Mental Relativity

Mass, Energy, Space, and Time: the four basic elements of the Universe. But how do we know they are there? We only know through observation. And what is observation? It is the mental awareness of things outside the mind. How can the mind be aware of things outside itself? By an interface through which the nature of the Universe actually affects the nature of the Mind. Conversely, how can the mind affect the Universe? Through an interface that allows manipulation of the Universe based on motivations of the mind.

We observe the Universe through our senses, we manipulate it through our bodies. If Universe and Mind are not the same, but are related, how do they compare? If we describe the Universe in terms of Mass, Energy, Space and Time, and see these things as the elements that create it, then the Mind is made up of the process equivalents of Knowledge Thought, Ability and Desire. Knowledge is the Mass of the Mind. But unlike Mass, Knowledge is a process, not a state. Knowledge is not a simple binary condition of being there or not, but contains a qualitative value that is determined by familiarity. The more one observes a condition, the more one is apt to believe in that condition. So there is a quality to Knowledge that, among other things, indicates to what degree the Mind will rely on it without question.

This Knowledge is much like the electron shells in Quantum Mechanics. As familiarity increases, the potential of Knowledge increases. This potential is the Energy of the Mind - the latent form of Thought. As with electron shells, the higher the level of potential, the greater the instability. As instability increases, the likelihood or frequency of spontaneous emission increases, as the electrons expel energy as they seek a more stable, less energized state. Similarly, as familiarity increases, the potential contained in Knowledge increases, instability increases, and the latent form of thought is spontaneously emitted as applied thought, with knowledge seeking a more stable, less energized state.

Observation is what charges Knowledge, spontaneous emission is what discharges it. Knowledge can only be maintained at a certain level if familiarity continues to charge it. But if Observation ceases, Knowledge will decay, much as if it had a half-life, with the higher, least stable levels discharging quickly, and the lower, more stable levels discharging progressively slower. At the lowest energy level with the greatest stability, Knowledge might last a lifetime.

When Knowledge decays, it releases Thought energy, which is then applied to other Knowledge as it flows through the system. Since this internal Thought is charged by Observation, it will initially reflect those Observations that are most familiar. Observations, however, are seldom single stimuli. Rather, most Observations are complex patterns of changing arrangement. As this occurs, many units of Knowledge are stimulated to differing degrees. And as new Observations are made of different events, one set of patterns may overlay another. The patterns that are most charged (and therefore most unstable) will be those that have input from multiple observations. So, as Knowledge beings to decay and generate Thought, the patterns of Thought need not reflect any single Observation, but likely will embody a synthesis born of many Observations. Due to the overlaying of varying degrees of Observation, as Knowledge continues to decay, the patterns of Thought will bear less and less resemblance to the initial Observation and become progressively more a "creative" synthesis unlike anything actually Observed.

Of course, Observation does not cease while internal Thought takes place. Rather, Knowledge is continuously being charged and decaying, altering its patterns based on the simultaneous effects of both Observation and spontaneous emission.
So far, we have described the Mass/Energy relationship of the Mind in terms of Knowledge/Thought. But what of Space and Time? In the Universe, Energy could only exist in a pure form if it were not applied. As soon as it affects Mass, Space and Time are generated. Similarly in the Mind, Thought patterns are pure only as long as they remain latent as the potential of Knowledge. But as soon as Knowledge decays and generates applied Thought, Ability and Desire are created.

Ability is the mental or "process" equivalent of Space. In the Mind, Ability is a measurement of the ratio of Observation to Thought. Another way of looking at Ability is as a determination of whether Knowledge overall is charging or discharging. When Knowledge is charging, the familiarity is less than the Observation. As such, the Observation is more unknown than known. This rates as a negative Ability for that area of Knowledge. If Knowledge is discharging, familiarity is greater than Observation and Ability is positive.
It is only the action of spontaneous emission that allows Knowledge to discharge even when Observing. This is so because Observation is seldom a steady input, but a changing pattern that charges a given area of Knowledge with a particular frequency as the Observation scans across or stimulates that area. When the frequency of stimulation is greater than the frequency of spontaneous emission, Knowledge will charge overall. When the frequency of stimulation is less than the frequency of spontaneous emission, Knowledge will discharge overall.

When a complex pattern of Observation effects a great number of Knowledge areas, a ratio is established between the number of areas that are charging vs. the number of areas that are discharging. This indicates the overall Ability in for a particular Observation.
Finally, Desire is the mental equivalent of Time. Desire measure how fast Knowledge is being charged or discharged. When Knowledge is charging quickly, Desire is strongly positive. When Knowledge is discharging quickly, Desire is strongly negative. When Knowledge is neither charging nor discharging due to a steady state equilibrium between Observation and spontaneous emission, Desire is null.
We can see that when there is zero Ability Desire will also be zero. Yet when Ability is negative, Desire can be strong, in either a positive or negative direction.
Knowledge and Thought, then, are steady state measurements of a binary exposure to Observation, and a Familiarity potential attached to that exposure. Ability and Desire indicate the direction and speed of change in Knowledge and Thought.

