Matters of the self.

We define our existence by means of experiential subjectivity, an intricate web of reflections and self-reflections of a conscious multi-dimensionality. But if you'd perceive how others perceive you, you'd disappear on the spot (Cioran), leading any definition or taxonomy of the "self" to an inevitabile self-generating paradox, of which nature Ficthe analyses in-depth in his Wissenschaftslehre (the Science of Knowledge):

The self’s own positing is thus its own pure activity. The self posits itself, and by virtue of this mere self-assertion it exists; and conversely, the self exists and posits its own existence by virtue of merely existing. It is at once the agent and the product of action; the active, and what the activity brings about; action and deed are one and the same, and hence the ‘I am’ expresses an Act, and the only one possible, as will inevitably appear from the Science of Knowledge as a whole. — Johann Gottlieb Fichte

The principles found in these paradoxes of primitive knowledge are bound to be entagled with those of human faculties, defining a loop between the known and unknown, between the self and the other. Balance of which observation tries to bring it to a still, an atemporal dimension that reveals both instances of the self and the non-self as part of the same, fundamental substance.

Must Watch

Insights into a scientist's (almost) decade old exploration, with Roger Penrose

Roger Penrose shares insights into how he arrived at his twistor theory, why he consideres quantum mechanics "wrong" (instead of the more polite "incomplete") and how consciousness is a particular aspect of his theories that still has him questioning the current scientific views on the subject.

How "A Landscape of Consciousness" came to be, with Robert Lawrence Kuhn

Robert Lawrence Kuhn shares his inside story to how he created the now famous Landscape of Consciousness.

see the paper →

Must Read

A new theory of consciousness argues for meditation, psychedelics, and the future of AI in a whole new light. Suggests meditation may boost the “general” nature of intelligence.

We intuited that, like the single fabric underlying our disparate ideas, existence also belonged to a single field that was somehow reflecting upon itself, and through clever twisting and turning—like the folding of the brain itself—it was granted the light of consciousness. — Ruben Laukkonen

The authors propose that active inference can model consciousness under three conditions. First, the system must simulate a world or reality model, determining what can be known or acted upon. Second, inferential competition allows only inferences that reduce long-term uncertainty to enter the world model, establishing a threshold for consciousness, known as Bayesian binding. Third, epistemic depth refers to the recursive sharing of the world model across the system, meaning the model contains the knowledge of its own existence. This differs from self-consciousness as the entire model continuously evidences itself. The Epistemic Depth Theory offers insights into meditation, psychedelic states, and conscious artificial intelligence.

Recently

Consciousness is fundamental, with Bernard Carr

Bernard Carr argues that consciousness plays a pivotal role in shaping reality and the behavior of elementary particles, suggesting that the universe may not fully exist until it is observed. He highlights that consciousness influences not only our understanding of history but also outcomes in quantum mechanics, paralleling the measurement problem. Carr proposes that the distinction between quantum and classical physics may be observer-dependent, further linking consciousness with the material universe. He also notes that electrons exhibit wave-like behavior around protons, challenging traditional views of atomic orbits.

The E8 structure, with Garrett Lisi

Garrett Lisi's exploration of the E8 Lie algebra and triality symmetry offers a bold approach to unifying fundamental particles and their interactions. He challenges mainstream theories, such as string theory, by emphasizing the elegance and potential of group theory, particularly focusing on how the complex symmetries of the E8 structure might reveal deeper insights into the standard model and the three generations of fermions. His work seeks to connect general relativity, gauge fields, and particle physics through a simpler mathematical framework, with the ultimate goal of uncovering a theory of everything. By exploring neglected research areas and critiquing the complexity of existing models, Lisi advocates for a renewed focus on group theoretical approaches to address the deepest questions in physics.

Refuting materialism, with Bernardo Kastrup

Originally filmed in 2020, Bernardo Kastrup shares his thoughts on critiquing materialism and advocating for metaphysical idealism, asserting that reality is fundamentally Consciousness. He challenges materialism for misrepresenting qualitative experiences as mere quantitative descriptions, arguing that it neglects the true nature of consciousness and its relationship to matter. Kastrup points to quantum physics as evidence that reality is mental, not purely physical, and critiques materialism’s failure to explain consciousness and brain function. He also challenges panpsychism, arguing that the notion of separate consciousnesses combining into a unified experience is incoherent, and advocates for idealism as a more meaningful understanding of reality.

Is Consciousness Everywhere? with Annaka Harris, Philip Goff and Keith Frankish

Annaka Harris, Philip Goff and Keith Frankish explore the complexities of consciousness and free will, questioning whether these phenomena are fundamental aspects of reality or shaped by predetermined processes. They discuss how physicalism struggles to explain consciousness, while panpsychism proposes that a unified Consciousness underlies reality, creating the illusion of separate selves. The talk also addresses the "combination problem" in panpsychism, suggesting that consciousness is a unified phenomenon, not tied to individual selves. Additionally, they examine the tension between subjective experiences and objective brain processes, raising the possibility that both consciousness and free will are illusory constructs shaped by evolution rather than inherent truths.

