Mind, Brain, and Education: New Paradigm in the Education World?

In the education world, the research movement of integrating our mind, brain, and education (MBE) has received increasing attention nowadays. Educators and neuroscientists are now working together to understand how learning and the brain are related, and how this interconnectedness will better inform our educational policies and school systems.

This recent academic movement represents an integral or holistic perspective, because the research of our mind and brain had been investigated separately in the past. Many scientists and educators came to recognize the importance of seeking to understand the connections between our thinking (UL), brain (UR), and learning processes (UR). This academic trend stands for a kind of holistic movement in the education world in that educators and scientists begin to notice the importance of integrating various different academic fields such as cognitive science, neuroscience, developmental psychology, pedagogy, etc.

Furthermore, this academic movement has a positive impact on an education culture (LL), policy (LR), and curriculum (LR). In fact, a new finding in the field of neuroscience is incorporated into an education policy and curriculum to provide children with a better learning environment. 

          The above academic collaboration between mind, brain, and education is really fascinating for me. I believe mind, brain, and education program will be the key in the future to support children’s psychological growth (UL), enhance learning effect (UR), create a positive school culture (LL), and build an educational policy and practice. If educators and scientists come to consider not only quadrants but also other elements for instance levels, states, types, and lines in Integral Theory, this movement will be more integral. In that sense, current mind, body, and education endeavor might be still holistic rather than integral.

Quantum Holism

As for the concept of “quantum holism,” I think that the main characteristic of this concept is interdependence. While a mechanistic view which insists that all natural events are like machines or artifacts tends to neglect interdependence, quantum holism pays attention to reciprocal influences in reality. When we think about social issues such as international conflicts, environmental issues, or global economic crisis, the above worldview like mechanism will not give any beneficial clues to these global issues, because in that paradigm, these issues are recognized as isolated ones in countries and never thought as comprehensive issues in the world. As we know, our world is becoming more and more interconnected, so the first step toward a solution of such global issues might be to understand that our world is not separated but closely connected with each other.  

Radical Nature: Quantum Theory VS Determinism

One of the key concepts in quantum theory is “noncausal.” This term means that quantum events are not causal and intrinsically unpredictable (De Quincey, 2002). This concept refutes the idea of determinism which insists that every event is a cause-and-effect relationship. Of course, this deterministic idea made a numerous contribution to the modern psychics, but it includes an inherent limitation. For instance, the deterministic view couldn’t elucidate the logical connection between one event and another in a certain random event (e.g., weather). Although quantum theory also can’t illuminate the mechanism of a certain random event, it has a value in that it forces us to investigate the view of traditional paradigms (materialism, determinism, etc.).

Postmodernism? Contribution and Limitation

As Wilber (2000) explains, modernism contributes to differentiation of art, morals, and science spheres which were regarded as undifferentiated sphere in pre-modernism. However, modernism includes some inherent limitations. From the modernism perspectives, the dominant belief is that it is possible to describe scientifically and logically all phenomena including subjective experiences. Furthermore, most modernists tend to believe that our reality is objective, and our world is based on materials.

As opposed to modernism, postmodernism came to the forefront. In a word, postmodernism is an antithesis of modernism, attempting to overcome the limitations in modernism. Also, a distinguishing characteristic in postmodernism is a relative worldview. In that sense, postmodernism is sometimes called as relativism.

As for the contribution of postmodernism, Wilber (1996) demonstrates: “the great postmodern discovery was that neither the self nor the world is simply pregiven, but rather they exist in contexts and backgrounds that have a history, a development” (p. 60).To put it in another way, postmodernism created a large philosophical map which embraces almost everything by acclaiming subsistent values in it. Therefore, the relativistic attribute in postmodernism is able to allow for the inclusion of additional paradigms.

