(2) John Ringland's Answer to What is Consciousness_ - Quora

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Whatisconsciousness?Whatdoesitmeanforsomethingto"haveconsciousness"?Whatisthedifferencebetweensomethingthathasconsciousnessandsomethingthatdoesn't?

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Iseetwoapproachestothisissueandwillintroducethembybrieflydescribingthecontextanddevelopmentofeach,showinghowoneleadsintotheother.Ihaveendeavouredtokeepthisassimpleandconciseaspossibleforasubjectofthisdepth.

1)NaveRealistApproachNaverealismisacognitivehabitoperatingineachmomentofawarenessthatcausesthemindtoassumethatthesubjectiveobjectsofexperienceareinfactobjectiveexternalobjects.SeeJohnRingland'sanswertoWhatisnaverealism?

ThuswhenIseeachairinfrontofmeIsimplyassumethatthisisbecausethereisachairinfrontofme.Idonotquestiontheperceptualformsthatariseinthemind,northeconceptualcategoriesthatIhabituallyassociatewiththoseforms.Hencethisformofrealismiscallednave,becauseitisanunconsideredandmerelyassumedepistemologicalposition.Whenitisexpressedasaconsciouslyheldphilosophicalbeliefitiscalleddirectrealism.

Wethenlookoutfromthisperspectiveof"beingme"uponan"externalphysicaluniverse".Itmayturnouttobetrue,butatthispointtherehasbeennoevidencewhatsoever.Therehasonlybeentheaccumulationofbeliefsarisingfromnaverealistassumptionsaboutthecontentsofsubjectiveawareness.Thusthemindconformstoaselfreproducingclosedloopofhiddenassumptions.

Thiskeepsthecognitiveandculturaldiscoursesunwittinglyboundwithinanaverealistframework.Thisformsintoanallpervasiveunconsciousparadigm.See

JohnRingland'sanswertoDowehaveacollectiveparadigm?Else,isitfragmented?

JohnRingland'sanswertoCaniteverbesaidthatScientificrealismtakesofffromthespringboardofcommonsenseornaiverealism?and

JohnRingland'sanswertoHassciencebecometoodogmatic?

WhatIsConsciousness?

Fromthisstandpointweclaimthatwearephysicalorganismsandthatthebrainimplementsconsciousnessvianeuralactivity.Thenweaskourselves"Whatisconsciousness?"

FromthisperspectiveitisknowntoscienceastheHardProblemofConsciousness,becausenobodyreallyhasacluehowtoansweritorevenhowtoworktowardsananswer.Therearemanyworkingonthe'easy'aspects,suchashowdoneuralnetworksfunctionandsoon.Butnothingfromthesefieldscanaddressthe'hard'problemofexperientialawareness.

Thereallyhardproblemofconsciousnessistheproblemofexperience.

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Whenwethinkandperceive,thereisawhirofinformationprocessing,butthereisalsoasubjectiveaspect.AsNagel(1974)hasputit,thereissomethingitisliketobeaconsciousorganism.Thissubjectiveaspectisexperience.Whenwesee,forexample,weexperiencevisualsensations:thefeltqualityofredness,theexperienceofdarkandlight,thequalityofdepthinavisualfield.(DavidChalmers,FacingUptotheProblemofConsciousness )

Furthermore,thewholeunderlyingparadigmisbeginningtofallapart.Forinstance,eachattempttolocateandstudy'matter'hasprovenitnottoexist.SeeWhatismatter?andDoesmatterexist?

"Letusnowreturntoourultimateparticlesandtosmallorganizationsofparticlesasatomsorsmallmolecules.Theoldideaaboutthemwasthattheirindividualitywasbasedontheidentityofmatterinthem...Thenewideaisthatwhatispermanentintheseultimateparticlesorsmallaggregatesistheirshapeandorganization...Theyareasitwere,pureshape,nothingbutshapewhatturnsupagainandagaininsuccessiveobservationsisthisshape,notanindividualspeckofmaterial..."(ErwinSchrdinger )

[Thus]modernphilosophicalmaterialistsattempttoextendthedefinitionofmattertoincludeotherscientificallyobservableentitiessuchasenergy,forces,andthecurvatureofspace.HoweverthisopensthemtofurthercriticismfromphilosopherssuchasMaryMidgleywhosuggestthattheconceptof'matter'iselusiveandpoorlydefined.(Wikipedia,Materialism )

