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Brain Foundational Human Mind Philosophy Pre-Human Minds

What Is It Like to Have a Mind?

Introduction If you were to ask a human being and a bat, “What is it like to have a mind?,” you would expect to get unimaginably different answers. What is less expected is that if you asked four different people the same question, you could receive four unimaginably different answers.  In 1974, philosopher Thomas Nagel famously asked […]

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Psychology Reptilian Mind

Automaticity: Humans Behaving Like Machines

(Including Driving, Meals, Sex, and Work)   automaton n.1. a machine that simulates human functions (e.g., a mechanized installation device on a conveyor belt) via preprogramed coded instructions. 2. a human acting in an autonomous and routine manner, seemingly without an external driving force. APA Dictionary of Psychology. automaticity n. the quality of a behavior or mental process that can be carried […]

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Brain Foundational Philosophy Psychology

Quadrune Mind and the Triune Brain in Evolution

Resources for this Post MacLean, P. D. (1990). The triune brain in evolution: Role in paleocerebral functions. New York: Plenum Press. The quadrune mind model of consciousness blog and Study Guide. Purpose of this Post My general purpose for this post is to provide the interested reader statements directly from Paul D. MacLean’s magnum opus, The triune brain in evolution: […]

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Brain Foundational Philosophy

QM and Paul MacLean’s Triune Brain Model

What does it tell us about the meaning of life when we can now say that for the first time in the known history of biology, we are witnessing the evolution of human beings with a concern not only for the suffering and dying of their own kind, but also for the suffering and dying […]

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Brain Foundational Psychology

QM and the Vital Difference between Consciousness and Intelligence

Consciousness is the perception of the purpose of life. Intelligence is the ability to successfully fulfill that purpose. Introduction The quadrune mind model states that the human brain is able to produce four distinctly different minds. Each mind has a different level of consciousness. The purpose of life is dramatically different for each mind’s level of consciousness. The […]

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Brain Philosophy Spirituality

QM and the Future of Spiritual Consciousness

(Or, Metamorphoses of Mind) Introduction Quadrune mind is a secular, evolutionary model of spiritual consciousness. Until the 21st century, consciousness has “naturally” expanded on earth without active, intentional human intervention, but that is rapidly changing. With emerging neurotechnologies, neuroscientists and neuroengineers are capable of making radical changes to what the human brain is and what kind of mind(s) […]

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Brain Reptilian Mind

QM, Phylogenetic Regression, and Extreme Aggression

The Reptilian Mind For the infant, disruption of its biological homeostatic balance needed to sustain life is “felt” at a physiological level as life-threatening, which it is. Similarly, for the infantile reptilian-minded “adult,” anything experienced as a threat to the status quo can also be “felt” as life-threatening, as much as asphyxiation would be for […]

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Brain New Mammalian Mind

QM and the Scary New Mammalian Mind of the 21st Century

Quadrune mind is a brain-based model of spiritual consciousness that describes three types of minds we have inherited from our evolutionary past: a behavioral reptilian-like mind, an emotional old mammalian-like mind, an intellectual new mammalian-like (primate) mind, as well as a mind only seen in human beings, our Human mind, which is capable of awe […]

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Brain Foundational

QM as a Model of Human Consciousness

As is true of all models, the quadrune mind model of human consciousness is a simplification of reality. The diversity of people’s mentalities is much more complex than QM’s basic four: reptilian-like, old mammalian-like, new mammalian-like, and human. However, complex variations arise from the interactions of these four fundamental levels of consciousness. Understanding the dynamic […]

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Personal Philosophy

QM, Wisdom, and the PhD Degree

If we want to know in which direction our life is heading, then we should pay attention to what we are enthusiastic about. The word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek en + theos: the God within. What we feel enthusiasm for is what inspires us to put forth our best efforts to achieve our goals against any odds. […]