery of Consciousness, can be ordered by calling Toll-free: 1-800-972-6657, Ext. 52.