Tosomedegreeskepticismmanifestsitselfinthescientificmethod,whichdemandsthatallthingsassumedasfactsbequestioned.Butthepositivismofmanyscientists,whetherlatentoropen,isincompatiblewithskepticism,foritacceptswithoutquestiontheassumptionthatmaterialeffectisimpossiblewithoutmaterialcause.(TheColumbiaEncyclopedia)

Empiricalscienceonlyclaims"thatagoodtheoryneedonlyprovideanempiricallyadequatedescriptionofobservablephenomena"(StanfordEncyclopediaofPhilosophy,Rationalismvs.Empiricism )

Itdoesn'tclaimtobeabletoascertainanykindoftruthbutratheritonlyclaimstohavephenomenologicaladequacyregardingdescriptionsofourperceptionsofthings.Thismeansthatempiricalscienceisfundamentallyunabletoaddressanyquestionsofontology(whatactuallyis)anditcanonlyaddressquestionsofphenomenology(thatwhichappearstothehumanmind).

Empiricistsclaimthatsenseexperienceistheultimatesourceofallourconceptsandknowledge(StanfordEncyclopediaofPhilosophy,Rationalismvs.Empiricism )

Becauseofthisrelianceontheobjectsofsenseperception,whichareunquestioninglyassumedtobeexternalobjects,empiricalsciencehassuccumbedtonaverealismandsubtlydevolvedintoScientism.

Thisisbecauseempiricistsdidnotquestionthenatureandvalidityofsenseexperiences,orofthemindthatishavingthem,butmerelytookthemasbeingrepresentativeofbeingapersoninaphysicaluniverse.SeeJohnRingland'sanswertoCaniteverbesaidthatScientificrealismtakesofffromthespringboardofcommonsenseornaiverealism?

Naverealismitselfhasbeenchallengedbyphilosophy,psychologyandneuroscience,andnowquantummechanicshasprovenbeyondalldoubtthatnaverealismisafalseepistemologythatprovidesfalseknowledgeofreality.

TheSternGerlachexperimentinparticulardrivesthispointhome.SeeJohnRingland'sanswertoInsimpleterms,whatdoestheSternGerlachexperiment



implyaboutthenatureofquantumsystemsandobservablephenomena?

Thusthereisaparadigmshifthappening!

Thereisamajordangerousscientificideaincontemporaryphysics,withapotentialimpactcomparabletoCopernicusorDarwin.Itistheideathatwhatthephysicsofthe20thcenturysaysabouttheworldmightinfactbetrue.(C.Rovelli,THEWORLDQUESTIONCENTER2006 )

Andquantumphysicistsaremakingstartlingclaimsthatarebackedupbyundeniableevidence.

Wehavenosatisfactoryreasonforascribingobjectiveexistencetophysicalquantitiesasdistinguishedfromthenumbersobtainedwhenwemakethemeasurementswhichwecorrelatewiththem.Thereisnorealreasonforsupposingthataparticlehasateverymomentadefinite,butunknown,positionwhichmayberevealedbyameasurementoftherightkind...Onthecontrary,wegetintoamazeofcontradictionassoonasweinjectintoquantummechanicssuchconceptsascarriedoverfromthelanguageandphilosophyofourancestors...Itwouldbemoreexactifwespokeofmakingmeasurementsofthis,that,ortheothertypeinsteadofsayingthatwemeasurethis,that,ortheotherphysicalquantity.(EdwinC.Kemble )

[W]ehavetogiveuptheideaofrealismtoafargreaterextentthanmostphysicistsbelievetoday.(AntonZeilinger )...Byrealism,hemeanstheideathatobjectshavespecificfeaturesandpropertiesthataballisred,thatabookcontainstheworksofShakespeare,orthatanelectronhasaparticularspin...itmaymakenosensetothinkofthemashavingwelldefinedcharacteristics.(P.Ball,Physicistsbidfarewelltoreality? )

Itisnotjustparticlesandatomsthataregovernedbyquantummechanics.

