Spiritual Intelligence and Free Will

The Ego Has No Free Will

The ego and the soul are located at opposite poles of attention [ref]. The ego identifies with the products of IQ and EQ at the object-pole of attention, in the form of perceptions, thoughts, emotions, memories, beliefs etc. The ego is therefore defined and controlled by whatever objects of attention with which the ego identifies. Consequently the ego has no Free Will.

The Soul Has Free Will

However SQ interrupts the ego by identifying with the soul at the opposite pole of attention [ref]. As consciousness itself, at the subject-pole of attention, the soul is not identified with objects of attention, and therefore not controlled by them [ref]. As the soul you can therefore exercise your will, free from compulsion. Free Will is therefore a faculty of SQ, the intelligence of the soul.

Scientific Evidence for Free Will

The evidence for the existence of Free Will as a faculty of spiritual intelligence is based on a synthesis of findings drawn from five independent fields of scientific research, combining results from Cognitive Psychology, Transpersonal Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Neuroscience, and Quantum Physics. The relevant findings in each of these fields are summarised below.

1. Cognitive Psychology

Studies in cognitive psychology show that the experience of presence mediates the impact of thoughts and emotions [1]. For example, if you feels anxious or depressed because of particular thoughts, you can learn how not to feel anxious or depressed by practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) teaches how not to be controlled by thoughts and emotional reactions, by witnessing them instead of automatically identifying with them. On the basis of scientific studies into mindfulness [2], it is evident that the experience of presence, which is attained in mindfulness, frees you to exercise your will without compulsion, in the context of ego reactions that would otherwise compel you to react in a certain way. The experience of presence is therefore the foundation of Free Will.

2. Transpersonal Psychology

Studies in transpersonal psychology [3] show that the state of presence is free from domination by ego reactions. Ego reactions are the thoughts and emotions generated in the state of identification with the body and mind. In the state of presence, you are not identified with the body and mind, or with the thoughts and emotions generated as a result of being identified with the body and mind. In the state of presence, you are identified with consciousness itself (or the soul) [ref]. Therefore, when you are present, you are able to make decisions, or Free to exercise your Will, based on your soul values, free from domination and control by ego reactions. Consequently, Free Will is exercised at the subject-pole of attention in moments of presence, when you are identified as consciousness itself (or the soul). Studies in transpersonal psychology therefore confirm that Free Will is a faculty of the soul. 

3. Psychoanalysis

Studies in psychoanalysis discovered that object relations are the means by which personal identity is established [4]. However, unknown to Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, this discovery had already been made a long time ago by ancient traditions of spiritual wisdom, notably by Vedanta and Buddhism. Nevertheless, psychoanalysis was the first to confirm this finding in the western intellectual tradition. Modern psychodynamic studies in object relations [5] demonstrate that the ego (or the body-mind self) grows by means of identifying with states of body and mind at the object-pole of attention.

4. Neuroscience

Studies in neuropsychology have identified the neurological state of the brain associated with spiritual intelligence. Whole brain activation at a frequency of 40Hz results in hemispheric synchronisation [6]. At this brain frequency neither IQ (left hemisphere) nor EQ (right hemisphere) can dominate, because both hemispheres are synchronised. 40 Hz whole brain activation represents the SQ brain state, because this frequency correlates with the experience of spiritual intelligence. This frequency is therefore associated with the shift from the object-pole of attention to the subject-pole of attention, and the corresponding shift from ego to soul. The capability of exercising Free Will is therefore hard-wired in the human brain, and the associated brain activity can be measured.

5. Quantum Physics

A scientific law called the “law of causality” is generally assumed to exist, according to which everything must have a physical cause, including processes in the human brain. If the “law of causality” is valid, then Free Will is impossible. However, this “law” is a form of conventional wisdom that is not based in contemporary science. The so-called “law of causality” gained popularity with the advent of Newtonian physics in the 17th century, which legitimised the belief in determinism. According to the determinist worldview, everything belongs to an unbroken chain of causes and effects, including events in the brain. However, more recent discoveries have superseded the determinism of Newtonian physics. Quantum physics confirms that not everything has a cause at the subatomic level. For example, radioactive decay is causeless [7].

Accordingly, it is now accepted as scientific fact that the so-called “law of causality” does not to apply at the very small scale. Similarly, the exercise of Free Will does not have a cause, otherwise it would not be free. Therefore the existence of Free Will as an uncaused phenomenon is consistent with the fundamental principles of contemporary science [8]. Recent studies of neural activity at the quantum level, as summarised in the video below, postulate an uncaused subatomic neural process as the means by which Free Will influences brain activity, and thus manifests in thought and action [9].

How to Engage your Free Will

The above findings from five independent fields of scientific research summarise the evidence for the existence of Free Will as a faculty of spiritual intelligence. Accordingly, in order to engage Free Will, it’s necessary to activate spiritual intelligence. We all experience SQ spontaneously at times. But spontaneous moments of spiritual intelligence are usually rare and unpredictable. Therefore it’s important to know how to experience SQ intentionally. This video provides step-by-step instructions on how to activate SQ intentionally, and thus engage your Free Will.

3Q Training

As a powerful combination of three principal dimensions of intelligence, 3Q represents IQ and EQ in association with SQ. Studies in neuroscience reveal that the experience of spiritual intelligence is correlated with hemispheric synchronisation and whole brain activation [10]. The resulting whole-brain coherence optimises brain function and replaces the ego (the false self) with the soul (consciousness itself, the true self) by shifting from the object-pole of attention to the subject-pole of attention, which results in greater fulfilment, increased creativity, sharpened intuition, more empathy and compassion, and improved performance on a wide range of work skills and life skills. If you want to learn more, there is a Course on 3Q Training here.

Sources

The SQ paradigm is based on a synthesis combining the wisdom of ancient spiritual traditions with the findings of modern science, as summarised in this article here

References

© 2011 – 2024, Richard Griffiths.