Where Do Thoughts Come From?

Have you ever had an epiphany?...a sudden realization that came out of nowhere and gave you fresh insight into a situation or miraculously solved a problem? Where did this seemingly original idea come from? Did it emerge from within the deepest crevice of your brain? Was it pulled out of your nervous system? Perhaps it came from somewhere outside of your brain?

We’ve all had sudden inspirational thoughts that gave us pause to ponder the mysteries of the mind and the universe, but when you take a step back and examine the very act of thought as being a mysterious maneuver, things get even more interesting.

…If thoughts come from our brain (as we suspect), then it’s logical to say that music comes from the radio, or my ipod.

It’s a ridiculous notion, but the analogy would seem highly logical to one unaware of sound waves or radio transmissions. We as human beings are comfortable with the familiar. Most of us understand the how radios and ipods transmit music. Fewer embrace newer, abstract concepts such as thought waves and quantum energy fields that may provide us with alternative answers. A lot of people still require the whole dog and pony show presenting “real” (visual) data that things really exists.

Is Reality an Illusion?

Science has yet to discover a molecule in your brain labeled for “thought”; in fact, the mind has never been found within the brain; at least not by surgeons. They haven’t found your “spirit” either but most people believe we still possess one.

Philosophers have been thinking about “thought” for centuries, attempting to understand the relationship between the physical brain and the mind, (the word frequently synonymous with thought). There are several accepted schools of thought, specifically “Dualism” and “Monism”.

Although each school branches into many diverse and complex areas of interpretation, there are basic philosophical positions surrounding “mind-body” Dualism and Monism.

Those hailing from the school of duality, including Plato, Aristotle and Descartes believe that the body acts like a machine and the mind is in someway separate from the brain. The Cartesian theory (i.e Descartes) defended a philosophical position compatible with most religions, claiming that the mind (or soul) occupies an independent "realm" of existence distinct from that of the physical world; (think “The Matrix”).

Socrates, who inspired the whole notion of Duality, believed that the mind already contained everything there was to know and that thoughts just needed prompting. His “Socratic” method of inquiry was designed to “ask questions that would draw out the knowledge that was already in the mind”.

“Monism” maintains that the mind and body are indistinguishable; one entity, yet both are aspects of nature or God or simply something else “out there”. Hinduism is considered to be the primary proponent of Monism, although Parmenides in the 5th Century BC along with the 17th Century rationalist Baruch Spinoza, also promoted the premise that the brain and mind are one entity.

The “idealist” school of thought springs from Monism but takes it a step further, postulating that the mind is really all that exists and that the world we perceive is either mental itself, or an illusion created by our mind. In simpler terms, everything we perceive to be real, is made up of our ideas, our consciousness and our mind. Modern idealists date back to Immanuel Kant and David Hume in the 18th century.

Idealism was replaced by modern day Materialism, brought about by technology that rejected all notions of spirit and soul in favor of scientific proof.

Today, popular scientists and philosophers have given new credibility to Monism and Idealism as scientific advancements allow us to better understand spirit, soul and consciousness. “Old” thinking suddenly becomes “New” thinking.

I, like many modern thinkers (if I may humbly deem myself as such), lean towards idealistic thinking, although I do not consider myself to be religious as were the early idealists. I strive to be less materialistic and more idealistic in the modern sense of the word. I believe it is possible that our mind/brain subconsciously taps into a universal source of ideas and memories; - a common mind field from which information is exchanged. We can’t see or feel it, but science is advancing to the point that we know it’s out there. We may call it “higher intelligence” or “the quantum soup”, but it is where all matter and energy in the universe come together.

Those who practice meditation or pray to a deity, feel that they can access that field of information and intelligence more easily simply by quieting their mind and stepping back from the physical plane in which we live.

Can Meditation Improve Our Minds?

Popular modern philosopher Deepak Chopra, (a proponent of monism/idealism), has said, “The world is actually in you, as images, thoughts, sensations, memories, and projections. You are more real than the material world and closer to the creative source.” It’s certainly something to think about if you enjoy exploring questions such as, "Where Do Thoughts Come From?".

So take this philosophical musing, as a positive call to let go of what you think must be so. Remember the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz? He was one of the cleverest thinkers in the cast of characters and he didn’t even “think” he had a brain. He also became a national icon for common sense and intuitive wisdom.

Allow yourself think deeply and try on forward-thinking possibilities. You’re already tapping into the vast mystery of life itself; just don’t filter the wonder with any roadblocks, old dogmas, or radio transmissions; after all, scientific theories, social conventions and FDA warnings all inevitably change for the better as we wise up.

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