Quantummechanicsisincreasinglyappliedtolargerandlargerobjects.Evenaonetonbarproposedtodetectgravitywavesmustbeanalysedquantummechanically.Incosmology,awavefunctionforthewholeuniverseiswrittentostudytheBigBang.Itgetshardertodaytononchalantlyaccepttherealminwhichthequantumrulesapplyassomehownotbeingphysicallyreal...Quantummechanicsforcesustoabandonnaverealism.(QuantumEnigma:PhysicsEncountersConsciousness:BruceRosenblum,FredKuttner )

Ifthereisanythingtobelearnedfromthelonghistoryoftheepistemologicaldebate,itisthattheissueisbynomeanssimpleortrivial,andthatwhateverisultimatelydeterminedtobethetruthofepistemology,wecanbesurethatitwilldoconsiderableviolencetoourcommonsenseviewofthings...Inscience,irrefutableevidencetriumphsoverincredibility,andthisisexactlywhatgivessciencethepowertodiscoverunexpectedorincredibletruth.(StevenLehar )

Andthenthereisalsoundeniableevidencecomingfromrigorousexperimentsthat"suggestthatconsciousnessitself,unaidedbyknownphysicalmechanisms,caninfluencephysicalreality.(PEAROrientation)Andtheresultsareunlikelybychancetotheorderof10^12(oneinatrillion).Whichismorerigorouslyproventhanmanycommonlyacceptedscientific'facts'.(R.G.JahnandB.J.Dunne,"Thepearproposition",JournalofScientificExploration,vol.19,no.2,pp.195245,2005,http://www.scientificexploration... )

TheexperimentswereconductedbythePrincetonEngineeringAnomaliesResearch PEARlabfor28years,usingquantumrandomeventgenerators(REGs ).Itwasshownthatconsciousnesscreatesafieldofambient'coherence'thatdrivesquantumprocessesawayfromrandomnessandtowardsorder.Thiscanalsobefocusedasintentionalinfluence.



Clearlytheoldparadigmcannotexplainthesephenomena.Thusscienceisforcedtoshiftawayfromanaverealist,empiricist,materialistfoundation.Thusanewparadigmisneeded!SeethequestionWhatdotheresultsofthePEARGCPICRLexperimentssayaboutconsciousnessandhowcanwescientificallyexplainthem?andalsoNowthatnaiverealismhasbeendisprovenbyquantummechanics,howwillthisimpactourcollectiveparadigm?

2)NonNaveRealistApproachFromanonnaverealistperspective,oneremainsstaunchlysceptical(openenquiry,withoutassumptionorprejudice).Whatcanbeknownforsurefromthisperspective?

Inrealitythereisnoperson,onlythewatcheridentifyinghimselfwiththe'I'andthe'mine'...youarenotthis,thereisnothingofyoursinthis,exceptthelittlepointof"Iam",whichisthebridgebetweenthewatcherandhisdream."Iamthis,Iamthat"isdream,whilepure"Iam"hasthestampofrealityonit.(SriNisargadattaMaharaj,IamThat )

When"Iamseeingachairinfrontofme"thisisbecauseIamandthecontentofawarenessconsistsofperceptualformsthatthemindhascometoassociatewiththeideaofachair.Thusthereistheinterplayofsensoryexperiencesandassociative(memory)experiences.

IfIremainquietandsimplyobservethecontentsofawarenessIfindthatthereisceaselessactivity.Ifthisactivityisidentifiedwiththenawarenessiscarriedoffonsomesequenceofthoughts.BybringingawarenessbackagaintothespaceofawarenessIcannoticethatduringthatsequence,Iwasnotawareofthespaceofawareness,butonlyofthethoughts.ThusIwasnotawareofmyself.

Icanobservethestructureofthecontentsofawarenessandnotethatsomeareassociatedwithideassuchasme,body,mind,world,chair,etc.AsanexperimentIcanthenceasebringingawarenessbackintothespaceofawarenessandIletitbecarriedoffononesequenceofthoughtsafteranother,identifyingwithandparticipatinginthestoryofme,body,mind,world,chair,etc.Thisisthemostcommon"everyday"stateofmind.

DuringthisprocessIamwhollyabsorbedinthestoryofmyselfasapersonwithabodyandamind,livinginaworldandsittingonachair.DuringthisprocessIamnotawareofthespaceofawarenessthe"Iam",whichistheonlytruecertainty.ThusIhavelostsightofcertaintyandenteredintoaworldcomposedentirelyofidentificationswithsensoryphenomenaandmemoryassociationswhichareinterpretedthroughthelensofapersoninaworld.

