Discussion My wild theory of conciousness

[Sadbanana]

I have to warn you that if you take the possibility of what I'm saying, it might sweep up a rug from below you. I don't personally like this theory, but it's seems very plausible if you are materialist.

First let me explain what I mean when I say conciousness. I don't mean your thinking processes, your sensory data or your identity. I mean the silent observer behing it all.

My theory is that there might be no continues conciousness. You might believe that this is the only life you have and your conciousness ceases to exist once you die. But maybe you are dying constantly maybe the you that started reading this post is already gone.

The brain might just be creating the illusion that there is a continuous observer. You will get your short term and long term memories and believe you are the person that was there. It wants you to believe that you have a past and that you have a future, because it's good for survival of the brain. Otherwise you might fall into nihilism, where nothing metters because you are dying so quickly you don't even realize it's happening.

The scary thing is that this feels consistent with what some people that claim enlightment are saying.

But it's just a speculation. Conciousness might in fact be even immortal, completely independent of whatever it is watching. There is no way to know.

 

[Forever Sleep]

So in effect- every day or moment, we are born new? Can't say I can quite see it personally.

Say- you keep a diary. You make an entry today of all the things you've been doing and thinking over the past few days. In a way- that person is the observer of you- keeping a record.

Say- next week- you read the diary entry. You not only remember writing it. Maybe you cried part way through and- the ink it blotchy. But- you remember crying. You remember what about. You also remember doing all the things you described in the diary.

What we record is a kind of proof that we lived those experiences. If we remember them too then- the two correlate- I would have thought. It would seem reasonable to think that the writings in my diary/ journal in my room on last week's date- were by me. The same me reading/ observing them this week.

Of course, we are changing though- I suppose. We may look back on memories or diary entries and think- I'm not really that person now. Again though- have we really been changed at our core or, is it more surface stuff that has changed? Maybe we've been hurt, so we are less trusting now. Maybe we feel more miserable because we are more isolated. The 'person' observing that though- isn't it more likely they haven't changed. They've been there, observing throughout?

If it's just the ability to observe ourselves though- why is that necessarily another person? Maybe it's just an ability. Like sight or hearing is. Although, I do kind of know what you mean. It's pretty bizarre the way we can step back and observe our own emotions.

I think that's what meditation and presumably- enlightenment focuses on in a way. The ability to be separate from our volatile, emotional and thinking selves. To be calm. By that same definition though- does that still character ever really change? Is it the base core for all of us? The same for all of us? It's an interesting idea.

But- surely there is continuity- just by it always being there? Although, sometimes perhaps harder to access- when we are caught up in life problems.

 

[Sadbanana]

So in effect- every day or moment, we are born new? Can't say I can quite see it personally.

Say- you keep a diary. You make an entry today of all the things you've been doing and thinking over the past few days. In a way- that person is the observer of you- keeping a record.

Say- next week- you read the diary entry. You not only remember writing it. Maybe you cried part way through and- the ink it blotchy. But- you remember crying. You remember what about. You also remember doing all the things you described in the diary.

What we record is a kind of proof that we lived those experiences. If we remember them too then- the two correlate- I would have thought. It would seem reasonable to think that the writings in my diary/ journal in my room on last week's date- were by me. The same me reading/ observing them this week.

Of course, we are changing though- I suppose. We may look back on memories or diary entries and think- I'm not really that person now. Again though- have we really been changed at our core or, is it more surface stuff that has changed? Maybe we've been hurt, so we are less trusting now. Maybe we feel more miserable because we are more isolated. The 'person' observing that though- isn't it more likely they haven't changed. They've been there, observing throughout?

If it's just the ability to observe ourselves though- why is that necessarily another person? Maybe it's just an ability. Like sight or hearing is. Although, I do kind of know what you mean. It's pretty bizarre the way we can step back and observe our own emotions.

I think that's what meditation and presumably- enlightenment focuses on in a way. The ability to be separate from our volatile, emotional and thinking selves. To be calm. By that same definition though- does that still character ever really change? Is it the base core for all of us? The same for all of us? It's an interesting idea.

But- surely there is continuity- just by it always being there? Although, sometimes perhaps harder to access- when we are caught up in life problems.

I think you understand it. This is called empty individual and it's the philosophical opposite of immoral conciousness thory.

You said that continuity feels obvious. I would say the continuity just feels very real. You get all those memories, you feel like just a second ago you were reading the first sentence.

But imagine you now suddenly get all the momories of someone else and forget yours. You might feel like you have been that person all this time and just a minute ago you were doing something as them.

The same thing might be happening to you, the one who was watching this world through you a moment ago might be gone and you wouldn't know because momories feel continuous.

Take for example generations of people. People five generations might have created a lot of knowledge and records of what was happening and now new generations might be using that knowledge and continuing where they left of in their ideas. It appears that humanity is this continuous thing, but the fact is that they are already dead.

The same might be happening in brain every second and we wouldn't know. Some people that meditate say that this dying is something that they can notice, but it's normally covered by a lot of filters that hide it. But I don't know if this is in fact what they are talking about, or whether it just seems similar.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I think you understand it. This is called empty individual and it's the philosophical opposite of immoral conciousness thory.

You said that continuity feels obvious. I would say the continuity just feels very real. You get all those memories, you feel like just a second ago you were reading the first sentence.

But imagine you now suddenly get all the momories of someone else and forget yours. You might feel like you have been that person all this time and just a minute ago you were doing something as them.

The same thing might be happening to you, the one who was watching this world through you a moment ago might be gone and you wouldn't know because momories feel continuous.

Take for example generations of people. People five generations might have created a lot of knowledge and records of what was happening and now new generations might be using that knowledge and continuing where they left of in their ideas. It appears that humanity is this continuous thing, but the fact is that they are already dead.

The same might be happening in brain every second and we wouldn't know. Some people that meditate say that this dying is something that they can notice, but it's normally covered by a lot of filters that hide it. But I don't know if this is in fact what they are talking about, or whether it just seems similar.

It's a very interesting idea. Kind of like body hopping. I guess DID can be like this- with many alters living in the same person. Although, they seem more aware of one another and who's 'fronting'. Plus, presumably, they largely stay put.

Truthfully, it's not something I can get to grips with. The state of consciousness, the soul, our life spark- whatever- is certainly an odd phenomenon. Maybe it jumps about but, I suppose the logistics baffle me. Just the numbers even. There surely isn't a consistent number of beings in this world. The numbers must surely fluctuate a little. The trend seems to be a gradual population increase though.

If our consciousness is playing musical chairs- what happens when more chairs are added or taken away? There has to be a syncronized jump to it to too? Otherwise, we'd be 'driverless' for a time. Or, life sparks would be shooting about with no one free to possess. How long can they live on their own?

Sorry- I shouldn't mock and- you might be right. So much is still unknown.