Paper 2
File name -- paper File created date --02:46 am Sunday, October 26 2003
The types of survival of death and immortality that the simplest scientific - materialist theory of consciousness allows. And why this is an extremely positive, useful, explainative, and predictive theory of consciousness.
Founding concepts
1. The functioning of the nervous system produces consciousness. When the brain does not function at all, or functions in incorrect ways, and or, has an incorrect structure, it does not produce consciousness. Proof is the very strong and ever increasing scientific evidence.
2. Identical structure and functioning produce identical consciousness. Using the identical matter and energy, being in the same place or time is not necessary for producing identical consciousness. Arguments: 1. Identity is the simplest relationship between consciousness and bodies. Other theories are more complex, they have to predict and explain more.
3. There are no other concepts such as: mind substance, soul, astral body etc. that are needed to exist in reality, to explain, predict, understand, to lose or find again, for the understanding, explaining, predicting, and controlling of consciousness, survival of death, and immortality. Because we do not need these concepts: mind substances, souls, astral bodies, ghosts etc. we do not need to identify, understand, explain, or predict their behaviors or how they relate to other concepts like consciousness, survival of death, or immortality. Arguments 1. Simplicity of elements: do not add extra complexity unless it is needed. 2. There is no undisputed scientific evidence for mind substances, souls, astral bodies, ghosts, etc.
4. The brain can have an extremely large amount of different structures and function in extremely large amount of different ways. Many of these different structures (network of connections etc.) and functionings (patterns of neurons firing etc.) can produce consciousness. Proof the study of different brains show this to be the case.
5. There is a distinction between what consciousnesses are actually currently being produced at any time and what potential consciousnesses could be produced in the future.
6. The key aspect to survival of death is that after death you will eventually experience something again. And to be immortal you have to have the potential of experiencing something again no matter how many different times in the past you have experienced things before. You can survive death with out being immortal and you can be immortal with out ever dying. You are mortal if no matter how long you live if you die you will never be aware or experience anything again. If you survive death this does not mean that you are immortal either because you could die again and never experience anything again either
The correspondence between the functioning and the consciousness produced does not permanently disappear after the cessation of the correct functioning.
it is there is always this potential that you can experience something again after death. Consciousness does not have to be continuous over time for some one to survive death or be immortal.
Potential kinds of immortality and survival of death based on the identireplica theory of consciousness
1. Keeping the original alive forever. 2. Point of death survival -- identireplica 3. Recreation of original -- cidentireplica 4. Some where along the previous physipath/ awarepath 5. Some where along the future awarepath 6. Version of previous or future selves-- videntireplicas 7. Enhanced versions of pasts or future selves-- superpaths 8. 9. Multiple versions of any of the above. 10. Change in physipath producing same awarepath -- Isoidentireplicas 11. Fragmented structure and functioning -- Fidentireplicas 12. Partial recreation of a consciousness such as a thought, feeling, etc. 13. Sectional recreation one physipath converging into a different awarepath of a different person 14 Consciousness produced at a faster or slower speed
Why are these types good for secular beliefs you need to take care of this world. It could happen randomly but to aide the process we need greater knowledge. Other people might be versions of you so you should be nice to others because they might be version of you.