"Thepersonismerelytheresultofamisunderstanding.Inreality,thereisnosuchthing.Feelings,thoughtsandactionsracebeforethewatcherinendlesssuccession,leavingtracesinthebrainandcreatinganillusionofcontinuity.Areflectionofthewatcherinthemindcreatesthesenseof'I'andthepersonacquiresanapparentlyindependentexistence.(SriNisargadattaMaharaj,IamThat )

Thereareotherexperimentsthatonecouldconductasone'sdegreeofdetachmentincreases,suchaskeepingawarenesswithinthespaceofawarenesswhilstthecontentsofawarenessgothroughvariousdifferentprocesses(statesofmindsuchasmoods,ideas,sleep,dreams,personalities,etc).Inallthesecasesthecontentsofawarenesscanchangesignificantly,howeverthespaceofawarenessremainsentirelyunchanged.Justasadigitalimageleavesnotraceonacomputerscreenafterithasgone.Allkindsofphenomenacanplayacrossthe'screen'ofawareness,butawarenessisnotinfluencedbythecontent.

"Gowithin,gobeyond.Ceasebeingfascinatedwiththecontentofyourconsciousness.Whenyoureachthedeeplayersofyourtruebeing,youwill



findthatthemind'ssurfaceplayaffectsyouverylittle...Arayofawarenessilluminesapartofourmindandthatpartbecomesourdreamorwakingconsciousness,whileawarenessappearsasthewitness.Thewitnessusuallyknowsonlyconsciousness.Sadhana(pathleadingtorealization)consistsinthewitnessturningback,firstonhisconscious,thenuponhimselfinhisownawareness.SelfawarenessisYoga(unionwithexistence).(SriNisargadattaMaharaj,IamThat )

WhatIsConsciousness?

BybringingawarenessbacktothespaceofawarenessIcannowask"Whatisconsciousness?"

Whilstidentifiedwiththestoryofme,body,mind,world,chair,etcitseemedasifconsciousnesswasthemindwithitspersonality,perception,memory,intellect,etc.

Howeverfromtheperspectiveofawarenesswithinthespaceofawareness,Irealisethatthesearethecontentsofawarenessandthatconsciousnesshasitsrootinpureawareness,whichIam,anditunfoldsthroughmyriadcomplexsystemsofperception,memory,thought,etcintoanelaboratecognitivememeplexthatwecallthemind.

Thishoweverisnotaformofsolipsism,becausealthoughtheonlythingthatIamcertainofisIam,atthislevelofawarenessthereisapassagethroughtoanexpansivenessofuniversalawareness.Atthislevelofconsciousnessthereisonlyoneconsciousness,butitsnot'mine'inasolipsistsense(theideas'me'and'mine'arejustcontentsofawareness)itisauniversalconsciousness.

"Whenthissupercontemplativestateisreached,theYogiacquirespurespiritualrealisationthroughthebalancedquietofthechitta(thinkingprinciple).Hisperceptionisnowunfailinglyexact(orhismindrevealsonlythetruth).Thisparticularperceptionisuniqueandrevealsthatwhichtherationalmind(usingtestimony,inferenceanddeduction)cannotreveal.Itishostileto,orsupersedesallotherimpressions.Whenthisstateofperceptionisitselfalsorestrained(orsuperseded)thenispureSamadhiachieved."(SamadhiPada,4751,YogaSutrasofPatanjali )

TorecapI'llsummarisewithaquotefromtheLankavataraSutra.

"Solongaspeopledonotunderstandthetruenatureoftheobjectiveworld,theyfallintothedualisticviewofthings.Theyimaginethemultiplicityofexternalobjectstoberealandbecomeattachedtothemandarenourishedbytheirhabitenergy.Becauseofthissystemofmentation,mindandwhatbelongstoitisdiscriminatedandisthoughtofasrealthisleadstotheassertionofanegosoulanditsbelongings,andthusthemindsystemgoesonfunctioning.Dependinguponandattachingitselftothedualistichabitofmind,theyaccepttheviewsofthephilosophersfoundedupontheseerroneousdistinctions,ofbeingandnonbeing,existenceandnonexistence,andthereevolveswhatwecallfalseimaginations...

Falseimaginationsrisefromtheconsiderationofappearancesthingsarediscriminatedastoform,signsandshapeastohavingcolour,warmth,humidity,mobilityorrigidity.Falseimaginationconsistsofbecomingattachedtotheseappearancesandtheirnames...

