Chapter 37
The Science We Need To Build
Superimmortality is a consequence of what we already know, but realizing its full potential requires scientific progress in several areas.
Neuroscience. We need to understand, in far greater detail, how brain structure and functioning produce consciousness. What are the minimal structural and functional requirements for producing a given ixperiencitness? How much can a brain be altered before the ixperiencitness changes? The answers to these questions will tell us how broad the class of "you-producing" physical systems is.
Information theory. Consciousness appears to be related to information processing, but we do not yet fully understand this relationship. A deeper theory of how information processing relates to conscious experience would help us understand the conditions under which ixperiencitness is produced. Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Global Workspace Theory (GWT) are promising starts, but we need much more.
Psychexistology. This is a new field — the science of conscious existence. It encompasses all the above disciplines and more, focused on the specific question of how consciousness exists, persists, and can be reproduced. It includes the study of ixperiencitness, the study of awarepaths, the study of multiplicity, and the development of technologies for conscious design.
Ten Questions for Future Science
To make this concrete, here are ten specific questions that future research must answer, questions that will determine whether the predictions of Ixperiencit Theory are confirmed or refuted:
1. What is the minimal neural structure required to produce a given ixperiencitness? How much can a brain be simplified before the ixperiencitness changes?
2. At what level of physical description must two brains match to produce identical consciousness? Molecular? Synaptic? Connectomic? Something coarser?
3. Does consciousness require biological substrate, or can non-biological systems produce it? Can a silicon-based system have genuine subjective experience?
4. What is the role of quantum effects in consciousness? Are Penrose and Hameroff right that microtubule quantum coherence matters, or is classical neuroscience sufficient?
Key Terms in This Chapter
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