4 ms·

Maybe consciousness fades out as the size of the group gets larger and larger and there's some limit where it can't get conscious anymore (probably related to t

by hasenj 11y ago

Maybe consciousness fades out as the size of the group gets larger and larger and there's some limit where it can't get conscious anymore (probably related to the speed of sound). But consider this: you are aware of yourself, but how do you know that you are the only thing occupying your brain? I mean, what if your brain spawns 5 different conscious processes, each of them completely separate and independent from the others? And what you feel as yourself is just one of these 5 processes. How could you ever know if that's true or not?

coldtea 11y ago
>How could you ever know if that's true or not? Well, if I never see myself saying or doing something that MY process hasn't decided itself, it's as if those extra processes don't exist for all practical purposes.
- hasenj 11y ago
  Actually I've heard that scientists have proved that your awareness of your brain's decision sort of comes after the decision has already been made by your brain. Not to mention there's a lot of "subconscious" stuff that happens inside one's mind.
  - coldtea 11y ago
    >Actually I've heard that scientists have proved that your awareness of your brain's decision sort of comes after the decision has already been made by your brain. I've read that too. But philosophically I think people draw the wrong conclusions from this -- like we're puppets and the brain is some autonomous third agent. My brain and my consiousnless are part of the same thing, so making the decision (in the background) and having it come to awareness a little later, is still the same entity "thinking". I don't have to think "out aloud" in my brain (consciously) for myself to make a decision: my brain can make it drawing directly and subconsciously from the same memories, sensory inputs, biases etc that I have available when I think.
eli_gottlieb 11y ago
Neuroscientifically, we already know that the brain does contain multiple parallel streams of processing. "You" is a combination-symbol for all of them, plus the body.

by hasenj 11y ago

coldtea 11y ago

>How could you ever know if that's true or not? Well, if I never see myself saying or doing something that MY process hasn't decided itself, it's as if those extra processes don't exist for all practical purposes.

hasenj 11y ago
Actually I've heard that scientists have proved that your awareness of your brain's decision sort of comes after the decision has already been made by your brain. Not to mention there's a lot of "subconscious" stuff that happens inside one's mind.
- coldtea 11y ago
  >Actually I've heard that scientists have proved that your awareness of your brain's decision sort of comes after the decision has already been made by your brain. I've read that too. But philosophically I think people draw the wrong conclusions from this -- like we're puppets and the brain is some autonomous third agent. My brain and my consiousnless are part of the same thing, so making the decision (in the background) and having it come to awareness a little later, is still the same entity "thinking". I don't have to think "out aloud" in my brain (consciously) for myself to make a decision: my brain can make it drawing directly and subconsciously from the same memories, sensory inputs, biases etc that I have available when I think.

eli_gottlieb 11y ago

Neuroscientifically, we already know that the brain does contain multiple parallel streams of processing. "You" is a combination-symbol for all of them, plus the body.