Further on Having One's Mind Blown

In today's blog, I want to ruminate around the statement: "What you cannot conceive, you cannot perceive." This philosophical statement is credited to George Berkeley, (A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, I, 22-23: Berkeley 1962, pp. 75-76) It has caused a great deal of philosophical discussion, and is generally considered a fallacy.

From my philosophical perspective, "What you cannot conceive, you cannot perceive." is a correct statement; its reverse, "You cannot perceive, what you cannot conceive," is also a true statement. The second aspect of the idea presents a greater problem for many individuals, that of perceiving/experiencing what one cannot conceive of, because of Programmed and Indoctrinated Belief Systems.

While the statement was fallacious as presented by the philosopher Berkeley, (as argued by other philosophers, it does appear to have been--a bunch of gobbledygook you don't want to think about).

To repeat, our personal Belief Systems control what we can conceive of, and, therefore, what we are able to perceive, and the reverse. Most individuals at a young age become aware that certain thoughts, ideas, and experiences are, "forbidden." All but the most recalcitrant, cease to have these experiences, or decide to keep them to themselves. Unfortunately, it appears that, at about the age of seven, a young person's brain waves change so that most stop having the forbidden awarenesses/experiences.

To "conceive," is a somewhat fuzzy concept. According to Dictionary.com it is to form an opinion, or to hold as an opinion, purpose; to form a notion or idea of; imagine; think; believe. All these have, generally, to do with being able to hold an idea in our minds. The underlying principle of all inventions as well as creativity is the ability to "conceive" of something. By conceiving of an idea, for example, we can then set about creating it in the physical world. If we are successful, we and others are then able to perceive it.

I have stated that the Consensus Scientific Belief System will understand nothing, until it acknowledges that, "Everything that exists arises out of the non-physical." They cannot "go there," because a basic tenant of Science is that: there is no non-physical reality; they cannot conceive of it, therefore, they cannot perceive it.

To take this idea further; the possibility that the physical, (third dimensional) world, is only a small fraction of reality is beyond inconceivable! (This is a field split off and reserved to Astrophysicists.) This is, basically, the problem I was dealing with at a young age in trying to conceive of, "infinity."

In a recent blog, I have written about having one's mind blown by experiencing (perceiving) what is not possible according to the Consensus Belief Systems of the Industrialized World. What I have touched on are those individuals who have been presented with irrefutable physical proof, that they cannot dispute, of something which cannot possibly exist according to the Consensus Belief Systems. These individuals either have to accept that nothing they have been Indoctrinated to believe is true, or to go into total denial. For far less reason, there are many individuals who are in total denial of reality in our world currently; they are equivalent to the believers in the old, "flat earth" concept.

Another area that has been split off and generally considered an aspect of para-psychology are those who have had personal experiences of non-physical reality, such as: "near-death experiences," "Out-of-Body experiences," "missing-time experiences," etc., etc. Most of the individuals having such experiences have never heard of para-psychology and have to somehow come-to-terms with such realities. They have to begin to conceive of what they have perceived. They have to do this in spite of the rejection they are likely to experience if they talk about those things they have perceived.

Included in this para-psychology grouping are those who have experienced ghosts, the appearance and disappearance of other non-physical entities, and other such phenomena. These individuals as well, unaware of the field of para-psychology, (debunked as a pseudo-science,) either have to begin to conceive of what they have perceived, or chose to deny the experience. Many, having these experiences, chose to repair the damage to their Personal Belief System, (and beliefs in their own sanity) by applying bandages called, "impossible, it was just my imagination," or, begin to believe that, "I must be loosing my mind!"

If one can begin to conceive of the reality/existence of non-physical reality, acceptance of the possibility that what one has perceived is a fact, can follow. If one can accomplish this feat, one will have created a major crack in the edifice that is the Personal and Consensus Belief System.

With that, I end today's blog.

Shirley Gallup