Emphasis on the subjective in scientific research, especially in research of the unusual or the unexplained is a trend predictive of the future of science as an ultimately more powerful, valuable force in humanity’s evolutionary progress. It portends progression toward a science that is beyond a hybrid of the objective and the subjective – a science of the Real. Real in the sense that an ultimate blending, or superposition of the two, could reveal a profoundly more accurate and comprehensive depiction, and result in a deeper understanding – of the true nature of Reality.

Progress in this direction is evident in even some of the most traditional scientific institutions. In 2009, the British Royal Academy (sciences), in collaboration with the British Academy (humanities) stated: “Extraordinary talent remains one of the big unexplained puzzles, which will only be solved by a true collaboration between sciences and humanities”. A much earlier version of incorporating the subjective in objective scientific research of extraordinary or unusual human abilities led to the field of mind/body medicine. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a preeminent pioneer in mind/body medicine, went even a step further in refining the subjective aspect by hiring only researchers who had an established meditation practice. Researchers’ prior subjective experiences, of the same type as their subjects were having, combined with the type of personal development achieved as a result of these experiences, was an invaluable asset – as they studied their subjects’ progress with both objective and subjective research methodologies.

Eastern science traditions encourage such subjective internal developmental work as a means to promoting both a scientist’s own evolutionary development, and their concomitant ability to understand research conundrums from a higher perspective. This is of particular importance for studying unusual or unexplained phenomena. Along these same lines, Einstein noted that a problem cannot be solved at the level at which it was created. Eminent scientists from east and west would appear to agree that these phenomena are best studied not simply from an intellectual or mental level of consciousness, but rather from a level of spontaneous apprehension, or intuition – the state from which ‘Einstein “A-HA” moments’ originate.

This talk incorporates both eastern and western science perspectives, in addressing objective/subjective research design in studying anomalies. Drawing from Eastern science traditions, including Kashmir Shaivism and Patanjali Yoga Sutras, the main focus is the nature of the researcher’s subjective personal evolutionary development.

Dr. Syldona’s interdisciplinary background encompasses science, engineering, psychology, education and Eastern psychospiritual traditions, at institutions including: Carnegie-Mellon, Stanford and Brown Universities and SUNY Stonybrook. She is Founder/Director of the Institute for Human Psychospiritual Development, in Colorado.

Recorded at the 30th annual SSE Conference in 2011 at the Millennium Harvest House in Boulder, Colorado, USA.

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Published on November 13, 2018