The Mind is Flat, Nick Chater (2018), Penguin
A new model of cognition#
If you are interested in personal change, or you are a Solution Focused practitioner, this is a must read book. When you engage with the principles behind Solution Focus, you will be left with a lingering thought… that the entire psychiatric model, especially its notions of subconscious and unconscious, are built on poor foundations. This book tells us why. It outlines a model of cognition and information processing grounded in scientific discovery, rather than metaphorical speculation. It frees us from the tyranny of ‘systems of belief’ and behavioural drivers over which we have no control.
Skip to P123 for a good synopsis by the author. “Pre-formed beliefs, desires, motives, attitudes (to risk) lurking in our hidden depths are a fiction: we improvise our behaviour to deal with the challenges of the moment rather than to express our inner self.”
The book observes that the brain is an improviser. It strives to improvise behaviour that is consistent with past behaviour and consistent with past interpretations of events. This implies we have much more flexibility in our options for behaviour than we sometimes think, given that we actually don’t have a subterranean system of beliefs or drivers.
Thinking beyond the experimental base for the book#
That being said, it goes only so far. There are a range of experiences that we can have as humans for which there are no experimental data.
Transcendental revelation, sometimes (and often frightening) entirely spontaneous, but more frequently related to deep meditation, body practice or shamanic practice, can lead us to see and experience things we have no map for. Reports of meeting people who have passed, being in places we have never seen (Terrence McKenna reported that South American shamans claimed they had seen the Golden Gate bridge before having contact with westerners), and experiences apparently outside of time. Another common experience in shamanic practice is to observe higher order mathematical forms and prototypical language glyphs, regardless of having any training in mathematics or linguistics.
Another common but little discussed experience is that of past lives, for which we use the metaphor of reincarnation, and of NDEs and OBEs. I suspect that the author would seek to explain many of or all of these phenomena as simply spontaneous activity in the brain and our interpretation of it. However the anecdotal evidence, such as it is, would point to a need for further enquiry before drawing any such conclusions.
Final thoughts#
My feelings after reading this book have been overwhelmingly positive. The thesis of the book holds its weight and encourages us to let go of some old ideas that may no longer be useful to us. The challenge will be to integrate this new model into a broader understanding of the nature of being human.