[ExI] Fwd: New article: EM Field Theory of Consciousness

Will Steinberg steinberg.will at gmail.com
Fri Jun 17 17:43:01 UTC 2022


Interesting, thanks for making/sharing.

I partially agree with 1) and fully agree with 2).

I do think consciousness is most easily *associated* with EM fields among
the well-studied fields, 'light' as it were ("Let there be light".) But I'm
not convinced it (always) is a direct result of that, and I'm not fully
convinced by your paper that what you posit causes consciousness could not
be simulated in other media.

To me, consciousness is a fundamental mode of expression of reality, a
strategy, you might call it.  I don't think it's emergent, even though it
can emerge; I believe existence is some kind of dance between the dual
strategies of consciousness and formability.

I would like to see your explanation incorporate cosmogony, symmetry
breaking, and the differentiation of the fundamental forces.

In my eyes, the electroweak force is 'consciousness-like', seeking,
outwards, yang, male.  The strong and gravitational forces are 'form-like',
attracting, inwards, yin, female.  That may be besides the point, though.

The main interest to me in your work would be pinpointing the epoch in
which consciousness 'emerges', if there is any.  I believe it is
fundamental and is required to begin a universe (volition, hand of God,
etc.  cf. https://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/POE/eureka.html).  I don't
think it can emerge from building blocks that are not 'consciousness-like'
in the sense that they already have felt the influence of consciousness.

I'm being nebulous but I'm not convinced there is a non-nebulous final
answer.  I do believe we can approach it though, so I appreciate your work.

To me, it is likely that consciousness and existence may only make sense
from a recursive, infinite, teleological perspective.  Turtles all the way
down, etc.
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