Thefivesensefunctionsandtheirdiscriminatingandthinkingfunctionhavetheirrisingsandcompleteendingfrommomenttomoment...Bysettingupnamesandformsgreedismultipliedandthusthemindgoesonmutuallyconditioningandbeingconditioned.Bybecomingattachedtonamesandforms,notrealisingthattheyhavenomorebasisthantheactivitiesoftheminditself,errorarises,falseimaginationastopleasureandpainarises,andthewaytoemancipationisblocked...



Bythecessationofthemindsystemasawholeismeant,thecessationofdiscrimination,theclearingawayofthevariousattachments,and,therefore,theclearingawayofthedefilementsofhabitenergyinthefaceofUniversalMindwhichhavebeenaccumulatingsincebeginninglesstimebyreasonofthesediscriminations,attachments,erroneousreasonings,andfollowingacts.GettingridofthediscriminatingmortalmindisNirvana.

Butthecessationofthediscriminatingmindcannottakeplaceuntiltherehasbeena"turningabout"'inthedeepestseatofconsciousness.Thementalhabitoflookingoutwardbythediscriminatingminduponanexternalobjectiveworldmustbegivenup,andanewhabitofrealisingTruthwithintheintuitivemindbybecomingonewiththeTruthitselfmustbeestablished...Withtheendingofpleasureandpain,ofconflictingideas,ofthedisturbinginterestsofegoism,astateoftranquillisationwillbeattainedinwhichthetruthsofemancipationwillbefullyunderstood..."(LankavataraSutra )

Howlongwillittaketogetfreeofthediscriminatingmind?

Itmaytakeathousandyears,butreallynotimeisrequired.Allyouneedistobeindeadearnest.Herethewillisthedeed.Ifyouaresincere,youhaveit.Afterall,itisamatterofattitude.Nothingstopsyoufrombeingagnani(knowerofSupremeKnowledge)hereandnow,exceptfear.Youareafraidofbeingimpersonal,ofimpersonalbeing.Itisallquitesimple.Turnawayfromyourdesiresandfearsandfromthethoughtstheycreateandyouareatonceinyournaturalstate."(SriNisargadattaMaharaj,IamThat )

Onlythenwillyoutrulyknowwhatconsciousnessis.Theanswerisnotadescriptioninwordsandideas(whicharejustthecontentofawareness)butaprocessbywhichtotasteitandknowitasyourownsubjectivespaceofawareness.Onlythenwillthequestionwhatisconsciousness?beansweredforyou.

Onecannotjustplaywiththe'contents'ofawarenessandtherebycometoadeepappreciationofconsciousness.Sodon'tjustlookatthesewordsandthinkaboutthem,alsoletthemdirectyourattentiontoyourselfandletthatperspectiveinformyou.

Sowhatcanbesaidaboutconsciousness?InwordsIcansaythatconsciousnessisthegroundofbeingfromwhichallmanifestationarises.Itisbothuniversalandpersonal,anditenlivensandanimatesallsystems,includingthosethoughttobe'inanimate'.

Thatwhichpermeatesall,whichnothingtranscendsandwhich,liketheuniversalspacearoundus,fillseverythingcompletelyfromwithinandwithout,thatSupremenondualBrahmanthatthouart.(AdiShankara )

"Therealdoesnotdie,theunrealneverlived.Onceyouknowthatdeathhappenstothebodyandnottoyou,youjustwatchyourbodyfallingofflikeadiscardedgarment.Therealyouistimelessandbeyondbirthanddeath."(SriNisargadattaMaharaj,IamThat )

"Whatisitthathadbirth?Whomdoyoucallahumanbeing?If,insteadofseekingexplanationsforbirth,deathandafterdeath,thequestionisraisedastowhoandhowyouarenow,thesequestionswillnotarise...Thebodyisbornagainandagain.Wewronglyidentifyourselveswiththebody,andhenceimaginewearereincarnatedconstantly.No.WemustidentifyourselveswiththetrueSelf.Therealisedoneenjoysunbrokenconsciousness,neverbrokenbybirthordeathhowcanhedie?Onlythosewhothink'Iamthebody'talkofreincarnation.Tothosewhoknow'IamtheSelf'thereisnorebirth.Reincarnationsonlyexistsolongasthereisignorance.Thereisnoincarnation,eithernow,beforeorhereafter.Thisisthetruth."(RamanaMaharshi )



Howcanthisbescientificallyunderstood?Ausefulanalogyisvirtualrealitysimulation,whereasingleanimatingsourcecreatesworldsofvirtualphenomena,whereevolvingsentientmindsexperiencethemselvesasindividualbeingsinaworldofobjectsinspaceandtime.TheanimatingthreadthatrunsthroughallsystemsistheIamawareness.Allvirtualphenomenalackafundamentalselfnature,theyareephemeralformswithoutpermanentsubstance,theyare'sunnyata'(emptyofselfnature).Formoreonthesubjectofsimulatedrealitysee:

JohnRingland'sanswertoTheBigPhilosophicalQuestions:IstheUniverseaSimulation?