Although postmodernism had a positive influence on many fields (e.g., philosophy, architecture, literature, music, etc.), it also includes innate limitations. In regard to this point, Mcintosh (2007) contends:

Postmodernism’s pathological fusion is found in the way that it fails to differentiate between the healthy aspects of the previous stages―aspects that we want to carry forward into the future and include―and the immature and pathological aspects of the previous stages that we would do well to leave behind. (p. 59)

              In other words, the potential weakness of postmodernism is that it can’t discern positive aspects from negative ones in previous stages. As a consequence, postmodernism tends to fall into an undesirable situation to include a flood of values without careful consideration.

Reference:

1 A Brief History of Everything

2 Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution

Holism vs Reductionism

Lastly, I think that the word “holism” is opposite to the term “reductionism.” The reductionistic approach attempts to explain phenomena in the way that it dissects the phenomena in different pieces. And typical reductionists assume that they can elucidate the exact nature of everything by inspecting one element in the wholeness. Although this approach has contributed to the science, it includes an intrinsic limitation. For instance, in the field of philosophy of mind, our mind can’t be fully explained in the reductionistic approach.

             

On the other hand, the idea of holism is that it tends to regard the total of elements as a superior to it. In other words, the hidden belief underneath the holism may emphasize the importance of a total of components too much. In that sense, holism also includes an inherent limitation.  

The Term of "Consciousness?"

Regarding “consciousness,” my understanding of human consciousness is that it is like a huge formless container. It can become any forms and interact with other consciousness freely. Also, it always exists within us at every moment and everywhere. Even though we fall asleep, our consciousness embraces us gently. In that sense, our consciousness is like a vast amorphous vessel. 

Moreover, consciousness itself doesn’t have any meanings. Our consciousness is always “subject” not “object.” More strictly, it may be an essential base of the “subject.” All of our feelings, emotions, sensations, and thoughts arise from our consciousness, but our consciousness is not our feelings, emotions, sensations, and thoughts. All of them are our “subjective experiences.” Our subjective experiences are not our consciousness, but our consciousness creates them. Therefore, the term of “consciousness” is beyond our subjective experiences, and it may be “something” encompasses our existence.

The Process of Forming, Maintaining, Changing a Paradigm

In my view, the term “paradigm” is a conceptual framework which affects people’s worldview and prescribes their behavioral and thinking patterns implicitly. In other words, a paradigm works for our belief system embedded in our unconsciousness. By virtue of having this system, we may be able to adjust to this real world automatically. In addition, a paradigm has a powerful centripetal force. For example, if one paradigm is dominant in the world, the people who follow the paradigm have the same worldview of the paradigm. In that sense, a paradigm can be called an invisible machine which creates a number of similar people who perceive the world in the same way.

Some people may ask me “How are paradigms formed, maintained, and changed?” The response to that question is the following. As for the process of forming a paradigm, a person who notices a limitation of the old paradigm is required. I think every paradigm has an inevitable and intrinsic limitation in it. However, most of the people who are in the paradigm and blindly believe it are not able to notice the limitation in the paradigm. That’s why a person who can perceive an inherent limitation embedded in the paradigm is required to form a new paradigm. Although the existence of a person who notices the limitation is needed for a new paradigm, this is just a first requirement to create a new paradigm. In addition to that requirement, the existence of “followers” is key to form a new paradigm. If a person detects a limitation in the old paradigm and proposes a new paradigm, having no followers, his or her endeavor will be doomed to end in failure. That will not be a new “paradigm” but a mere new “idea.” On the other hand, if there are a great number of followers, the audacious “idea” may become a new “paradigm.”

     As for maintaining a new paradigm, I think there is a kind of “critical mass.” As a new paradigm is pervaded broadly, the paradigm comes to acquire more powers in order to maintain it. Lastly, the process of changing a paradigm is the almost same as the process of forming it. The advent of a person who is aware of a limitation in a current paradigm is essential. Then, he or she puts forward a new paradigm and obtains followers. In conclusion, a person who can recognize an immanent limitation in the old paradigm and followers are pivotal to form, maintain, and change a paradigm.