Skip to content

4. Where do the thoughts come from?

The question is: Where does the thought originate or who "makes" it? I also pursued this question on the basis of absolute information, because I didn't want to be guided by my subjective point of view.

The human organism is an absolute structure that can be used to learn many things. Just as a tablet, for example, is made up of many components, the organism consists of many interconnected organs. They function in a complex interplay. Somewhere, all the organs of an organism must be controlled and regulated. So there must be a center that connects them all. We know that the cerebral cortex forms this center, the connection point for the entire body. We have summarized the entire human being in our cerebral cortex. This is where all the "wires" connect in the form of nerve pathways that control the human body.

We will therefore take a closer look at the structure of the brain in the next step. The cerebrum consists of two hemispheres, or halves of the brain. The cerebral cortices of these two hemispheres are not connected to each other, so an incision could be made in the middle without cutting the cerebral cortex. Although underlying structures in the brain would be destroyed, the cerebral cortex would remain whole. This is an important point for the question of why we have one-sided physical illnesses.1

The outer cortex is a corrugated layer only 4 to 5 mm thick. It consists of billions of nerve cells, also known as neurons. These function as conductive cables that extend from the cerebral cortex into the body. In this way, the entire body is combined in the cerebral cortex. Everything that happens in the body begins in the cerebral cortex. From there, the nerve tracts lead to the center of the brain, the so-called limbic system. They then divide, change sides from right to left and vice versa and then run throughout the entire body.

Every physical function begins with an electrical impulse in the cerebral cortex, which triggers all further steps in the body. Incidentally, each of the nerve pathways are isolated. Only in this way can the current reach the right place in the body and, for example, move the little finger precisely. This electrical impulse reaches the limbic system. There, the impulse leads to an initial chemical reaction, which is immediately reported back to the cerebral cortex - the so-called emotion. This signal is the first feedback as to what the electrical impulse or current does in the body, whether it is appropriate for the body - if I am happy about something or not.

Where do thoughts originate? Do they originate in the brain, for example in the cerebral cortex, or rather in the limbic system? Or do they come from outside the brain or outside the cerebral cortex? The law of nature again helps us to find the answer.

Conventional medicine claims (in simplified terms) that thoughts arise between the synapses of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex.2 Brain waves and chemistry would interact and in the course of such a process, for example, an idea would arise. But there are billions of nerve cells, which of them has the function of controlling thoughts? Which one makes the final decision? There must be a superordinate point somewhere, at least a kind of starting point, similar to a technical instrument.

Hence the question: Can the brain think for itself? To answer this question with certainty, we need to look at what the brain is made of. Just like all known matter, it is made up of atoms. The atoms of the different elements of the periodic table can react with each other and we know a lot about the processes of the chemical reactions that then take place.

These reactions

  • can only occur depending on external factors,
  • cannot take place by chance, because the preconditions and possible outcomes for a reaction are always predetermined, and
  • Chemistry can absorb, store and pass on energy and information.

Chemical reactions are defined in the laws of nature at an atomic level; they always take place in the same way. This is the only way to produce cement, for example, that meets certain standards. We know we can use electronic devices because chemistry absorbs information and stores it in a retrievable form. Chemistry can also absorb and transfer heat.

At the same time, we know what is naturally impossible with chemical elements. Computers have no thoughts, they cannot think, even if they have facial recognition or so-called "artificial intelligence" and can react. "Reacting" does not mean "thinking".

Chemical elements

  • cannot feel anything (a cell phone feels nothing),
  • cannot choose, i.e. cannot make decisions,
  • cannot control or destroy themselves,
  • cannot have morals.
  • cannot have consciousness (how much consciousness does a tablet have?),
  • cannot self-reflect,

Chemical elements are therefore certainly not the source of thoughts. But where do thoughts come from? Why can humans think? If the brain is composed exclusively of chemistry, then it is naturally impossible for it to think independently.

Humans can feel and think. However, chemical elements are numb. The nerve in the injured finger transmits an impulse to the brain. Only then does a feeling arise in the head. Who feels the pain? Where is the seat of feelings? The existence of feelings is in itself good proof that human beings cannot be made up of chemistry alone.

Furthermore, humans can destroy themselves, unlike non-living elements in nature. The laws of nature do not provide for the self-destruction of matter. However, people can jump to their death from an 11th floor window in response to information that does not meet their needs. This is what the boyfriend of one of my patients did. When she broke up with him on the phone, he jumped to his death during the call.

A chemical element, e.g. a tablet, cannot bring about its own demise. However, there are observations of self-destruction in animals. For example, when a beloved owner dies, cats or dogs often become seriously ill and die. Some animals refuse to eat until they die. Why do they behave like this?

So there must be something in humans and also in animals that first gives rise to the idea of self-destruction before such a decision is made.

People have cognitive abilities; they can be happy or angry with other people. This means that they can consciously perceive information and react to it in a recognizable way. People can also make choices. They choose their life partner, their profession or even a car. Matter cannot do any of this.

Where do people get all these abilities from? Where is the source? Is it in the brain? The law of nature rules out the possibility that chemistry alone or an organ consisting exclusively of chemistry can think. What remains to be clarified is what is it in humans that can think? Only then can we answer the question of where thoughts come from.

  1. According to the laws of inheritance, the two cerebral cortices are each particularly characterized by one parent. ↩

  2. An overview is provided by Eccles, J. C. (2000): How the self controls its brain. (3rd ed.) Piper. His statement of the limitations of materialistic solutions is remarkable, see p. 261f. ↩