Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Dr. Arnaud Delorme
University of California – San Diego and Institute of Noetic ScienceONS
What if consciousness is not an emergent property of the brain?
“You are a machine made of meat.” (Marvin Minsky)
“You are nothing but a pack of neurons.” (Francis Crick)
These quotes represent the prevailing views in science, which are based on 17th-century views on physics. Physicalist theories purport that consciousness originates from physical substrates like neurons that have evolved to be more and more complex over time through adaptation, leading to the emergence of consciousness. Non-physical models do not assume that a physical substrate generates consciousness, and many even propose that consciousness is as fundamental, or more so, than matter and spacetime. This perspective underly many ancient, esoteric, and Eastern cultures. Perhaps such a non-physicalist framework would provide a better explanation for the full range of reported human phenomenology. Scholars and scientists have debated these topics for thousands of years, with no clear resolution in sight. New experiments and scientific data are needed to move forward on this question in order to advance our understanding of Consciousness.
Bio: Arnaud Delorme, PhD, is a CNRS principal investigator in Toulouse, France, a member faculty at the University of California, San Diego, and a Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. In 2000, Dr. Delorme completed his PhD thesis on visual categorization in humans, monkeys, and machines. Dr. Delorme then moved to the Salk Institute for a postdoc in Terry Sejnowski and Francis Crick’s laboratory where he focused on statistical analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) signals recorded during various cognitive tasks. He developed the free EEGLAB software for advanced analysis of EEG signals in collaboration with Scott Makeig, software which is now amongst the most used in EEG research worldwide. He was awarded a Brettencourt-Schueller young investigator award and a 10-year anniversary ANT young investigator award for his contributions to the field of EEG research.
Dr. Delorme has a keen interest in the scientific study of consciousness and spirituality. He is a long-time Zen meditator, and has taught in India on the neural correlates of conscious experience in a Master’s degree program for the Birla Institute of Technology. Starting in 2002, he started to look at brain dynamical changes underlying extraordinary states of consciousness, including meditation, psycho-active agents, and mediumship.
The author of over 160 publications, Delorme’s work on mediumship is of particular interest — even with the mainstream. His paper on evidential mediumship and the brain activity of mediums is among the top 1% of articles viewed on the Research Gate platform. Backed by research that spans a decade, Delorme has made a compelling argument that the topic of mediumship is worthy of scientific investigation. Dr. Delorme is also investigating the means by which technology, in particular multi-channel neurofeedback, could be used to assist meditation practice.
Presented at the 2022 Conference of the Society for Consciousness Studies.
The Society for Consciousness Studies is a professional scholarly organization that honors work of quality from all authentic scholarly traditions, including philosophical, psychological, sociological, and other scientific understandings of consciousness.
consc.org
Dr. Arnaud Delorme
University of California – San Diego and Institute of Noetic ScienceONS
What if consciousness is not an emergent property of the brain?
“You are a machine made of meat.” (Marvin Minsky)
“You are nothing but a pack of neurons.” (Francis Crick)
These quotes represent the prevailing views in science, which are based on 17th-century views on physics. Physicalist theories purport that consciousness originates from physical substrates like neurons that have evolved to be more and more complex over time through adaptation, leading to the emergence of consciousness. Non-physical models do not assume that a physical substrate generates consciousness, and many even propose that consciousness is as fundamental, or more so, than matter and spacetime. This perspective underly many ancient, esoteric, and Eastern cultures. Perhaps such a non-physicalist framework would provide a better explanation for the full range of reported human phenomenology. Scholars and scientists have debated these topics for thousands of years, with no clear resolution in sight. New experiments and scientific data are needed to move forward on this question in order to advance our understanding of Consciousness.
Bio: Arnaud Delorme, PhD, is a CNRS principal investigator in Toulouse, France, a member faculty at the University of California, San Diego, and a Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. In 2000, Dr. Delorme completed his PhD thesis on visual categorization in humans, monkeys, and machines. Dr. Delorme then moved to the Salk Institute for a postdoc in Terry Sejnowski and Francis Crick’s laboratory where he focused on statistical analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) signals recorded during various cognitive tasks. He developed the free EEGLAB software for advanced analysis of EEG signals in collaboration with Scott Makeig, software which is now amongst the most used in EEG research worldwide. He was awarded a Brettencourt-Schueller young investigator award and a 10-year anniversary ANT young investigator award for his contributions to the field of EEG research.
Dr. Delorme has a keen interest in the scientific study of consciousness and spirituality. He is a long-time Zen meditator, and has taught in India on the neural correlates of conscious experience in a Master’s degree program for the Birla Institute of Technology. Starting in 2002, he started to look at brain dynamical changes underlying extraordinary states of consciousness, including meditation, psycho-active agents, and mediumship.
The author of over 160 publications, Delorme’s work on mediumship is of particular interest — even with the mainstream. His paper on evidential mediumship and the brain activity of mediums is among the top 1% of articles viewed on the Research Gate platform. Backed by research that spans a decade, Delorme has made a compelling argument that the topic of mediumship is worthy of scientific investigation. Dr. Delorme is also investigating the means by which technology, in particular multi-channel neurofeedback, could be used to assist meditation practice.
Presented at the 2022 Conference of the Society for Consciousness Studies.
The Society for Consciousness Studies is a professional scholarly organization that honors work of quality from all authentic scholarly traditions, including philosophical, psychological, sociological, and other scientific understandings of consciousness.
consc.org
