At the heart of Zoltan Torey's original theory of
consciousness lies the unique human capacity for language. Not
merely referring to our physical ability to communicate with
speech or sign, Torey is pointing to the potent interior
landscape that language makes possible, a landscape that bestows
upon us the capacity for self reflection, complex analysis, and
the ability to choose how and when to act. It is in this
language-enabled interiority where self-awareness arises, where
consciousness is experienced, where free will is exercised, and
where we humans stand alone and above all other earthly forms of
life—no longer shackled to the purely mechanical reflexes
of our biology.
Torey, as a dedicated scientist and theorist, adheres
naturally to the standards of good science, embracing only those
conclusions that are upheld by sound reasoning, careful
analysis, and methodical testing. But as an adventurer at the
frothy edge of a still fledgling science, his sense of profound
awe and personal passion for probing the unknown landscapes that
literally define our existence—and indeed, the existence
of the universe itself—shine brightly through. In this
extraordinary meeting of scientific and philosophical
perspectives, in a focused conversation on the nature of
consciousness and self, Torey and Cohen actually seem to push
the boundaries of self-awareness, expanding the conversation,
the context, and our collective consciousness in the process.
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Recorded on: 4/5/2007
Evolution of Consciousness