JohnRingland'sanswertoWhatcanbelearnedfromvideogamesthatishardtolearnanyotherway?

JohnRingland'sanswertoWhatissentience?

Quantummechanicsiscompatiblewiththissimulationanalogy,forexample:

ifweacceptthequantizationofspaceandtimeasabasicfactofthestructureofouruniverse,thenwemaygoontoconsiderhowbothofthesepropertieshappentobeintrinsictotheoperationsofacomputer(RossRhodes,CyberneticInterpretationofQuantumMechanics ).

AlsoseeJohnRingland'sanswertoIslightawaveoraparticle?

Bythinkingofquantummechanicsinthiswaytheseeminglyparadoxicalaspectsofquantummechanicsareseentobecommonfeaturesofinformationprocessesandvirtualworlds.Forexample,thePlanckfrequency(1.859x10^43Hz)isanalogoustotheframerateofasimulatedvirtualreality.

Wheelerlabelstheindividualquantumphenomenonanelementaryactofcreation.Weasobserversplayasignificantroleinthisprocesssincewecandecidebychoosingthemeasuringdevicewhichquantumphenomenonisrealized.Still,wecannotinfluencethespecificvalueobtainedthroughthemeasurement.Finally,sincewearepartoftheuniverse,theuniverse,accordingtoWheeler,createsitselfbyobservingitselfthroughus...(Quantummechanicshas)graduallybroughttheroleoftheobserverintothecenterofourdiscussion,arolewhichisexpressedbyClauserinhisjointanalysiswithShimonyofthepresentEPRBellsituationasfollows:"perhapsanunheardtreefallingintheforestmakesnosoundafterall".(AntonZeilinger,OntheInterpretationandPhilosophicalFoundationofQuantumMechanics )

Inthisparadigmallsystemsareobserversandhaveexperientialawareness,withoutwhichtheycouldnotinteractthisisaformofpanpsychism,inparticularpanprotoexperientialism,Russellianmonism,TypeFmonismorNeutralmonism(GoogleRussellian"TypeF""Neutralmonism ").Thesearetheviewthatconsciousnessisconstitutedbytheintrinsicpropertiesofreality.

Onthisview,phenomenalorprotophenomenalpropertiesarelocatedatthefundamentallevelofphysicalreality,andinacertainsense,underliephysicalrealityitself.(TheBlackwellGuidetoPhilosophyofMind )

AlsoseeJohnRingland'sanswertoWhatisitliketobeaquantumcomputationalprocess?

Howeverjustastherearedegreesofcomplexityof'outer'forms,therearealsodegreesofcomplexityof'inner'processes.Thesimplestsystemshaveonlyasimplestreamofpureawarenessbywhichtheyexperienceandinteract,theyarenotawarethattheyareaware,theyarejustaware.Howeverthentherearesystemssuchasourselves,withextremelycomplexinternalfeedbackloops(e.g.brains),thathavecometoknowthattheyknowthattheyknow.



Updated2Dec,2013.563views.

Sowhilstthemindandpersonalityareaproductofbiosociomemeticevolution,theinnermostawarenesswithinallsystemsistheuniversalanimatingprocess.

ForsomebriefcommentsandmanyquotesseeVirtualRealityAnalogyAlongsideScienceandMysticism .Foradetailedphilosophical,theoreticalandmathematicaldiscussionseeTheObjectiveInformationProcess&VirtualSubjectiveExperiencesHypothesis orjustthemathematicalaspectsSystemScienceofVirtualReality .Thisworkdevelopsfromfirstprinciplesthefoundationsofamathematicalscienceofinformationsystemsandvirtualrealitysimulation.Withinthiscontextitrederivesthefoundationsofquantummechanicsanddiscussesnaverealismandthe'hard'problemofconsciousness,whichbecomesaneasyproblemfromthisperspectivebecausethenaverealisttendencytoignoresubjectiveexperiencefromtheoutsetisavoidedfromtheoutset.

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(2) John Ringland's Answer to What is Consciousness_ - Quora