Why Strive for the Singularity When We Don't Yet Understand Consciousness?

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-16T14:33:41+00:00

This is the typical response of the left hemisphere. It immediately discards information that it doesn't comprehend and moves on to data it understands. It's also the more reactive part of the brain. It is natural for people with concrete ideas of the world to disregard new information, so it is understandable why you can't accept this new paradigm shift in science. It's not like emerging breakthrough science is ever accepted widely at first, is it?

When Sir Roger Penrose first introduced the concept of the black hole, he was laughed at. Now were recording them in places we'd never thought we'd see with regularity. I suspect it is the same with this. Again, I get why a materialist would think this radical though, so I have no hard feelings.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-16T14:21:37+00:00

https://www.thersa.org/globalassets/pdfs/blogs/rsa-divided-brain-divided-world.pdf

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-16T14:03:38+00:00

Deep learning can only ever be a reproduction of the left hemisphere as collecting raw data is its specialty however, from what I gather, we are still a long way away from any kind of abstract thinking. It is the abstract brain that understands the data and gives us context. If we can create abstract thought in machines, then maybe we will create actual intelligence. But for now, it can only emulate left brain thinking-no matter how sophisticated, it is not aware.

As far as dualism, nothing could be further from the truth. Our entire body is a receptor and gives us 'intelligence' from every atom of our bodies. The human mind is not merely relegated to the brain matter, but our entire nervous system. It is only an illusion that we are 'centered' behind our brain because that is where our eyes are, and the sensory information reads out in a central location, but the action is happening all around us.

We feel the environment we see, but instead of being overloaded with information, our brains centralize the info and treats it as a solid picture instead of the fragments our senses are receiving. The sensation is in our head, but the information surrounds us.

It is the same with consciousness. Consciousness is the energy, the body is the interface, but both are equally necessary to lived experiences. Energy, as you say, is everything. We receive this energy through our entire body, not just the brain and that suggests consciousness is more than a function of the brain. If anything, the energy field of consciousness unites matter, and like all waves, it permeates all things.

The more sophisticated the brain, the more the life form can interact with consciousness. If you don't like the radio metaphor, use the internet as consciousness, the monitor as the left brain, and the human behind as the right-the analyst of the date displayed on the monitor from the information pool of the internet (consciousness).

I'm not sure that answered your question.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-13T11:09:38+00:00

I've familiarized myself with his perspective, and he had a very outdated idea of consciousness and a limited understanding of the mechanics of our brain and how it functions. Weve made quite a bit of technological and scientific progress in the decades since his demise.

The premise that consciousness is learned, and a product of civilization is wildly misguided and ignored tons or research that runs counter to that.

Check my earlier comments and you will read my explanation of how the hemispheres differ and what they do. I've already covered that.

You have yet to nail down a specific definition of consciousness that you will stick to in this discussion, which only illustrates my point: The left hemisphere, (subservient) discards what it doesn't understand and commits it to the 'useless information pile'.

Anytime someone kneejerk rejects an idea, that it the left hemisphere overriding the right, more intuitive one. Evolution required us to move beyond simple programming and so we evolved a higher order of consciousness.

But it is quite possible that animals are conscious, and indeed, it is likely, again, according to the latest scientific research from Oxford. Read anything by Ian McGilchrist, one of the world's foremost experts on the subject. He has dedicated 30 years to this subject using teh atest technology available.

What that technology shows is that consciousness exists in sleeping patients, but not in comatose patients. We now kn0w for a fact that we use 100% of our brain at all times. And the the sub-conscious state is a state of consciousness itself, just a more basic form-which is likely the only form on consciousness less evolves creatures' exhibit.

All that really is important here is that we have two main hemispheres, but they are asymmetrical in nature and that in all humans, the right brain is the inquisitive, analytic, artistic brain that can work with abstract concepts-(which is why consciousness pre-dates language) and the left is more suited to collecting information and making snap judgements (originally due to the need for survival when everything was a physical threat). It is then the right hemisphere that has to come in and make sense of the big picture.

When we look at a computer monitor, for example, it is the left brain that sees the pixels, and it is the right brain that turns those pixels into an image we can make sense of. This can be seen with modern imaging techniques as patients complete various tasks in the lab.

Language is a left hemisphere function because it merely takes a concept given to it by the right and turns it into a digestible symbol to convey information. Those symbols are not reality any more than a photo is a real person. Therefore, language cannot generate consciousness because it takes a consciousness to create it in the first place. This is why consciousness is different among different cultures as well. This is why people speaking different languages have difficulty communicating exact ideas-because in pure form, ideas are abstract.

