Transcript

I think that the idea that it's all in the brain is an unnecessary limitation. Material is thinking about the brain, it's extraordinarily local. It localizes all these things actually inside the head, but within the sciences, since the 19th century, we now have a much broader view of matter and the way that nature is organized, and this is broadened through the concept of fields, first introduced into science by Michael Faraday in relation to electric and magnetic fields, then, through Einstein's general theory of relativity, taken to include the gravitational field. And there are many fields in science. Now, fields are defined as regions of influence. They're usually invisible. The gravitational field of the Earth is in the earth, but extends far beyond it.

The reason we're not floating in the air at the moment is because it's holding us down to the ground. It's invisible. This room is full of it, but we can't see it. It holds the moon in its orbit. It stretches far beyond the Earth. The gravitational field of the moon affects the tides on the earth. So these are invisible fields with enormous effects at a distance, even though you can't see them, electrical and magnetic fields also stretch out beyond physical objects. A magnetic field stretches out far beyond the magnet. You can reveal its lines of force through sprinkling iron filings around it, but the field itself is invisible, and the electromagnetic fields of your mobile telephone within the mobile telephone, but stretch invisibly beyond it. This room is full of radio transmissions from mobile phones, from radio and television programs. The world is full of invisible fields.