320 Self and the Phenomenon of Life
b2726 Self and the Phenomenon of Life: A Biologist Examines Life from Molecules to Humanity “9x6”former, as exemplified by cognitive neuroscience, deals with mind as
reported by an experimental subject (an externalization of inner feeling
but in fact not the feeling itself), whereas the latter includes, in addition
to the observable, the internal feelings and experiences which are pri-
vate, ineffable, and cannot be shared by a second person. It is tempting
for cognitive neuroscientists, and some science-leaning philosophers as
well, to deny the reality of the inner mind and to take its externalized
surrogate as all there is, and thus mistakenly equating the “science of
mind” with the “philosophy of mind.”^6
There is also the mystery of the fundamental constants of nature.
These are observations (measured and expressed in numbers) that are
empirically obtained but defy explanation by simpler laws. They include
Planck’s constant, the speed of light, proton mass, electron mass, electron
charge, and gravitation... all twenty-three of them, commonly listed on
the inside cover of a physics textbook. These constants define the universe
we live in and are critical for the existence of life. Any minor deviations
from them would have led to a drastically different world and we would
not be here to observe it.^7 It might be possible that, in the future, some
of the constants could be combined and reduced to a simpler set of num-
bers, but not all will go away and a few will remain unexplained.8,9 For the
time being, I would place the fundamental constants of nature in Zone 4.
Aside from mind and matter, Roger Penrose^10 proposes a third
reality — the mathematical reality. Mathematics is a product of the
human mind, yet it does not exist exclusively in one person’s mind. It is
shared by many and can be verified independently over long intervals
of time and across generations. If a person does not discover a certain
mathematical principle, other people will, sooner or later. It has a cer-
tain objective, independent existence, despite being the product of the
mind. It can be applied to the physical world, yet it is not a constituent
of matter. It is a strange entity — part mind, part world, but neither one
nor the other. The same can be said of natural laws, which are expressed
in mathematical terms, and of logic, the foundation of mathematics.
The formal nature of mathematics has an idealistic touch of Platonism.