Your Brain: Who's in Control? | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS

COGNITION: The path to understanding reality
(From biological instinct to transcendental Revelation)

📜 COGNITION is a complex human activity that encompasses the acquisition of knowledge and awareness of the world through experience, thought, observation, and, for believers, through Revelation. It manifests in various forms and is explored through interdisciplinary perspectives: from quantum physics and neuroscience to philosophy, art, and theology.

"Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High, who creates and proportions well, and who determines with measure and guides." (Al-A'la, 1-3)

"Our Lord is He who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it." (Ta-Ha, 49-50)

"By the soul and He who proportioned it and inspired it with discernment of its wickedness and its righteousness, he has succeeded who purifies it, and he has failed who instills it with corruption!" (Ash-Shams, 7-10)

"And your Lord inspired to the bee, 'Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and in that which they construct. Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down for you.' There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought." (An-Nahl, 68-69)

These Quranic truths resonate today in the highest scientific spheres. Quantum physics adds ontological weight to cognition, proving that information is the fundamental building block of the universe, while neuroscience confirms the deep biological and electromagnetic bond between the body, mind, and environment.

TYPES OF COGNITION

There is a total of seven types of cognition - six earthly and one heavenly. Earthly cognitions encompass the basic dimensions of human understanding, while heavenly cognition is Revelation, which comes as a divine source of truth.

📗 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever takes a path upon which to obtain knowledge, Allah makes the path to Paradise easy for him." (Muslim)

1. BIOLOGICAL COGNITION (life and physiological needs): The fundamental level of cognition, common to all living beings. It encompasses the sense of existence and the autonomous reactions of the nervous system for survival. Intelligence is a transitional phase between biological and intellectual cognitions.

2. INTELLECTUAL COGNITION (intelligence, reason, and intellect): Characteristic of humans. It encompasses problem-solving, abstract logical reasoning (reason), and metacognition - the ability to integrate knowledge into a coherent whole (intellect), aimed at adaptation and general well-being. It is precisely through the acquisition of this level of knowledge that man is ontologically and spiritually elevated in the cosmic order:

"...Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do." (Al-Mujadila, 11)

"Whomever Allah wishes good for, He grants him deep understanding in religion." (Bukhari and Muslim)

3. WISDOM: A higher level of cognition that transcends mere analytics. It refers to the understanding of the deeper laws of life. It includes ethical reasoning and the application of knowledge for the sake of good. Wisdom (hikmah) is not mere information gathering, but a Divine gift of sound judgment that represents the ultimate wealth of mind and spirit:

"He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good. And none will remember except those of understanding." (Al-Baqarah, 269)

"Wisdom is the lost property of the believer, so wherever he finds it, he is most deserving of it." (Tirmidhi)

4. INTUITIVE COGNITION: Direct understanding without conscious cognitive reasoning. Here, the heart takes on a crucial role, perceiving information and sending it to the brain faster than the rational mind can process it.

5. EXPERIENTIAL COGNITION: Knowledge acquired through personal interaction with the world, lived through and stored in the subconscious.

6. MORAL COGNITION: Understanding of ethical principles, inextricably linked to the human conscience (fitrah) and the spiritual state of the heart.

7. REVELATION (Transcendental cognition): Cognition beyond the reach of mere human experience, through Divine inspiration. Revelation represents the highest form of "Information" - a divine code that harmonizes the physical laws of the universe with the moral laws of humanity. This transcendental knowledge is infinite, inexhaustible, and represents the absolute truth over which human reason can only watch in admiration:

"Say, 'If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement.'" (Al-Kahf, 109)

In this way, the verse from Al-Mujadila confirms that intellect and learning raise us to higher degrees; the verse from Al-Baqarah frames the definition of wisdom as the greatest wealth; while the verse from Al-Kahf places Revelation on its rightful throne as an infinite, inexhaustible source of information and creation.

❤️ THE HEART: THE NEUROLOGICAL AND METAPHYSICAL COMPASS OF MAN

Although the brain processes information and draws logical conclusions, growing scientific evidence indicates that intuitive and moral cognition (types 4 and 6) fundamentally rely on the heart. The heart plays a key role in moral, emotional, and spiritual (religious) reasoning and the confirmation of tawhid.

Neurocardiology confirms that the heart possesses its own intrinsic nervous system — the so-called "heart brain" — with over 40,000 neurons. Although cognitive logic and analytics remain in the domain of the cranial brain, the sensory signals processed by the cardiac nervous system and sent to the brain directly modulate the centers for emotions and perception. The heart thereby gives the brain an "emotional and moral tone" before the mind even forms a conscious thought.

"Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured." (Ar-Ra'd, 28)

Communication between the heart and the brain occurs predominantly via the vagus nerve, with 80% of the impulses traveling upward, from the heart to the brain. The electromagnetic field of the heart is many times stronger than that of the brain and can be measured several feet away from the body. When we are in a state of gratitude, love, or spiritual tranquility (itmi'nan), this field becomes highly coherent, making the heart a resonator that communicates with the environment and aligns with a higher order. Tests show that the heart can anticipate emotional signals before the conscious mind registers them — which indicates its intuitive perception. The brain is a tool for logic, and the heart is a compass for emotions and morality — which is why intuitive decisions often “come from the heart”.