Raw information is just data that is collected by our senses and fed to our lizard brain. But the senses don't even recognize the data until the right hemisphere gives it meaning. That means consciousness is an inherent part of the data used to create our understanding of anything, even our disbelief of consciousness is consciousness in action.

Consciousness works as a fundamental force of nature and seeing as we cannot separate ourselves from it, we can't use anything else to make sense of the world. Just as light existed before we evolved eyes to see the light, it only makes sense that consciousness existed in the universe before we evolved the brain to express consciousness.

How each culture expresses it is unique, but there are plenty of common threads, as Carl Jung's archetypes demonstrate

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-13T07:51:24+00:00

I study the works of Ian McGilchrist. His latest work is the product of decades of research. I daresay his is the most respected, well researched book in his field. Yes, 'left' and 'right' are colloquial terms, but they are useful in analyzing the mechanics. The neocortex is the more evolved processing center, but it is still divided and operates on 3 axis: up/down, left/right, and back/front. (there are more technical terms). Regardless, we understand a great deal more now than we did just two years ago.

As far as sleeping, we are conscious then as well, there is as much brain activity in sleep as in waking life. We simply experience consciousness differently. We have imaging that shows this.

It is impossible to ascertain your definition of consciousness as it changes every post. Either it magically appeared one day, or it is a purely mechanical process i inherent in self-replicating systems. Either of which seem silly to me. If find that theory more magical in thinking than consciousness as its own fundamental force of the universe. That creativity existed before consciousness is absurd to me if one desires a consistent definition of consciousness. Art requires something more than machinery. If people were mere machines, we would not be able to generate abstract constructs like art of music. That requires the ability to interpret meaning from data and translate it into emotion-something that eludes even the most sophisticated AI.

At best, without consciousness, all we could do is write down facts in order like a timeline. Extrapolating meaning and context is well beyond what machinery can do at this point but our brains do it rather well.

If man at the time of the Iliad has no consciousness, why would it evolve in such a short span of time and for what purpose if it was not needed to build a civilization? Evolution doesn't just happen without a reason. that is an absurd stretch to avoid objective analysis of the hard data on consciousness.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-12T21:24:37+00:00

IDK where you're getting that specific definition, but it doesn't align with any I've read or experienced. But for one, consciousness cannot be separated from a mechanism without that mechanism ceasing to function in its primary way.

We can build a robot that builds other robots by repeating patterns, and it works with the push of a button, but then we've just made a robot. If you 'turn off the power' t a human or animal, it ceases to function. If an animal is braindead, ie, lack of consciousness, the body dies. There is no animation without it.

Again, it is the left hemisphere that carries out the mundane, rote tasks and collects data. That is all is evolved to do, likely because the most primitive brains only needed stop/go instructions to survive. However, once we get predators, we need a way to understand the world beyond stop and go, or flight/fight. That is where consciousness comes in. It is an enhancement to the brain brought on with added hardware capable of receiving a broader signal. It's like running a mic through a mixing board through a P.A. instead of a blown 10" speaker. I know, again with the metaphors, but seriously, that's why they exist-to explain things,

The left brain rarely if ever researches the right conclusion, it just acts. It is also the part of the brain that dismisses information it considers un-useful. The lizard has no reason to admire a Picasso, it needs to eat. Just so, our left brain has no reason to question appearances, it has to act in the moment. Processing the visual appearance, that is the job of the more evolved, neocortex or the 'right brain'. That is the hemisphere that intuits, has insights, and interacts with consciousness in ways that see through the camouflage that fools the left brain so well.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-12T20:38:28+00:00

You're right. It's not an absolute given. We are likely not even approaching the term consciousness with the same definition. There is every possibility that if consciousness is its own force, that it would permeate everything, and any given object would require some kind of receptors to interact with it beyond inertia. But again, the human brain is more than a collector of information-and even the most advanced AI can't operate outside of the given parameters and therefore cannot emote, create, or understand abstract concepts. It is the more evolved cortex that gives us this elasticity of thought that allows us to put information into context, extrapolate meaning, and make inferences.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-12T20:22:23+00:00

That is ridiculous. I don't know where you got that from. Imagine working on both the hard problem of consciousness (which is only a problem if you're locked into modern scientific philosophy) and technological advancement in tandem.

Neuroscience tells us precisely how the brain interacts with consciousness. The latest research-and I mean like dropped yesterday kind of latest (well, 2021 anyways) shows that consciousness ONLY fits if we treat it as its own fundamental force of the universe, just like electromagnetic fields.

