Perceptual Diversity & Sustainability by Peter Mark Adams www.petermarkadams.com
[email protected]
The anthropologist, Charles Laughlin, noted that many societies derive their knowledge from many different states of consciousness including intuition, dreams and visions. He called these cultures ‘polyphasic’ and contrasted them with Western societies whose ‘monophasic’ culture only credits experience had in ‘normal’ waking consciousness 1. But even even in the ‘monophasic’ west a large, and growing, segment of society are far more willing to accept – if only in private – information derived through intuitive and empathic awareness. 80% of people claim to have experienced the more common forms of 2
precognition and over half the US and European populations claim to have experienced 3
telepathy, clairvoyance or contact with the dead . A further survey found that two thirds of the US population claim to have had a Psi or ‘mystical’ experience. Outside of academia , mainstream science and media, the grassroots of western culture is in many ways polyphasic. The majority of people acknowledge a variety of ways in which things can come to be known, though they tend to draw the line at information derived from the more extreme end of the spectrum of altered states, such as prophecy and divination.
Why are these states so important?
Openness to receiving information through different states of awareness can be thought of as ‘perceptual diversity’. Perceptual diversity, which operates with intuitive and empathic modes of awareness, implies a far more holistic engagement with reality. It is easy to see how such states can play an important role in retaining harmony and balance within society and with our environment 4. The ability to connect with others, and ourselves, in a more empathic way is also a key to t o our continued personal and spiritual evolution. Humanity is challenged to move beyond the reflex projection of its shadow-self onto others. Everywhere the same forces of globalization (we encounter t he same brands, clothing, clothing, entertainment, fast food, occupations and so on wherever we go) and the industrialization of agriculture (mechanization (mechanization and genetic modification) modification) are eroding bio-diversity and destroying destro ying cultural diversity. Less commented on is the fact that they are also undermining perceptual diversity – diversity – our our natural ability to pick up and use information from different levels of
awareness. And with this loss we are losing the sensitivity, discrimination and refinement of understanding that these other modes of knowing give rise to. All three losses of diversity 5
(bio, cultural, and cognitive) are closely c losely inter-related . Once we open the door, so to speak, to other ways of knowing, when we accept that they provide access to a broader, more connected understanding of reality, then our entire conception of the relationship between self, other and the environment has to change. These more holistic, intuitive and empathic ways of relating to reality are often thought of as sacrificing objectivity in favor of imagination or guesswork. In other words, rns out to be true, can’t qualify as knowledge. intuitively derived information, even if it tu turns One classical definition of knowledge that has been around for at least 2,500 years defines knowledge as ‘justified, true, belief’6,7 . But because of the way in which our concept of ‘justification’ has evolve evolved d over the last 500 years or so, intuitive or ‘direct’ direct ’ knowing is thought to lack justification, that is, causal linkages that can be independently demonstrated to and reproduced by others. Intuitive and direct knowledge fail to meet these criteria for the simple reason that they are dependent upon each person’s capacity for these special forms of discernment. In a 10 year, multi-nation German government study to decide on investment priorities for development projects in third world countries, the success rate of experienced – 50% using dowsers in finding water was found to be as high as 96% against an expected 30 – 50% conventional conventional techniques8. In addition, the dowsers were able to predict the depth and yield of a well to within 10 to 20% accuracy 9. This study was undertaken in areas of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa, where water sources are especially deep and a deviation of just one meter either side could mean the difference between success and failure. If such unconventional forms of knowing produce results that are right more often than they are wrong, and better than science is capable of delivering, then we need to revisit our
understanding understanding of what constitutes knowledge. knowledge. The ability to develop our awareness in order to reliably access non-local information has always required some degree of personal transformation. And indeed for most of humankind’s history, personal transformation has always played a central role in the quest for knowledge: “For the philosophical theme (how to have h ave access to the truth) and the question of spirituality (what transformations in the being of the subject are necessary for access to the truth) were never separate.”10
Notes 1
Laughlin, Laughlin, C . ‘ Consciousness Consciousness in Biogenetic Structural Theory’ Anthropology of Consciousness, 1992,
3(1-2):17-22. 2
Experiences’ Monash University Survey, 2008 Breen, R. ‘The Nature Incidence and Impact of Paranormal Experiences’
3
Experience in the Multinational Human Human Values Study: Who Who Haraldsson, Haraldsson, E. & Hootkouper Hootkouper,, JM. ‘Psychic Experience
Reports Them?’ Journal of the American Society Society for Psychical Research, Research, Volume 85, April 1991, 145-165 4
— Lumpkin, TW TW . ‘ Perceptual Perceptual Diversity and its Implications for Development Based on Research Research among among
Traditional Healers and upon Community Use of Traditional Medicine in Namibia, March 1996. ’ PhD Thesis 5
Lumpkin, TW. TW. ‘Perceptual Diversity: Diversity: Is Polyphasic Polyphasic Consciousness Necessary Necessary for Global Survival?’ Survival?’
Anthropology Anthropology of Consciousness, Consciousness, Vol. Vol. 12, No. 1, 1, March/June March/June 2001 6
Plato Theaetetus 201b-d
7
Ayer, AJ. (1956) (1956) The Problem of of Knowledge
8
Betz, H-D. H-D. ‘Unconventional Water Detection: Field Test of the Dowsing Technique in Dry Zones’ Journal of
Scientific Exploration, 1995, Vol. 9, No. I, pp. 1-43 9
ibid.
10
Foucault, M. (2005) The Hermeneutics of the Subject: Lectures at the College de France 1981-82 p.17
