Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Consciousness Is Fundamental

So when the scientist does his experiment, taking in all the observations and measurements, all of that is an experience. Seeing, measuring, and organizing data is an experience. The scientist experiences seeing changes, hearing changes, feeling changes. The analytical understanding of the experiment is in consciousness. 

I get it that science repeats experiments to get a proof of a concept. But it is all experience, and it is all in consciousness. Even the scientist's body is an experience in consciousness. Not a big step for me that consciousness is fundamental.

4 comments:

Richard Stauffacher said...

Do you think that maybe all we have are experience and storytelling? That knowlege is not possible? If the scientific storytellers, after fiddling with their equipment, have a supermajority of "yes" stories then it's "eureka! it's a "fact!". File it under "hard knowlege". Until there's a supermajority of "no" stories, then it's "okay, we "thought" that but now we "know" better. Etc. etc. Look at your own language. It's "I know" until you're convinced otherwise then suddenly it's "well, I thought", like you woke up from a dream and now you know your Knowlege was just a dream. In order to know anything (nave any knowlege) would you not have to have absolute knowlege about absolutely everything? Otherwise how would you know that your bit of knowlege is not modified or contradicted by something you don't know?

If quantum particles are probability distributions, maybe so are facts, figures, all forms and structures ("physical" and "intellectual") and you and me.

Maury Lee said...

Knowledge is always provisional. There is experience, such as a hot stove. If we touch it, we get burned. That's hard knowledge as well as experience. Much of what we call knowledge in science are just models that work. It's fairly hard knowledge or we wouldn't be able to go to the moon and back. Of course, absolute knowledge about everything is not possible. But I have no qualms about considering something knowledge. We can just be open to the event that the knowledge could change with more understanding.

Richard Stauffacher said...

True. There are anecdotes/stories/parables about humans interacting with fire and not getting burned but for most of us it's a painful experience resulting in knowledge that's firm enough. For beings living in a material world of opposites everything seems to come down to being willing to live with uncertainty and paradox, being open to new experience and information and finding a balance somewhere between the polar opposites. I guess that's another way of saying "moderation in all things".

Maury Lee said...

Richard, you said it very well. Thanks.