Cancer-A tale of defeating complexity and context

 Why does cancer develop and spread (metastasize) at the expense of the host organism ?

Tumor cells multiply indefinitely to form a tumor, which under 'appropriate' conditions spread and eventually kills the host.

It appears that the tumor is selected for, BUT, at the expense of the host organism.

This is Darwinian natural selection at play, for the tumor.

Why is the host not selected for survival ? Is it because it is the survival of multiple individual cells, whose regulation has gone awry versus a single host organism? A game of numbers where complexity is defeated.

The tumor per se (with mutations) does not kill the host, but the spread of the tumor to different sites in supportive microenvironments kills the host organism. So the mutation does not confer the survival of the tumor at the expense of the host per se, but the mutated cells functioning in specific microenvironments. 

So is there more to the story of 'Natural selection of mutants', which could be context-dependent? 

Phase Transitions in Subjective Experience

SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE 

In a thinking state of mind (random thinking as well as concentrated thinking):

The light reflected from the object impinges on the retina of the eye (the impingement or intial perturbation is called 'pratyaya' in yoga psychology) and creates a representation of the object. According to present-day neuroscience, this neural representation is encoded in the firing activity of neurons in the brain. The mind equivalent of such a representation in yoga psychology is 'vritti' /modification of the mind. There are neural correlates of the representation in the brain that can be measured. 

But then the question arises, what gives the human being, a feeling or experience of the object in the field of vision, as opposed to a camera/recorder that records the picture of the object? 

The neural representation of the object in the field of vision could be due to a 'phase transition', which results from the firing of neurons so that an image is generated on the retina of the eye. The image is the 'phase transition product', whose neural correlates could be the altered metabolic state/signaling circuit within neuronal cells, and/or wiring pattern between neuronal cells. 

The process of image generation/neural representation/vritti requires energy.  Vrittis /modifications of the mind are a series of phase transitions that could result from synchronous and /or asynchronous firing of neurons in the brain. In an ordinary mind, when random thoughts are generated, phase transitions are erratic i.e.  regulated pattern of phase transitions do not  occur, resulting in fluctuating vrittis.   Since a  human not only sees the object but feels it, (the redness of red), the feeling of aliveness of the experience of seeing the object i.e. the vrittis,   are illumined by  "Pure Consciousness/ Brahman"- the Universal energy field underlying spacetime and hence everything within it. This field is at equilibrium/still, but when illuminating the world of experience appears to be in motion i.e. energetic, because it is superimposed by mental activity i.e.pratyaya+vrittis.

In a concentrated thinking mind, phase transitions of the mind stabilize into a regular pattern, resulting in the flow state.

Pure Consciousness/Brahman, which illuminates the individual mind is manifested as Self-Awareness.

In a Meditative  Mind (During objective meditation on a name, sound-symbol):

Since during meditation (via yoga methods), mental activity is stilled (pratyaya+vritti are stilled)  phase transitions of the mind gradually stabilize into a regular pattern (flow state) as in concentrated thinking, then diminish slowly.  

Going deeper into meditation, phase transitions recede away. This is called ' Chitta Vritti Nirodh', or 'No mind' in Yoga psychology. Since mental activity/mind is not involved, no thoughts, feelings, cognitive biases are involved. Pure Consciousness/Brahman directly illuminates the nature of the object of meditation.  This is 'knowing' in the first person via meditative experience. This is the direct perception of the object of meditation, without interfering mental activity.

In a Meditative Mind (During subjective meditation on the Self/Subject itself)

Only Pure Consciousness/Brahman remains. Everything else is an appearance in Brahman.

Mind_Experience_Advances

Advances in Meditative Experience: 

In the 'Gospel of SriRamakrishna'/'Kathamrita'- Sri Ramakrishna says, "Pure Mind is Pure Atman."

What does he mean by that?

By pure mind, he means all mental energies are concentrated (like a laser beam), away from sense objects, towards the object of meditation. Since all mental disturbances/perturbations are silenced, the illumination of the object of meditation,  reveals itself as  Self-Awareness. The Self is NOT an object but the subject itself. This Self in the context of the individual human is Atman. This is Jnana/Knowledge.

When the individual no longer differentiates between the individual and environment, Atman (individual) is Brahman (Universal).When the illumination by the Atman i.e. Self Awareness, makes the observer aware of the Universe, via its illumination, there is no difference between the illuminator and the illumined, the illumined is in the context of the illuminator. This is Vijnana.

According to Sri Ramakrishna, Brahman (Universal Consciousness) and Sakti (Universal Energy/Force) are identical. Fire and its power to burn are identical. This is Vijnana.

At the Heart of Jnana and Vijnana is the Meditative Experience.