Vedanta and the Hard Problem of Consciousness, with Anand Vaidya

In this lecture, Anand Vaidya advocates for a synthesis of Western and Indian philosophies, particularly through the lens of Vedanta, to address the complexities of consciousness and the hard problem of the self. He emphasizes the illusory nature of the self and the emergent properties of consciousness. Vaidya connects classical Indian philosophy, especially Ramanuja’s views, with contemporary discussions, suggesting that Indian philosophy’s unified approach to consciousness and the self offers a more promising solution to the hard problem than Western philosophical frameworks. He critiques physicalism, explores the non-dual witness consciousness, and invites a broader dialogue between diverse philosophical traditions to deepen the understanding of consciousness and reality.

Is consciousness the missing link to AGI? with Joshua Bach

Joscha Bach explores the role of consciousness in advancing artificial general intelligence (AGI), highlighting the limitations of current AI systems and the potential of liquid AI to enhance learning and creativity. He argues that consciousness, shaped by neural interactions, enables abstract reasoning and self-perception, which are crucial for AGI development. Bach contrasts AI's deterministic processes with human perception and learning, raising questions about whether large language models can simulate aspects of consciousness. He stresses the importance of consciousness for self-organization in AGI and calls for ethical exploration and interdisciplinary research to align AI with human values, while addressing the complexities of human psychology and the societal challenges AGI presents.

Why Are Humans in a 3 Dimensional Reality? with Stephen Wolfram

Stephen Wolfram discusses how human perception shapes our understanding of reality and the laws of physics by simplifying complex interactions and phenomena. He explains that humans perceive the universe through equivalences, which help derive physical laws, including gas behavior and randomness. Wolfram highlights how our limited ability to observe molecular motion leads us to perceive randomness, while our perception of a 3D reality focuses on key features, leaving certain mysteries like the second law of thermodynamics unresolved. He explores the concept of Ruliology, emphasizing the need for a shared language to communicate complex behaviors, and suggests that both human thought and universal physics can be understood as computational processes of equivalent sophistication.

Book Launch

The Origins of Consciousness challenges the dominant view that consciousness is an emergent property of the complex human brain.

Based on his pioneering research on a variety of organisms, Vallortigara argues that the most basic forms of mental life do not require large brains, and that the neurological surplus observed in some animals such as humans is likely at the service of memory storage, not of the processes of thought or, even less, of consciousness. The book argues for a simple neural mechanism that can provide the crucial event that brings into effect the minimum condition for subjective experience. Implications of the hypothesis for the appearance of consciousness in different organisms are discussed, as well as links with a variety of fascinating human phenomena such as disorders of consciousness, tickling and visual illusions.

Challenging widely accepted theories of consciousness, the book is a must-read for students and researchers of human and animal consciousness.

Further Reading

Self: From one to many and back to none — Janko Ne?i? debates various theories of the self, including those found in contemporary versions of dualism, panpsychism, structuralism, enactivism, and predictive processing, while working to naturalize phenomenology of subjectivity.

Yet another ruliad surprise: Nestedly Recursive Functions — Stephen Wolfram explores how these functions are built through repeated application of themselves, resulting in complex patterns and behaviors from relatively simple rules. Wolfram highlights how this concept is key to understanding various computational processes, such as cellular automata and broader areas of mathematical logic. He demonstrates examples of recursive functions, illustrating their power in generating intricate structures, and reflects on how these ideas can connect to fundamental questions in science and computation.

Why Is Anything Conscious? — The authors address the hard problem of consciousness by focusing on self-organizing biological systems. They propose a mathematical framework showing how organisms interpret sensory information based on needs and valence, leading to behavioral actions influenced by qualitative information processing. Selection pressures favor systems that link cause to affect, motivating real-world interventions. They also argue that phenomenal consciousness without access consciousness is common, while the reverse is unlikely, challenging the idea of "zombies" in nature. They suggest that human-level access consciousness requires hierarchical self-modelling, making phenomenal consciousness essential for human functionality. Their approach seeks to ground a science of consciousness in natural selection.

The Qualia Structure Paradigm: towards a construction of a Qualia Periodic Table for the dissolution of the Hard Problem of Consciousness — The authors explore the challenge of understanding the relationship between qualia and their physical substrates, which remains one of the biggest enigmas in consciousness research. They highlight the difficulty of characterizing qualia, noting that traditional approaches relying on verbal descriptions and behavioral responses fall short. Inspired by category theory's Yoneda lemma, the authors propose the Qualia Structure paradigm, which focuses on characterizing qualia through their relationships to one another. This framework aims to organize qualia systematically, similar to the periodic table in chemistry. The authors suggest that any valid theory of consciousness must link the domains of qualia and their physical substrates in a structure-preserving way, potentially dissolving the Hard Problem of consciousness.

This Illustration by Dan Allison

Until next time!