🔬The Science of Heart Coherence

The concept of heart coherence represents a state in which the heart, brain, and nervous system operate in optimal synchronization. In a coherent state, our heart rhythm becomes more ordered, which improves cognitive and emotional functions, mental clarity, and resilience to stress. The human biological body proves itself here as well to be the ultimate evidence of perfect Divine order.

❤️The Heart in Revelation: The Seat of Intellect and Faith
These discoveries deepen the understanding of the Quranic discourse, which has always attributed the capacity for understanding, decision-making, and faith to the heart.

"So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts." (Al-Hajj, 46)

Commentary on the verse (Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi al-Andalusi): "This is proof that the intellect (moral and emotional) resides in the heart, and not in the head as philosophers claim... True blindness is not the blindness of the eyes, but the blindness of the heart. For these people, it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts."

The brain operates logically, but often without a moral context. This is where the heart steps in as the seat of conscience and spiritual cognition, infusing information with ethics. The blindness of the eyes is physical, but the blindness of the heart is a spiritual inability to recognize the Truth.

The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, further clarified the central role of the heart:

"There is a piece of flesh in the body: if it is sound, the whole body is sound; if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart." (Bukhari and Muslim)

"Verily, Allah does not look at your bodies or your appearances, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds." (Muslim)

❤️Qalb and Fu'ad: The Intuitive Organ that Sees the Truth
In the Islamic tradition, a subtle distinction is made between states of the heart. Qalb comes from a root that means "to turn around, to fluctuate" - it is a heart susceptible to change. On the other hand, fu'ad denotes a deeper, more intensely burning state of the heart; the one that feels deeply and into which the Truth is permanently engraved, the site of the inner battle between light and darkness. This shows that man exercises intuition, repentance, and confirms faith through his spiritual center.

The practice of dhikr and dua specifically aims at achieving itmi'nan al-qalb (tranquility of the heart), a state that is the spiritual parallel to scientific heart coherence. These practices strengthen the heart, making it capable of recognizing the Truth and preparing it for eternity.

I wish more people would take interest in this. I believe there are so many on self-aware people that it is a dangerous place to be. I challenge the world to know themselves.

Funny how the patient’s weight was blurred for privacy reasons, but we get to see her brain waves, a deep look into what’s happening in her unconsciousness. Some say, AI tools will be able to decipher those wavy patterns.

Since getting covid vaccine tinnitus I am pretty sure I am not me

Thank you for this video, very enlightening!

"guilt"? or communal responsibility/empathy? kinda stupid commentary 25:30

This was very informative, appreciate it.

Amazing content as always!

For many people I'd say the elite controlled media control their brains... ie the koch bros who sponsor the content of PBS. Or operation mockingbird for starters.

If I dream that I'm driving a car through an unknown place with perfect streets, traffic lights, tall buildings, and pedestrians- and the people react realistically by shouting, jumping away, or responding naturally- does that mean I'm actually experiencing a real world in that moment?



If not, then who or what is creating all those details, people, reactions, and that perfectly realistic mental world in real time while I'm the one driving inside the dream? And how does the car continue moving through places I've never consciously created or seen before?

✨You can't control everything that makes you who you are, but the unconscious you is still you✨
😮🤯💯👍

Toruń i pomysły zadowleni

36:51 I haven't watched how this worked but I chose the right chair(with the 'not' letter)

Fa tabarakalahul Ehsanulkhaleqeen

God is Great, Yeshua is the King 👑

does consciousness have an end like say prolly Im the end of consciousness or we just get more conscious

Consciousness is synchronized with my mind and my brain and I'm the observer.

why does the left want to convince people that they aren't responsible for what they do? what do they gain from this nonsense? just look at japan. would you rather live in a city like tokyo where you can walk anywhere at night without being harmed by lunatics who have no fear of repercussions for their actions or parts of nyc where you are almost certainly going to be harmed? being responsible for what you do is foundational for law and order.

99% 😷 🤭 what advance

This kind of reminds me of the philosophical debate of free will when they mentioned being the agent of their life.

I know me mama and daddy Louie he a female if looking

Beyoncé I kid u not input im out hyde

Woah time luck all it cost was my dreads TRILOGY include

Kill again loo NOTHING input cousin mi too woah no thank u walk past obviously no convo and ra

Top-down causation

So bloody interesting!!

Scientific value : zero. It is not so that because our subsconscient controls what we"are able to" know, that one could know on which page another would open the book and would consider that word....as being "important"...It would require all other words are bullshit, AND that the "chosen word" was on each page, and known as not being bullshit to the tested person... Fake, big fake ! Why ?
Why this fake ?

Related to "tunnel- vision", where subconscience refuses certain information to overload conscient capacity, empeaching it to take "vital" decisions... - as the subconscient does judge it ? Even, some ignored information will accede to conscience, years and years after....It just remained hidden to your conscience, so you did really not "know about it"...

Has anyone else watched this and immediately started questioning every decision they made today? The sleepwalking segment hit different — our brain really does so much without us even knowing.

Thank you for this video, very enlightening!

This is so fascinating, I love it!!