View source for Review of My Big TOE:2nd by Ted Vollers

The following review was originally provided here:  http://www.my-big-toe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40

When I first became aware of Thomas Campbell and his trilogy of books, '''''My Big TOE''''', I had already spent my life with the constant underlying purpose of learning to understand the nature of reality which in my view includes God. Not however the personal God described at your local religious institution. I had already published the results of my studies on the internet at http://www.active-mysticism.com. As a technical professional (Ph. D. — Mechanical Engineering) with a lot of computer modeling experience, I appreciated the technical approach taken by MBT and had a sufficient background to understand the models development. The brief information available (at http://www.my-big-toe.com) made me believe that I would learn from these books in the fields of my interest and the different point of view I expected to find promised to be even more enlightening. The results far exceeded my expectations. I was able to enlarge the bounds of my understanding of reality and to see how to fit things I had already become acquainted with into this larger context. The things to which I refer are described on my web site and my original understanding of reality is available there (http://www.active-mysticism.com/ShortModel-1.htm). After a very rewarding experience reading My Big TOE, I became able to expand my understanding of reality in a version 2 which is available starting here (http://www.active-mysticism.com/ShortModel-1-IntroductionT.htm). I can best describe this experience as having my mind “catalyzed“ to permit a rapid expansion of my understanding. My point of view is different from Thomas Campbell but I owe him a great debt of thanks for the value of the information he provided in his trilogy.

When I first reviewed Thomas Campbell’s My Big TOE, I was still working on my understanding of it. Having had some time since to digest and reflect on what I have read and learned in some part, I feel that I can give a different review now that attempts to give a direct overview of the contents and their significance rather than just an indirect recommendation. I am still in agreement with my previous review but perhaps this will provide more information to someone attempting to decide whether to invest the necessary time and a few dollars into reading this trilogy. I am still not going to attempt a review in detail of the contents, but rather to put the main contents, the importance of these works and what you might learn from them into a perspective that is perhaps comprehensive enough to be called a world view in light of these books.

As humanity and human society has developed from before recorded history, one of our continuing traits as humans is to attempt to understand the reality we perceive around us and our place in it. The trilogy My Big TOE by Thomas Campbell is a significant continuation of that quest for understanding. At present in human society this understanding is provided in general on a religious basis or on a scientific basis. Religions typically assume a prime being, God(s), who causes the balance of reality to come into existence. The nature of this prime being and its relationship to its creations has been studied by theologians who seek to analyze and theorize and in general integrate (mold) this being into their religious structure. It has also been studied by mystics who seek direct contact and understanding and are not necessarily concerned about whether the results fit a religion or not. A major departure by a mystic was made by a man who became known as the Buddha who brought an all encompassing Mind to the forefront of causation instead of a creator being.

Science as an institution makes no assumptions about God and leaves prime beings out of the story. Science as an activity pursued by human beings contains many aspects of creationism and religion as introduced by practitioners based on their own biases and predilections. Historical development and the obvious “physical“ aspects of the world that we see and touch around us has led science to postulate a causeless explosion, the “big bang“, as the source of all that is observable and that consciousness arises from the observed physical reality in a way that science cannot yet explain. There have also been those scientists, including many of the greatest, who were inclined to apply mysticism to understanding and describing reality. This has also included the concept that the observable physical reality arises from some form of universal consciousness or mind. Science has attempted in recent times to seek a depth of understanding sufficient that the rules that describe the way reality functions can be expressed by such a powerful basic core of equations that all phenomena of reality can be deduced from these roots. This formulation is presently referred to as a Theory of Everything or TOE. And here, finally we reach the point where we are talking about Thomas Campbell’s creation, '''''My Big TOE'''''.

Thomas Campbell’s trilogy of books not only develop a Theory Of Everything but do so starting from what is arguably the most advanced concept of modern physics, a universal consciousness which generates everything else but not in the sense of God creating a separate physical reality of which we are a part. Rather as a consciousness that is native to a media that is the most basic “thing“ existing, a field of “reality cells“ in which the interactions between adjacent cells permit and form the basis of the functions of consciousness and allow anything that might be done as a computation in a digital computer to occur. Thomas Campbell describes the development of this state and this consciousness in a logical sequence based on a simple but powerful conceptualization of evolution. He does this as a scientist describing his researches rather than as a religionist or mystic. Within his logical development, this consciousness becomes universal and it is within this consciousness that we and all other existing conscious beings have our existence and interact in extensive, highly advanced societies. This is a reality composed of information being developed within a self programming digital consciousness. Within this consciousness are also many simulated realities of which our home earth and its surrounding universe is one. While earth and many other of these realities are simulations of physical realities, many are simulations of non-physical realities where conditions and the laws of (local) physics are much different from here.

Within these realities, the conscious beings including ourselves live interactive lives that are recorded for our edification. We undergo a sequence of lives in a continuing effort to “get it right“. We thereby enhance our own personal evolution as well as contribute to the evolution of the whole. These simulated physical lives are separated by periods in a simulated non-physical life during which we rest and recuperate and study to determine our mistakes and evaluate our progress. Actually, we split our consciousness and a part of it is always active in the non-physical life. The simple bottom line is that the purpose of these realities and lives is educational and developmental (i.e. spiritual) and we are in one of the lower grades in a rough part of town. These are not the only aspects of this reality that are described in this TOE but just from these few you can see that we have explained what happens after we “die“, reincarnation, past lives, life in the “spirit world“ after death, are we the center of reality (and that’s a big NO), do other intelligent species exist, what is our purpose for existing and more. All presented as a scientist teaching a scientific theory and its applications, repeatedly at different levels and from different viewpoints for the edification of those out of their field or unused to science. Not as a new age practitioner, religionist or mystic espousing an opinion but as a qualified physicist.

Yes, you are right that this does not sound like “science“ as you are used to it and that “science“ would probably balk at talking about other intelligent beings, “simulated“ realities, physical or otherwise and civilizations existing in other places to which we have no access. So how does Thomas Campbell know? You cannot study consciousness from the outside or with instrumentation. There we start to push the boundaries of being a main stream scientist as he has literally “been there and done that“. He explains his pertinent background both extensively and shallowly, omitting what he considers to be of entertainment value only. He experienced extensive out of body experiences (OOBEs) as a child that he only remembered later as an adult. He was a member of Robert Monroe’s (http://www.MonroeInstitute.org) original team investigating OOBEs. He has made his living in a career as a main stream physicist. Throughout his “normal“ life he has developed his ability to bring information from his non-physical life into consciousness in this earth life and basically to experience himself as one consciousness experiencing two simultaneous simulated lives. So what he is telling us about is a logical development based on (powered by) his learning and experiences in the other physical and non-physical realities that we can access if we learn how. As he says, he keeps his eyes and ears open and learns all he can about the realities he experiences. And he does not invite you to believe him but to learn to participate yourself and evaluate what he has to say directly, based on your own experience. You are invited to participate in the exploration of reality and expansion of our understanding of it, complete with beginning instructions of how to do so.

This review is very limited in what can be covered in a reasonable space but I hope that I have provided an overview that shows where Thomas Campbell’s trilogy '''''My Big TOE''''' fits into the greater scheme of things: where science is going in the human quest to understand the reality we inhabit or rather of which we are a part. I have also tried to show you that Thomas Campbell is a uniquely qualified person to be offering this information to us. Also that this is information that is not obtainable elsewhere and that can provide you with insights into all aspects of reality. It can greatly improve the quality of your life through understanding if you are prepared to invest some time in its study.
[[User:Ted Vollers|Ted Vollers]] 21:29, 29 May 2011 (CDT)