This explanation of the Mind describes the Mind observing the Universe. But what happens when the Mind observes the Mind. When we not only have Knowledge, but examine it, rate it, we must be able to stand away from ourselves and view the content of our own Minds.
Where are we to go in order to see our Minds at work without being in them? Well, of course, this can't be done. But in order to anticipate, a Mind must be able to sense the direction of its own functioning. This can only be synthesized, since we must be in our Mind even while observing it.

That neat trick is accomplished by scanning the elements of the mind from one position, then jumping to another position and measuring where we had been standing before. Although it does not give a complete view of the whole Mind at once, it does give a composite view of the mind in two steps.
At the most broadstroke connection between physiology and psychology, those two steps are accommodated by the two sides of the brain. The left side is spatially oriented and suited to measuring such things as Knowledge and Thought, which are states. The right side is temporally oriented and suited to measuring Ability and Desire.
We must keep foremost the concept that these measurements are happening simultaneously on both sides and it is only the synthesis of both views that can build the composite picture of our Minds. It is the ongoing process of continuous monitoring by both sides that synthesize to create that elusive condition we call self-awareness.

At the most detailed appreciation of the relationship between physiology and psychology, the spatial mind monitors the smallest unit that can contain both a binary Knowledge and a potential of Thought. The temporal mind monitors the smallest unit that can contain both a degree of Ability and an intensity of Desire. Self-awareness is made up of the synthesis of both the spatial and temporal Minds. The spatial mind sees the mind only as Knowledge and Thought. The temporal mind see the mind only as Ability and Desire. The spatial mind appreciates the mind's reason, the temporal mind appreciates the mind's emotion.
Because both K/T and A/D are needed to synthesize the composite understanding of the mind, the are joined in that single appreciation of self-awareness. K, T, A, and D, therefore constitute the smallest unit of self awareness. We call this unit a Thoton, due to its dynamic similarity to the properties of a photon of light.
The photon appears to have both particle and wave aspects. So does the Thoton. K and T are best understood in terms of particles, which is seeing them in a spatial view. But that only describes half the picture. A and D, the other half, are best described by waves, as they deal in frequencies. That is a temporal view.
Because self-awareness can be seen either spatially or temporally, sometimes it appears to be an arrangement of things, other times an order or sequence. Neither view in and of itself is complete. Each view will only serve as useful half the time, with the other view being required for all other cases. And since self-awareness is only an appreciation of something that cannot be seen in its entirety at one moment, no explanation of the overall functioning of the mind can be complete from either view alone.

So, talking about sides of the brain as being purely spatial or temporal, is only appropriate to some examples that rely on a spatial view, separating the brain into two areas. For other examples, it is better to see spatial and temporal as two functions which occur over the whole brain in a particular order, i.e.: first spatial, then temporal.
When we synthesize both views within ourselves we can ask, "Which area processes an Observation first?" This question incorporates both the spatial concept of areas and the temporal concept of order. When we answer this question either in terms of space or time, we can see that a filtering is taking place between the two aspects of self- awareness. Either an observation is filtered through one appreciation and the remainder (altered by the initial processing) is output to the other, or one appreciation examines the observation first (altering it in the process of observing it) and the other appreciation works with the complete, but altered observation after.
This alteration of data from an Observation, either in spatial terms of flow-through attrition or in temporal terms of imprinting, shows that impurities or inaccuracies will be manifest mostly in the spatial or temporal appreciations depending upon which gets the data first.
The question then arises as to which order the Mind uses. The answer is, "Both". Not both in the same mind, but that there are two kinds of minds: one where the spatial is more accurate, one where the temporal is more accurate. We call these the Spatial Brain Operating System (SBOS) for spatial and the Temporal Brain Operating system (TBOS) for temporal.

Note that SBOS and TBOS do not mean Left and Right Brain. The SBOS individual will process Observations first in terms of a spatial appreciation, followed by a temporal appreciation. The TBOS individual will process Observations first in terms of Temporal, then in terms of Spatial. Both minds use both appreciations. But each uses a different one first (from a temporal appreciation) or a different one more efficiently (from a spatial appreciation). This creates an overall difference in perception of observation between the two minds.
As this hardwiring determination is prerequisite to the development of self-awareness, it is determined in the early stages of prenatal development. Once cast, the hardwiring BOS cannot be altered as it is the very foundation and support of self-awareness. Experience, however can have a great effect on the manner in which one learns to consciously handle Observations and data, insofar as that the original BOS may be largely masked, or even appear to be of the other variety. Nevertheless, beneath the consciousness at the operating system level, the order of appreciation cannot be changed and is intrinsically SBOS or TBOS.
It is a contention of Mental Relativity that just as certain physical characteristics determine anatomical sex, the specific BOS of a mind determines mental sex, with SBOS being the systems almost exclusively found in men, and TBOS the system almost exclusively found in women.
Mental sex has little to do with sexual preference or masculine/feminine gender. But it does have a great deal to do with the perceptual differences between men and women.

Courtesy of Melanie Anne Phillips