The Soul Illusion
Nature never deceives us. It is always we who deceive our selves
- Rousseau
When a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, is there a sound?
There is no sound
When the tree falls it produces a series of pressure waves in the surrounding air. The ear drum converts these waves into a mechanical signal which is transmitted by 3 small bones to the fluid filled cochlea – the spiral bony canal of the inner ear. Hair cells of the cochlea are the actual receptors. Each is tuned to a particular frequency of the fluid waves. Hair cell vibrations are converted to electrical impulses, and transmitted along the auditory nerve to the auditory cortex where intensity and frequency of the vibrations are mapped. Neither pressure waves, physical movements of body parts [bones, hair], nor electrical signals are sound. What we call sound exists only in the mind of the beholder.
Perception differs qualitatively from the physical properties of the stimulus. The nervous system extracts only certain information from the natural world. We perceive fluctuations of air pressure not as pressure waves but as sounds that we hear. We perceive electromagnetic waves of different frequency as colors that we see. We perceive chemical compounds dissolved in air or water as specific smells or tastes. In the words of neurologist Sir John Eccles: “I want you to realize that there exists no colour in the natural world, and no sound – nothing of this kind; no textures, no patterns, no beauty, no scent.” Sounds, colors, patterns, etc., appear to have an independent reality, yet are, in fact, constructed by the mind. All our experience of the natural world is our mind’s interpretation of the stimulation it receives.
In his, Principles of Neural Science, Eric Kandel observes: “The organizational mechanisms of vision are best demonstrated by [optical] illusions. Illusions illustrate that perception is a creative construction that the brain makes in interpreting visual data….Learning does not prevent us from being taken in by these illusions.”
We act counter to our interests, because our appraisals of costs and benefits are state-dependent. We see things differently during the Positive Outcome Expectancy Trance before the lapse, than during the Demoralized Trance that occurs after the lapse. Learning does not seem to prevent us from being taken in by the Soul Illusion again and again.
All we know about reality is based on what we perceive, but perception itself is a creative construction of the mind. Changing states of mind alter how we perceive events. Abusing a loved one looks different after anger has given way to regret. In hindsight, the anger was temporary, and its cause trivial. Looking back with regret, the abuser is contrite, and makes the sincere commitment to never repeat the aggressive behavior. But the next time the abuser is in an angry state, it is the latest provocation not the pre-commitment to be forgiving, that will determine his reactions. Tragically, irreversible actions are triggered by temporary emotional states.
Our failure to appreciate that perception, motivation, and behavior are dependent on passing emotional states is what causes us to make vows that we ultimately break. The demoralization that results from repeatedly failing to honor acommitment can transform a problem behavior into a great personal tragedy. The opponent to self-determination is deceptively potent, because it is the enemy that you do not recognize that is the most dangerous!
