Which came first, the neuron or the feeling? What was the universe like before there were any living beings around to observe it? Does it feel like anything to be a mushroom, or a bee, or a rock? What happens to your subjectivity when you die? I’m not sure we’ll ever know. But I do know that life gets richer when you contemplate that either one of these—the neuron and the feeling—could be the true underlying reality. That your feelings might not just be the deterministic shadow of chemicals bouncing around in your brain like billiard balls. That perhaps all self-organizing entities could have a consciousness of their own. That the universe as a whole might not be as dark and cold and empty as it seems when we look at the night sky. That underneath that darkness might be the faintest glimmer of light. Of sentience. A glimmer of light which turns back on itself, in the form of you, asking the question of whether the neuron comes first or the feeling. ( Bits of Wonder on Substack)
Which came first, the neuron or the feeling? What was the universe like before there were any living beings around to observe it? Does it feel like anything to be a mushroom, or a bee, or a rock? What happens to your subjectivity when you die?
I’m not sure we’ll ever know. But I do know that life gets richer when you contemplate that either one of t
... See moreSaved by Molly Simpson
If consciousness is indeed more fundamental than matter, as Planck, Jeans, Schiller, and others suggest, then the “paranormal”—“anomalies” in science, such as psychic abilities and the mind’s survival of bodily death—become expected. They are only paranormal or anomalous if we assume that consciousness comes from the brain. They make no sense in th
... See moreThe collective data suggested that consciousness is not localized to, or dependent upon, the brain. And further, it suggested that consciousness is primary in the universe—it is more fundamental than physical matter and exists beyond space and time.
A recent theory of consciousness posits that intelligent awareness can emerge when the components of a large system have a certain level of interconnectivity. Neurons in the human brain reach the critical threshold. In the presence of these chattering cobbles, it seems obvious to me that, according to that definition, Earth is hyperconscious.