Resonance leading to phase transitions

There is a  unifying field that underlies space-time. (It is this unifying field which I call Pure Consciousness/awareness-which is different from biological consciousness/mind/thought)

---> This field, potentially  codes for vibrations of strings in two dimensions (up and down), where information of vibrating patterns of energy occurs in a chain of the binary distribution (2D)

---> Strings vibrate in the third dimension additionally,  resulting in 3D geometry of space (No time or mind, no cause, effect, only patterns of vibrations).

--->Resonance of strings in 3D space, lead to positive/reinforcing interactions between resonant strings and negative/repelling interactions between non-resonant strings. The structural outcomes of these interactions are knots, braids. For example, in a knot, repelling/negative structural outcomes are where the twist occurs out of the 2D plane into the third dimension of space, and then loops over the 2-dimensional plane to form a knot. In contrast, a braid consists of alternating positive and negative structural outcomes.  

---> Interactions between  knots, braids  give rise to the emergence of higher-order  particles,   that  interact, for example when a braid interacts with a knot

 --->Phase Transition occurs when particles such as protons, neutrons, and electrons interact. The differing number of these particles results in different chemicals as outcomes of phase transition, so that hydrogen gas has a different property when compared to neon gas or lithium metal.

---->  Higher forms of matter arise as a consequence of phase transition between interacting chemical compounds. This leads to very complex forms of matter which include the evolution from a single metabolic unit that replicates (life arising from non-life) and culminates in the human body.

---->The constant, background physical brain activity leads to embodied cognition and perception in time.

-----> This phenomenal mind/mental activity in time(3D+1D=4D)is what could be called emergent consciousness.

The above is a  flow or transition from a unifying field (energy) to matter.

 

It is a continuum

 The problem with science (to know, test ideas/hypothesis)  and spirituality  (adherence to spiritual practices) are that they are often at loggerheads with each other. This is because of the concept of dualism, which implies that these two areas are different.

The "reality" could not be farther away from dualism. The truth, whatever it maybe has to be on a continuum or a continuous scale and has to be compatible with objective evidence and subjective experience.

If  "science"  encompasses the realm of testable ideas/hypotheses, and "spirituality" involves conscious subjective experience, which can be tested directly or indirectly in an objective manner, then both can be visualized to be on a continuous scale.

The challenge with adherents of spirituality is that they say spirituality cannot be objectified. My question is then if spiritual practices, resulting in a transformation of behavior then consequences of spiritual practices can be tested objectively, by studying behavior. These will be correlation studies.

The challenge with adherents of science is that they become dogmatic about what can be tested. But this depends on the technologies available. With newer technologies, newer ideas can be tested.

I foresee a future, where the human experiences, and observes a spectrum, and arrives at the conclusion of a continuum. This is the unity, the theory of everything that underlies all there is. When this future arrives is an open-ended question.

 

Dynamism/Shakti

 Dynamism to me implies Movement.

I would use the Sanskrit word Shakti for it.

 Our Nature/Prakriti is the interplay or dynamic movement of the three attributes of inertia/tamas, activity/rajas and calmness/sattva.

The interplay between these three attributes is what  results in human behaviour and these attributes are features of the human mind. When tamas or rajas predominates, there is outward movement of the mind towards the world , in other words Pravritti. When Sattva predominates there is inward movement of the mind towards the witnessing self or Nivritti.

Excessive enagement with the world may result in existential dread.

A  healthy human mind is when Sattva predominates, and there is balance between rajas and tamas.

The terminology is from Yoga Psychology, which is an Inside Out approach. The world is experienced through the lens of a stilled mind.

The applications of this can be in the field of cognitive psychology. 

Meditation i.e. directed inward can be used to provide a calm substratum, whose lens  is through which the world is viewed. It is a direct solution for existential dread.

In this context I am posting the music video "Another day in Paradise".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt2mbGP6vFI

Fractal Evolution

 I/II (see diagram below)- No counterpart in physical systems/organisms

III- Akin to pluripotent stem cell with multipotentiality

IV-Akin to  developing limb exposed to morphogen/growth factor gradient

V-Akin to developed limb, post-exposure to morphogen gradient

Pravritti (External activity/Karma, not the same as Karma-Yoga) and Nivritti (Internally directed meditation/Jnana Yoga, not the same as Jnana)

The meditative process is akin to the catalytic enzyme which overcomes the energy barrier via transition.

Since patterns in physical evolution directed outwards i.e. Pravritti follow the opposite direction in the same pathway as psychological evolution directed inwards i.e. Nivritti, I call evolution a Fractal development via phase transitions of vibratory energy reversibly to matter.

Fractal is not the way it looks, but the way it behaves.