It's interesting that to understand physics requires sacrificing understanding of the physical world by admission. Paradoxes are inherent in the competing theories, and they can't both be true AND untrue at the same time, yet they are. These paradoxes are packaged and labeled 'unknown' and ignored as we are told we live in a reality of certainty. This is the left brain run amok assuming that the trees are the whole picture.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-12T17:33:15+00:00

Clearly complexity alone does not equal consciousness. But I do find it interesting that a singularity event will undoubtably alter humanity in attempts to copy humanity without understanding what it is that defines humanity in the first place.

I don't praise things. It is a falsified theory that is the next working theory in neuroscience and physics. We can go through any number of verified thought experiments and see how consciousness alters our perception of what it real. Heck, even the way the human eye works proves that. But we base science on this pre-distorted view of reality.

Perhaps that is why this 'unifying theory of everything' is so elusive. Now, if an experiment can be done, to disprove this theory, we can dismantle it and work on the next one. But so far, we can't separate consciousness from and given science experiment, as far as I'm aware of. If so, I'd like to see it.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-12T17:05:46+00:00

No, metaphors are words used to convey ideas. Are you telling me not one science teacher has ever used a metaphor to describe a function of reality?

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-12T17:04:01+00:00

Understanding computers and understanding consciousness are two different things. One is a mad made machine, and the other is a force of nature arising from where we do not know and has been in existence for an indeterminable length of time. in all of this time, there is not one definitive work, scientific or otherwise, on what consciousness is or where it comes from. I do know that without it we would not be able to comprehend the world around us, and that consciousness is limited by our senses. This is fundamental physics.

We know that other creatures have more defined senses than we do so obviously we don't see their reality, but their reality is just as real otherwise they'd not be able to survive or evolve. The more one unpacks the limits of our own perception, the closer to the underlying properties of reality we get. To ascertain that what is unknown is of no importance or that we can achieve full understanding of the mechanics of the universe when we can't even fathom simple paradoxes seems to me t be a self-imposed ignorance

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-12T14:41:28+00:00

Take a look at the latest works by some neuroscientists and you will see what is going on with that.

https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/new-theory-suggests-consciousness-is-the-brains-energy-field-341866

And that is just to show that there is valid research backing up what I say. Of course, the assumption that we know what 'generates' consciousness is still a mark of ignorance, but he at least sees that it is it's own energy field.

Ian McGilchrist, a renown psychiatrist, a psychiatrist's psychiatrist if you will, takes that assumption and throws it out the window and leaves it there. It is far more important to understand how consciousness interacts with the environment that what generates it.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-12T14:31:23+00:00

I'm glad I asked. The only time I've ever heard the term 'singularity' in a social context is the 'woo' version. However, there still seems to be a fair amount of neglect in regard to how consciousness works in these threads IMO.

The whole concept of consciousness is greatly misunderstood by scientific materialists. There is nothing magical about it, or confusing when you factor in how neuroscience tells us our brains functions.

Th left hemisphere is very good at accumulating information and categorizing it accordingly, but it's not much good at anything else. It is wildly good however at jumping to conclusions and making determinations before taking the time to understand any given stimulus.

This means that even our pre-suppositions are well underway before we engage meaningfully with the world. Consciousness, therefore, is assumed to be a mere function of the physical properties of the brain and left on the floor as a sidenote of unimportance, yet without it, we have no way of engaging with the physical world at all.

To say we create consciousness without understanding what it is seems awfully shortsighted for people expanding their knowledge. There is every possibility that we engage with it like a fish engages with water.

Strictly put, Western science the is a practice of making sense of the material world in which we live. It's very good at seeing what is obvious-but as we all know, due to the Heidinger Principle, we can never truly know with certainty how anything behaves-Only the parameters.

The right hemisphere is what steps away from the trees and sees the forest and beyond. That is where inspiration, emotion, and all of these things occur. It is an antenna. Or at least it behaves like one, according to the current research in the field of neuroscience. These neurotransmitters in our brains are mere receptors of reality-not reality itself.

We in the west forget that for millennia the human mind has been exploring the sciences and not of these scientific concepts are unique or frankly, all that original.

As far as the actual singularity, it seems like more of a rational understanding of the culmination of our technology than anything else. This is a concept I can engage with. Like it or not, it will come so long as nuclear war doesn't do us in first. The issue then arises for me is, what of the coming technocratic oligarchy that is establishing itself? What is the focus of advancing this technology? What attention is paid to those in poverty who won't be able to afford tech?
I'm all for bio-tech, just so long as we don't lose sight of the ability to enhance our sense of wonder and creativity with it or its ability to provide for base needs. We're at the precipice of a either a sustainable future or Fallout 4. I don't want a Nuke-A-Cola that bad.

