What is consciousness?

[Flapjack]

What is consciousness?

Imma keep the OP short but I have a feeling we will be going into a lot of detail.:)

I have an interesting idea, are we all just lumps of matter with hundereds of complex chemical reactions and so we really are nothing? Over millions of years we know the selection pressure has evolved us from fish to apes to where we are now.

Is all our thinking just different chemical processes?

[sqishy]

Are you a physicalist?

(Getting some relevant measure of you first :P ).

I argue that consciousness is a special entity in view of what information/form is, how it manifests itself, and so on. I will go more into it, but tomorrow as it's quite late for me - I'm ready to accept that my consciousness will end soon, but hopefully temporarily!

[Flapjack]

Are you a physicalist?

(Getting some relevant measure of you first :P ).

I argue that consciousness is a special entity in view of what information/form is, how it manifests itself, and so on. I will go more into it, but tomorrow as it's quite late for me - I'm ready to accept that my consciousness will end soon, but hopefully temporarily!
NopeXD I was just think about it on the way home from school one dayXD

Good night budyyyy!!!:)

Yeah but it makes you think, if you was to make a person with the exact same chemical composition, it should have all your memories and your personality.... so would it be you?

[Uniquemind]

The intersection of creation between the spiritual side of creation and the physical side of creation, creating multiple dualities within string theory.

Creating a contained universe that is ever expanding through entropy, and gains stability through various vibrational frequencies.

[Flapjack]

The intersection of creation between the spiritual side of creation and the physical side of creation, creating multiple dualities within string theory.

Creating a contained universe that is ever expanding through entropy, and gains stability through various vibrational frequencies.
I don't understand?XD

[sqishy]

I'll boost this thread because it deserves a greater lifetime than this.


Yeah but it makes you think, if you was to make a person with the exact same chemical composition, it should have all your memories and your personality.... so would it be you?

It would technically be for that instant, until this person begins to experience stuff that you don't, because you and them are in different locations. Then you both are different.

How far you are willing to allow some differences here and there to still have them be 'generally' the same person, is up to you. I'm saying it's arbitrary, least for the moment.


I have an interesting idea, are we all just lumps of matter with hundereds of complex chemical reactions and so we really are nothing? Over millions of years we know the selection pressure has evolved us from fish to apes to where we are now.

Is all our thinking just different chemical processes?

Well, to say that our consciousness is just chemical processes, puts it on the same sort of level as rocks/rain/etc, which it isn't. Therefore, there's something with consciousness that is not with rocks/rain/etc. This does not have to lead outside the physical realm (though I feel 'physical' becomes more of an issue as a huge label here).

If you want to keep it on the 'physical' realm, then there is something special about the chemical interactions that are what consciousness results from (my recent thread on walls can help).

So it's not the presence of chemistry, it's a particular kind of chemistry that is relevant here.