The Shifting Paradigm in the Science of Consciousness

This article traces the growing pressure on materialist, brain-bound theories of consciousness from anomalous data—specifically near-death experiences (NDEs), parapsychological research, and quantum biology—opening space for non-local models of awareness. Using Paul C. Mocombe’s “Consciousness Field Theory” (CFT) as a critical case study, the work examines attempts to stretch materialism to accommodate phenomena like veridical perception during cardiac arrest and precognition without abandoning scientific discourse. Mocombe’s theory posits “psychions” (elementary particles of consciousness) that are received—not generated—by the brain’s electromagnetic field, eventually returning to an “absolute vacuum” constituting an akashic repository of all lived experience.

The article identifies both promise and peril in such frameworks: while they legitimize investigation beyond reductive neural computation, they risk importing unexamined ideological baggage. Specifically, it critiques the gendered/Gnostic theological undercurrents in CFT’s reproductive metaphors (the electromagnetic “womb” receiving seminal psychions), the hazard of reasserting human cognitive privilege over non-human consciousness, and the tendency to foreclose “spiritual” discussions while essentially re-describing traditional soul-concepts in quantum terminology. Drawing on Einstein’s “vastly superior intelligence,” the piece advocates for rigorous but fearless openness—entertaining post-materialist hypotheses (including the possibility of distributed egoic identity beyond human brains) while avoiding both reductionist prejudice and unfalsifiable metaphysics.

Key Points

• Analyzes the crisis of materialist neuroscience (the “neuronal computational” model) in light of anomalous evidence from near-death experiences (NDEs), parapsychology, and quantum biology
• Uses Paul C. Mocombe’s Consciousness Field Theory (CFT) as a critical case study of attempts to extend materialism into non-local explanations without abandoning scientific discourse
• Examines CFT’s core mechanism: “psychions” (elementary particles of consciousness) received by the brain’s electromagnetic field, later returning to an “absolute vacuum” constituting a cosmic repository of all experience
• Identifies ideological pitfalls in emerging quantum theories of mind: unexamined gendered theological metaphors (reproductive/Gnostic frameworks of “wombs” and “seminal” particles), the risk of reasserting human cognitive privilege, and foreclosing consideration of non-human consciousness
• Critiques the strained preservation of materialism—noting that “psychions” with properties of eternal recycling and non-local persistence are functionally indistinguishable from traditional soul/atman concepts, despite nomenclature differences
• Advocates for “rigorous but fearless openness”: entertaining post-materialist hypotheses (distributed egoic identity, cosmic fields endowed with emergent awareness) while maintaining scientific rigor and avoiding both reductionist prejudice and unfalsifiable metaphysics
• Situates the paradigm shift within broader questions of “why I?”—challenging premature foreclosure of the possibility that consciousness and selfhood extend beyond human neurological boundaries

Recommended citation: Sosteric, Mike. (2025). "The Shifting Paradigm in the Science of Consciousness. The Peace Table."
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