The Relativity of Simultaneity Is the Link Between the Empirically Demonstrated Association Between Oscillating Electric Fields in the Brain and Cognition: The Pineal Gland of Descartes Does Not Work – Coordinate Transformations Dependent on the Relativity of Simultaneity Underlie the Invariance of Maxwell’s Laws and the Principle of Relativity

Empirical research has indicated that there is a positive association: 1) between coherent oscillating electrical and magnetic fields arising from the brain and coherence in cognition and 2) between incoherent oscillating electric and magnetic fields arising from the brain and incoherence in cognition. Maxwell’s 4 laws for electromagnetism describe electric fields and magnetic fields in general, including oscillating electric and magnetic fields arising from the brain (neural oscillations). The reasons for the above associations are: 1) all electromagnetic phenomena are described by Maxwell’s laws in inertial reference frames moving at a constant velocity relative to one another; 2) the Lorentz transformation equations in special relativity provide the way to transform electromagnetic phenomena between inertial reference frames (coordinate systems) moving at a constant velocity relative to one another without any change in Maxwell’s laws (through the use of coordinate transformations between the coordinate systems that are cognitive, logical in nature); 3) in special relativity, the existence of electric and magnetic fields in a coordinate system depends on the relative state of motion of “stationary” and “moving” coordinate systems with regard to each other (through the use of Lorentz coordinate transformation equations between these coordinate systems). In a scenario, one coordinate system is arbitrarily the “stationary” system and the other the “moving” coordinate system; 4) either coordinate system can be the “stationary” coordinate system while the other is the “moving” coordinate system since empirical evidence has indicated that the human observer (who could be moving) can see himself at rest even if he would be moving; 5) Einstein showed that the fundamental derivation of the Lorentz transformation equations depends on the relativity of simultaneity in special relativity. In special relativity, there is a switch from the emphasis on material items, such as an electric charge or a magnet, in pre-relativity physics to emphasizing coordinate transformations between coordinate systems. This switch is possible because we move from the Galilean coordinate transformation equations in which time and space are absolute to the Lorentz coordinate transformation equations in special relativity in which time and space in a reference frame (actually a coordinate system) is relative. In contrast to the absolute simultaneity in pre-relativity physics, the relative time and space in coordinate systems in special relativity is set up through the relativity of simultaneity between coordinate systems moving at a constant velocity relative to one another. Neural oscillations thus rely on Maxwell’s laws, indicating that neural oscillations involve logic and cognition that allows them to be the interface between mental and physical phenomena as demonstrated by the empirical evidence regarding the association of coherence in neural oscillations and coherence in cognition and the association of incoherence between neural oscillations and incoherence in cognition. The foundation for the association of neural oscillations and cognition are the logical, cognitive, and perceptual features of special relativity described here that have not been appreciated. It appears that electromagnetic phenomena arising from the brain are the link between body and mind, including consciousness.