Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. ISSN 0077-8923

ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCESIssue: The Emerging Science of Consciousness: Mind, Brain, and the Human Experience

Foreword to The Emerging Science of Consciousness:Mind, Brain, and the Human Experience

Following the resounding success of our Perspectives on the Self: Conversations on Identity and Consciousnessseries in 2010–2011, the full proceedings of which were published as a separate volume of Annals in 2011,the Nour Foundation was delighted to once again partner with the New York Academy of Sciences to presentanother timely and thought-provoking four-part series entitled “The Emerging Science of Consciousness.”

Unlike the previous series that featured different moderators for each of the six panel discussions, asingle moderator was chosen, Wisconsin Public Radio’s Steve Paulson, to bring cohesion to the variouspanels. Steve, an executive producer of the Peabody Award–winning radio program To the Best of OurKnowledge, brought a unifying narrative and distinctive journalistic style that significantly contributed tothe overwhelming success of the series.

Before discussing the series, I would like to take a moment to briefly introduce the Nour Foundation toreaders who may not be familiar with it and, more importantly, to explain the impetus behind this seriesof events with the academy. Founded in 1985, the Nour Foundation is a public charitable and nongovern-mental organization in special consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.a

Through a multidisciplinary and integrative approach that blends the sciences and the humanities, thefoundation explores expressions of meaning and commonality in human experience with the ultimate aimof engendering a greater spirit of unity, tolerance, and understanding among human beings worldwide.

This somewhat ambitious mandate and the unique foundation behind it was inspired by the inclusiveand innovative philosophy of the late Ostad Elahi,b a contemporary thinker and jurist who devoted hislife to investigating the perennial existential questions of humankind: Who are we? Where have we comefrom? Why are we here? and Where does our ultimate destination lie? His personal journey from a classicmystic at the turn of the century to an accomplished jurist in the Ministry of Justice provides a remarkableillustration of the resiliency of the human spirit and an example of the possibility for reconciling the innerquest for meaning and transcendence with a natural and productive life in modern society.

Ostad Elahi concluded from a lifetime of personal experience and observation that the answers to theseperennial questions of meaning are not necessarily beyond our grasp, provided that we are committed totheir search and are willing to set aside any preconceptions and biases in their pursuit.c Moreover, thisexistential quest for meaning need not be predicated upon the adoption of any particular creed or lifestyle,but rather entails the acquisition of greater self-knowledge through the ongoing work of both introspectionand ethical practice. Toward this end, he ultimately extracted the quintessence of all faiths and distilled

aFor more information on the Nour Foundation, see www.nourfoundation.com.bTo learn more about the life and work of Ostad Elahi (1895–1874), see www.ostadelahi.com.c See Elahi, O., 2007. Knowing the Spirit. translated by James W. Morris. Albany: State University of New York Press.

doi: 10.1111/nyas.12309

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Foreword Rass

them into a set of concrete ethical principles adapted to our modern age, which constitute the basis of hiscomprehensive philosophy of perfection.

It is in that same spirit of open inquiry, then, that the foundation explores various expressions of meaningand commonality through its diverse programs. Given the multitude of diverse perspectives and ideologiesin today’s ever-expanding world, it is not so much the answers to such existential questions that are ofimportance, but rather their independent and objective pursuit based on the best evidence available tous, such that they can ultimately provide some subjective meaning and purpose to our lives, some moralframework within which to navigate our daily concerns and aspirations. For it is essentially the meaningthat we choose to attribute to our lives that in large measure determines the orientation of our choices andefforts.

Indeed, as modern science continues to forge ahead in its quest to understand and explain the workingsof the universe—including the incredibly rich universe within—questions of meaning and values, ethics,and character have become increasingly important, for they provide the essential groundwork upon whichto build the commonality of our shared experience. The more we collectively strive to understand theuniversal nature of the human condition, the better we can appreciate the numerous aspects we sharein common; the less we tend to isolate and differentiate ourselves from others; and the more altruistic,empathetic, and tolerant we become. That is why one of the foundation’s primary objectives is to promoteinformed discourse from an interdisciplinary perspective rooted not only in sound theories, but also in theshared commonality of our human experience.

Which brings me back to our series on the emerging science of consciousness. The complexity of thehuman brain and how it gives rise to our conscious understanding and experience of the world around us arethe greatest mysteries remaining in science today. What exactly is the origin and nature of consciousness?What specifically are the defining traits of human consciousness? How does memory shape our self-perception and the development of our personalities? What is the relationship between music and higherfunctions of human consciousness, such as creativity? What role does consciousness play in our physicaland mental well-being? What is neuroscience revealing about the effects and benefits of mindfulness andcontemplative practices?

Throughout this volume, an impressive array of experts—from Nobel laureate psychologist DanielKahneman, Harvard psychology chair Daniel Schacter, and physician-scientist Nicholas Schiff, to neuro-scientist Richard Davidson, jazz pianist Vijay Iyer, and philosopher David Chalmers—share their innovativethoughts and ideas on these elusive questions, in some instances revealing how their latest research is chal-lenging core concepts about the very nature and function of consciousness in our daily lives. Ultimately,it is hoped that readers will be able to take away something concrete from these discussions that promptsthem to at least think about these questions in a different light, and perhaps gain some measure of greaterinsight into the meaning and role of consciousness in their own lives.

Such an elaborate series, of course, could not be possible without the invaluable help and supportof numerous individuals and organizations. On behalf of the Nour Foundation, I would therefore like toextend my gratitude to the New York Academy of Sciences and its hardworking team of professionals, whosecommitment to excellence revealed itself in every facet of our successful partnership. I would also like tothank Steve Paulson for his probing and engaging moderating of the panel discussions; WNYC for actingas our exclusive media sponsor; and all of our distinguished speakers and panelists who graciously tooktime from their busy lives to share their expertise and insights with us. Finally, I would like to acknowledgeand warmly thank the tireless staff of Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences for memorializing thisseries of intriguing discussions with a volume containing essays and papers authored by the panelists.

Richard Rass, J.D.

Program Manager, Nour Foundation, New York, New York

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