Conscious multiplicity1

File name: conscious multiplicity Time created: 11:04:16 AM & Date: 03/25/09

The concept of conscious multiplicity of self

personal multiplicity

Personal multiplicity does not exist because bodies are singular in nature. This is because the matter involved is at the very least distinct in space thus singular. Carbon atom A is not the same as carbon atom B even if they are identical in every way A consciousness is not tied to a space or piece of matter or time. A body is tied to a place time and piece of matter. A body is that matter. A consciousness is created by the structure and functioning of matter. Structure and functioning is not dependent on a particular space, time, or piece of matter.

We have personal singular identity and conscious multiplicity. Personal identity applies to others from our conscious perspective. You are not a consciousness to other you are a body that produces complex behavior.

 when they consider us so to then your body dies and to you they are a body that dies also

Actual versus potential Person versus consciousness Singularity versus multiplicity Unique versus reproducible linear versus lateral Objective versus subjective

The structures and functioning of the body produces consciousness. Identical structure and functioning produces identical consciousness Identical consciousness produces identical ixperiencitness Identical consciousness is not tied to the particular, space, time, matter, body but to a particular set of structure and functioning that we know the body can create.

We know that we are not tied to a particular structure because for functioning to occur there is change in the structure of the brain.

We are not tied to a particular future or past functioning and structure of our brain.

For others we are a body. To ourselves we are a consciousness that appears to be connected to a body. We can imagine being conscious with out having a body but we can not imagine ourselves not being conscious because any imaging requires being conscious. For ourselves, there is no self with out being conscious.

There are several reason that we do not accept multiplicity. First we can not accept simultaneous multiplicity of self. We can have conscious multiplicity but we can not have personal multiplicity. If we are just a body. Bodies are singular objects that die.

The second issue is that when we pinch a different person with an identical consciousness as you have you do not feel it so this person can not be you. If I pinch you in the future you do not feel it either so does this not make this future person not you also? You have to add a rule at this point such as there are many potential yous but only one actual at a time. That future you is just a potential you not an actual you. Usually the argument is that there is a unique connection between you now and you in the future that makes this future consciousness uniquely able to produce your unique quality of consciousness or your ixperiencit. This connection is your present body. There are a number of experiments that we can imagine that make us think twice about this body connection. Imagine the case where there are two bodies one you and one that is producing exactly the same consciousness at exactly the same time, because of the exact same structure and functioning of the body. Imagine splitting then up and recombining then together again so each one has exactly the same amount of matter from you body and they continue to have the same functioning as your body would have with out the split and recombination. Which one is now you. Both have equal rights to call themselves the original you bout is one you and the other not you are both of them you or neither you. For you, you want to experience consciousness with out this you no longer care which one is you because neither one will be you. There is no reason to assume that one will be you and not the other and if you do not accept multiplicity where both are you then the only thins left is to say there is no longer a you in either one. If not you then who are they and where did these other ixperiencits come from you have to make up rules to satisfy the condition with not empirical evidence just to hold this belief system. We can ask both of you question like did you survive or are you someone else. You will say that it is in fact you that survived this transformation. How do we know this because if the structure and functioning was the same the behavior would be identical.

The argument that there is a unique connection between you now and you in the future can be challenged with rational experiments. One experiment is that we make 1 cidentireplica of an original. Their functioning is identical for any desired length of time. We split the cidentireplica and original in half and then rejoin them so that exactly half of the cidentireplica is now joined with half of the cidentireplica. We now have two people that w make sure that they are still cidentireplica of each other both have the same behavior and consciousness. But what happens to the original's and cidentireplica's ixperiencit's? Both have equal rights to the ixperiencit. Assuming that the ixperiencit exists in the first place the four alternatives is that neither has an ixperiencit this certainly is not what we will expect since they booth believe that they are still alive and experiencing life.

They were identical in the first place so they have the same ixperiencit

Which one is a continuation of the original? If singularity is true both can not have the ixperiencit as the original. The options for singularity are that neither has the ixperiencit of the original or one has the ixperiencit of the original and one does not. There is no reason that one should have the ixperiencit of the original and one should not have it because they are equal unless you say that one part of the body or brain contains the ixperiencit. If that is the case then we split that particular part of the body that contain the ixperiencit in half equally again. We ask the same question. All scientific evidence so far shows that all parts of the brain add to consciousness so there is no one part that is the center of the ixperiencit.

If multiplicity is true then both can have the ixperiencit of the original. They both had the same ixperiencit before the experiment.