Consciousness and being self aware

I think that at the fundamental level "consciousness" is a bunch of algorithms solving problems. It's "computing".

Each person is an ever changing set of reactions to the environment. And that's a "soul".

Our computers also do the "computing" thing. So they have that in common with us.

BUT, our computers don't learn, don't write new programs and don't observe their own actions. So this is what's different between us. And someone suggested that self observation is a subset of the learning ability. So self awareness is under the umbrella of learning. Because seeing self is like receiving new information into your brain, it's like adding information (which is what happens during learning). It's about creating new links.

I was feeling upset one morning. EXTREMELY upset. I thought that my head is going to burst (figuratively speaking) if I don't release this feeling somehow. I felt like doing something violent (not really, but just the feeling). THEN I observed myself and I realized what was going on with me. I said to myself: hmm, I have seen this kind of behavior before while observing other people. (My brain just created a new link, a new understanding). I remembered "anger management" that is always associated with abusive partners and other people who lose control while they are angry. And I thought: hmm, so that's how they must feel when they are angry. No wonder they get violent (some of them). It feels so bad.
So from this moment, because of self observation, I realized what was going on with those other people, I gained a new understanding.

So each new experience and self observation afterwards helps us create more and more links to everything, which creates more and more understanding. That's why self observation is a sign of consciousness. It's like it's a vehicle to learn, to evolve.

If you are talking to a person and they are not observing themselves, they will be stuck in the loop, repeating the same "wrong" thing over and over again, not knowing why the conversation isn't going anywhere. But if they were self observing, they would realize what was wrong and would adjust their behavior, their thinking... realize that they need to adapt and change course.... and that's conscious life!

When I talked to my grandfather (and he is so set in his ways) that I actually FELT like I was talking to a recording. It's like he lost the ability to learn, to adjust thinking. It was kind of weird. I think it's the first time I realized that people can act unconsciously (without really learning).



Because we are computing machines (in some sense), our emotions are also computed. A person's brain is a database of events and experiences and they are linked to chemical reactions. So whenever a certain event or a thought is being executed or ran by the brain, the brain also triggers a set of chemical reactions (which are perceived or FELT as emotions by us).

People COMPUTE their view of the world based on the data in their brain's database. So that's why often the right and wrong and the ideas are different in different people's heads. Because the decisions are based ONLY on what's in their brain. So it depends on what they heard or read or have seen or have experienced. That's why people often don't understand each other and their decisions look irrational to each other: because their brain calculator is using DIFFERENT data to calculate perspective and conclusions.

The fact that we are computing machines, algorithms.... also explains how you could make a person to act different while under hypnosis. It's like you are editing their internal programming, their code...

That also explains a phantom leg syndrome... the leg hurts even though it's not there. It's because the leg is not required to be there. What's required is the person's programming needs to say: the leg is there. And that's all that matters. The physical could be created by the brain's ability to say to itself: it's there. It reminds me of a computer game and how it creates physical objects by programming code... and people in the game think they are "Sitting" on the chair just because the code said so.

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by DayLight1555

I think that at the fundamental level "consciousness" is a bunch of algorithms solving problems. It's "computing".

Consciousness is not necessarily solving problems all the time.

In the thoughtless state of consciousness, one can admire and enjoy a beautiful sunset or a beautiful flower in the sunlight, or enjoy golden meadows moving in the breeze, without necessarily thinking.

Surely this shows that consciousness is more subtler than a problem solving mechanism.

Originally Posted by ajay00

Consciousness is not necessarily solving problems all the time.

In the thoughtless state of consciousness, one can admire and enjoy a beautiful sunset or a beautiful flower in the sunlight, or enjoy golden meadows moving in the breeze, without necessarily thinking.

Surely this shows that consciousness is more subtler than a problem solving mechanism.

Sometimes we decide to do something in an instant, but consciously we are not aware of the steps (of HOW we decided). Although I am sure that it required logical deductions and analyzing to decide to go visit someone or not to go. There was no other way to make that decision, except by going through logical steps and computing it. So it stands to reason that we were just not aware of the computations even though they took place.

I think that what we FEEL is the result of what was already computed (as we processed the information through our eyes or ears). The feelings (admiration of the beauty) is the decision, it's the "problem already solved" condition.

so the whole wor(l)d is a simulation


i wonder

Originally Posted by lucid remix

so the whole wor(l)d is a simulation


i wonder

That's what I think (we create physical visual representations for ourselves) like the code in the computer game creates physical objects out of code and makes people (made out of code) sit on these "physical objects" made out of code.

[skygazer]

hey, it's possible. The idea has been around for a while.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulat...a_ simulation

[Thunder Bow]

Problem solving is higher brain function, but it is not consciousness. Consciousness is what is aware of the higher brain function.

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by DayLight1555

Sometimes we decide to do something in an instant, but consciously we are not aware of the steps (of HOW we decided). Although I am sure that it required logical deductions and analyzing to decide to go visit someone or not to go. There was no other way to make that decision, except by going through logical steps and computing it. So it stands to reason that we were just not aware of the computations even though they took place.

In a highly conscious state, the reasoning process is quite fast.

Barry Long states thus, " Awareness is experiencing from moment to moment. Reason acts quickly in awareness, a thousand times faster than thought, and you do not even notice it is operating.

http://barrylongquotes.tumblr.com/po...g-bulletin-140