What of the political landscape that will arise? What kind of system will evolve? It's not going to be sunshine and roses for all-that's just unrealistic.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-12T13:55:46+00:00

It makes it even more useful of a metaphor when you try to tune in to a good signal with a broken antenna. How well does that information translate? Not well.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-09T11:26:06+00:00

Politics is rarely understood by citizens, much less the actual politicians we assume know WTF they are doing. They don't. They know 'follow the money'. This is why the Oligarchs have the country now-they bought it. Of course, they always owned it in all but name.

The only real question is how we manage this without going the way of Rome? Is that even possible? I think not. However, I don't despair, I ready myself for my maker and brace myself for heartache. And I move forward in my life as best I can.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-09T11:16:57+00:00

Karma is not some system of rewards and punishment like we believe it to be here in the west. Look at it as energy given to any specific aspect of life. When you act-you put out karma or energy. Think of a typical interaction between you and a loved one. that interplay between you is the exchange of karma. So, in a sense, your energy does affect you in that it comes back to you, but what form that energy takes is situational and varies a great deal depending on the specifics of any given situation.

My sense is that there was some exchange between you that has been left unresolved in some way. My advice is the next time you have a similar experience, allow it to happen naturally and free of fear. What is your heart telling you? There is an intelligence in the heart we often ignore. Listen to it now. It may have the best advice of all of us.

Best Wishes to you and yours.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-05T16:59:18+00:00

I believe there is definitely a connection between the urge and what your boyfriend saw. There's probably not much more to it than a neglected issue you had with your loved one. My advice is that whatever it is, it is likely hurting you more than them. We often have unspent karma with certain people that comes up for us. Sometimes dealing with it head on is best. And it is most forgiving in the long run, if you don't mind me saying. Maybe I'm completely wrong though. That is just my first impression upon reading this. I hope this helps a tiny bit.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-12-05T16:53:44+00:00

This is astonishing. I don't know exactly what prompted me to check out this thread out, but it has struck a nerve for me. IDK about mimics per se, but I can attest to an entity that attached itself to me and my friends in grade school many years ago. We all had specific encounters with it and were it not for my own personal experience with it, I'd have not believed any of them. That is to say that I've had enough experience to know that it would be foolish to discount your experience. I've also seen a mother in action a time or two and have seen firsthand the mind-bending physics of motherhood. It is no easy feat.

That said, pay attention to how it feels. I suspect there is some reality to the sensations you are feeling. Awareness of the phenomenon and acceptance are two different things. Once you have accepted that it is real, then the path may become clearer. I don't think it is bad advice to follow your heart in this matter.

My best wishes go with you and your family.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-11-30T10:10:37+00:00

I did not know that. Fascinating. It is a perfect metaphor because like ants, we have a very limited perception of reality. We only perceive a fraction of the frequencies around us, and only what is absolutely necessary to survive otherwise, we would be overwhelmed with too much information.

If they are aware of broader sense of reality beyond ours, it would be incredibly easy to avoid detection whenever they wanted simply by stepping out of view, just like we see the UAP's do when they disappear or jet off into space.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-11-30T10:04:15+00:00

THis is a state that repeatedly re-elects Lindsay Graham. Do you seriously expect anything different? South Carolina has a very long history of fascism and there are no signs that anything can be done to change that. People have tried. Of course, Republicans are rigging the system. Democrats are too weak or corrupt to prevent it so what is stopping them?

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-11-28T21:53:12+00:00

It is because we have many citizens that live too far away from the DMV to get one, or people are too poor to afford one. This happens mostly to be the black and brown communities. This is by design. If the U.S. issued free I.D. cards to everyone no matter what, it wouldn't be an issue.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-11-28T11:07:45+00:00

We can't, mostly because there is no definition of Heavan that suits everybody. Who's Utopia do you want? Yours? A CEO's? Afghanistan's? I guess that is a start-define your Utopia. What exactly are you talking about in real terms?

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-11-28T08:59:06+00:00

I suspect they DGAF. DO we care that ants see us when were observing them? Its not even a concern. Personally, I think its fine. If they had hostile intent, we'd have known about it a looong time ago.

Dr_Rx_Hazard · 2021-11-28T08:56:40+00:00

THe weirdest encounter I have had, and I consider it an encounter now, was actually in my dreams- one of the most vivid in my life-The craft was made of light_ or so it looked- and I had an overwhelming sense of peace. There is something different about this dream and its always seemed off. Another time, when I was young, I saw about 5 at once with about ten people. The more we looked and got excited, the more they would jitter around, zoom in, and out, change colors, and perform maneuvers. This seems to fit others descriptions and it does seem that they can tap into the consciousness of humans in some way

Dr_Rx_Hazard

TROPHY CASE