Cosmological psychology: An evolutionary framework for the emergence of the hierarchical mind

Abstract

A new cosmological psychology is presented as the cosmic evolutionary framework for the local Darwinian emergence of the hierarchical human mind. Based upon the premise that the physical universe is fundamentally composed of: energy, matter, life, mind and culture; a metapsychological theory is erected that views the emergent mind as composed of four hierarchical interactive levels of organization: physical, physiological, psychological and sociological. The explanatory power of this conceptualization of mind-within-cosmos is extended to new interpretations of such phenomena as: hemispheric lateralization; primary/secondary signalization (Montare, 1992); concept formation (Montare, 1994) and primary/secondary levels of consciousness (Montare, 1996).