consciousness characteristics

[alden]

1. There seems to be only two things existing: matter and consciousness. Matter, as investigations by physicists show and some recent definitions

of it by philosophers, seems just as etheral as consciousness--giving more indication that they are one and the same.

2. We, and everything else, would be made of this "substance," which would also encompass, probably, other universes.

3. The bulk of our conscious moments are not accopanied by a feeling of self awareness.

4. The bulk of our operation is done subconsciously as if we are a machine designed not to know that we are conscious. The minute amount of

consciousness that "bubbles-up" during our so-called thoughts may be inadvertent because we as machines are made of consciousness.

5. There seem to be as many problems with the notions of time and space as there are with consciousness and matter. Perhaps answers

might come more easily if time and space as well as matter are considered illisionary.

6. Number 5 would mean that realty is much different than the 3D/time track idea we are comfortable with. The idea of object/light ray/eyeball/brain

working on a time track falls apart.

7. Hopefully in studies of consciousness (pain in the foot, ESP, sensory deprivation, even "trips"), it will be treated as a thing or stuff as real, though

elusive, as anything.

Hopefully this list will be edited and added to.

Alden

[John from Lowell]

Hello Alden,

Consciousness is more than what we define as human consciousness. The all aware state of being can be the space between the particals as well as the particals themself.

I think of the human awareness as that consciousness that is physically aware with its 5 sensory , even the 6th sense, avenues of awareness. I see the subconscious self as the more aware aspect of the being that we are.

If you think of it, space is present between particals and also connected with all other space everywhere at the same time. I also think our subconscious is like that.

I hope you enjoy your U-M experience.

John

[Nucular]

Hi alden, welcome to the forum.

1. There seems to be only two things existing: matter and consciousness. Matter, as investigations by physicists show and some recent definitions

of it by philosophers, seems just as etheral as consciousness--giving more indication that they are one and the same.

Matter is weird, when physicists look at it closely, but I think you need more than ethereality to infer identity. I think that until this first thought is developed and evidenced, the rest of your points fall down. To my mind, consciousness is as distinct from matter as, say, digestion. To say that they are identical, I think is a leap.

4. The bulk of our operation is done subconsciously as if we are a machine designed not to know that we are conscious. The minute amount of

consciousness that "bubbles-up" during our so-called thoughts may be inadvertent because we as machines are made of consciousness.

I would personally put this the other way around: if the bulk of our operation in subconscious, yet we consider ourselves to be conscious then it is indicated that we are non-conscious machines designed to think we're conscious.

5. There seem to be as many problems with the notions of time and space as there are with consciousness and matter. Perhaps answers

might come more easily if time and space as well as matter are considered illisionary.

An illusion to whom, caused by what? how would that affect the actual equations of modern physics, do you think? Would they still stand? If not, why do they work?

Like John, I also hope you enjoy your time here

Edited July 4, 2008 by Nucular