3 ms·

To me, consciousness is the collection of electrochemical signals traveling throughout the brain. I'm plural[0], so I also believe in brains that have more than

To me, consciousness is the collection of electrochemical signals traveling throughout the brain. I'm plural[0], so I also believe in brains that have more than one consciousness, as I've personally experienced a similar thing before. But really, I don't know which signals make up consciousness, or where they are. I don't know how metacognition forms, either. And I don't know a real, physical explanation of plurality. I know just enough to play with the concepts, and in my opinion, that's enough. You can still say things about consciousness without knowing all the details, because most people will be able to form some idea of what it means based on how you are using it. So I think saying we don't know how to start it is still reasonable, even if we don't know what it is we're even trying to start in the first place. [0]: https://morethanone.info https://morethanone.info

aftoprokrustes 3y ago
> To me, consciousness is the collection of electrochemical signals traveling throughout the brain This is unfortunately not a definition of consciousness, rather an hypothesis about the cause or origin of it. Consciousness is an experience, as you mention in your next sentence: > I also believe in brains that have more than one consciousness, as I've personally experienced a similar thing before This is what makes it so tricky. My only definition of consciousness is pretty much "I know it when I see it", with the annoying caveat that I cannot see any other experience than my own...
- ChainOfFools 3y ago
  I've always used the analogy when thinking about this, or at least when discussing it casually with others, that trying to comprehend the experience of consciousness from within it, is perhaps inaccessible due to some presently unnoticed principle of reflection of recursion in thought, analogous in a physical sense to trying to lift yourself up by your own shirt collar.

aftoprokrustes 3y ago

> To me, consciousness is the collection of electrochemical signals traveling throughout the brain This is unfortunately not a definition of consciousness, rather an hypothesis about the cause or origin of it. Consciousness is an experience, as you mention in your next sentence: > I also believe in brains that have more than one consciousness, as I've personally experienced a similar thing before This is what makes it so tricky. My only definition of consciousness is pretty much "I know it when I see it", with the annoying caveat that I cannot see any other experience than my own...

ChainOfFools 3y ago
I've always used the analogy when thinking about this, or at least when discussing it casually with others, that trying to comprehend the experience of consciousness from within it, is perhaps inaccessible due to some presently unnoticed principle of reflection of recursion in thought, analogous in a physical sense to trying to lift yourself up by your own shirt collar.