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file M1.page.purpose Updated 9:09 am August 9, 1994 7:46 am June 25, 1993/ 9:53 am June 4, 1993
What is the purpose of the identity theory of consciousness?
The identity theory of consciousness tell us what we are, and what we can expect in life and in consciousness. It explains part of the mystery of life and ourselves. Some people care and have a curiosity about why things are the way that they are. Other people are more interested in living and leaving the questioning about the world to others. People are different and the identity theory explains why people are different. The identity theory is for people that have a curiosity in life and the world that they live in. Many people at some time in their lives are going to ask questions of why. There are a number of answers that people have already thought up in religions and philosophies. The identity theory of consciousness is such a theory. But unlike passive theories it is a dynamic theory that encourages peoples contribution. It is not a passive theory. This theory has a theory of immortality of sorts based on scientific knowledge. It does not guarantee immortality. What it does do is develop a science that can deal with the complexity of our consciousness without making over simplifications. It gives people the ability to deal with his problems with out reverting to some other ideal that is counter productive to the future of consciousness. It puts some men on the level of god in the sense that we can make choices to improve ourselves without god's intervention. Which is a big step since we know nothing about god but many people act like they do. What we have developed in terms of understanding what god is, are ways to avoid answering the questions. We say that he is to much to understand. Questions about god are avoided because they cause problems for religions and religions are power structures that do not want to lose power. Science and any human social structure has the same problem but not in the same sense. When a scientist believes something and has power he does not want another theory to come and over throw it. However, there is a structure in science, mathematics, and philosophy that allows a theory to be proposed and even considered. There is no such structure in religions unless the people in power allow it. The purpose of god for many religions is the ultimate connection to truth and the right to control. The way that it goes is that we are in connection to god and his truth as such we have the power to do what god wishes If others claim to be in connection to gods will and knowledge about him then he is a heretic and can, with god graces done with as the religion wills. Science can not make this claim. The only thing that science and the people in power can do is suppress funds for research and try to suppress the dissimulation to the ideas that are offensive to the leaders in power. They can of claim ultimate knowledge or a connection to ultimate knowledge. Like religions claim to. So any one can claim to have connections to god and what he wants. It is hard to prove a connection with god and it is also hard to disprove a connection with god when the people that are being challenged accept the existence of a god that people can relate to and communicate with. I can say and no religious person can disprove the statement that god want man to progress towards higher forms of consciousness. Higher forms of independence from god and unity with his higher level of consciousness. We can not say that god does not want science to proceed. In as much, we can say that he does because he has made the ability to do science a part of us and our abilities. We can even go so far as to say that science is god inspired and that he want us to do it with all possible speed. God has nothing to fear from man. Anyone that believes that god has the ultimate knowledge and power can not make a case foe god fearing man. But if god is weak, as it is proposed when we indulge in the idea of a devil that has powers that god can not control, we should not want this weak god to control our lives. We surely can do an equally bad job. And maybe even a better one if we work toward a goal of not power for a few but power to open ideas and consider all ideas and the power that all ideas have.
What then is the purpose of the identity theory of consciousness? The results of the identity theory is what makes the theory important to work with and for. The identity theory gives us many options for our future and the future of the consciousness life forms in the universe. And even the superuniverse.
What abilities will the sciences of the identity theory give us? They will be able to show us what we can do. They will show us higher - more complex forms of consciousness and how to create them. They can give us immortality but better than that they can give us super immortality this means that we can become immortality in higher and higher levels of consciousness, feeling, emotion, etc.. This might seem devilish but we can have these higher levels of consciousness and be better consciousnesses or beings. Being good can be defined in many ways, but I define good as the pursuit of knowledge, And good people and consciousnesses are the ones that help in the pursuit of that knowledge. This does not mean that everyone has to be a scientists or epistemologists. It takes many different people to support scientist and give them what they need to do their research. I am not saying nor do I support people suffering in order that science and the goal of the pursuit of knowledge can proceed. I believe that science and its constructive use will make people's lives better. How do we control power of the people that have it so that they do not destroy what we are working for? You do not give any one person enough power to destroy the system but on the other hand the system must be open to change so that the problems that are encountered can be solved. If we cut off the development of science we will make life worse for mankind. This I see as the problems with religions. Religions have no stake in science. They are a perpetuation of a belief system counter to science. They believe they have the ultimate connection to god and thus have no need for science. That is the problem with the belief in god people think that it gives them the right to do what ever they wish and to believe what ever they want. A belief system can be created that can be based on god that will do or believe anything. All that a religion has to do is create a system of ideas and say that god says that it is so. Then it can proceed to do what ever it wishes. Established religions have an evolutionary nature about them. Like a life form. Within these belief system have developed ideas that have perpetuating abilities. This means that within these religions are mechanisms that help to keep the religion going. The belief systems that did not have these abilities did not survive. even thought they may be reinvented by other over time and will be again in the future. What do successful beliefs systems have in common? Connection to ultimate power, rewards and punishments, intimate connection to a higher or ultimate consciousness being as in prayer. Evangelism or the pushing of the religion as part of the religion. Teaching of the ideas and reteaching of the ideas starting at a young age. Social pressure and social rewards created by a church or social organization. The gathering together of people. The joining together of the government with the belief system. A belief system that has many parables or stories that can create a emotional response or bonding. A higher level of logic for the more questioning individuals. Intentional glossing over of trouble spots in the system with concepts like we are not meant to understand all that god does or wishes. The unacceptance of questioning of the belief system or religion. Killing of the people that do not accept the belief system or religion and the fighting with and trying to over throw social systems that have other belief systems or religions. A belief that the belief system religion is ultimate right and that god favors the society and individuals that have such ideas over all others. The ultimate good is the belief system. And that the belief system is complete as is and need no revision.
How is this belief system different? It encourages questioning and the understanding of all belief systems. It encourages the pursuit of knowledge. It encourages the increasing of the current consciousness forms. It believes that if god exists that this is what he wants and if he doesn't we are to make higher and higher life forms. This belief system will be more powerful than other belief systems and will hold its own because it will be able to solve problems better because it is problem solving oriented. It believes in perpetuating it belief system but not fighting with other beliefs systems. It believes that more intelligent and conscious life forms will have the ability to understand and to accept this system over others. It also understands that there are many possible awarepaths and that the purpose of these beliefs system is to be able to allow for as many different awarepaths as possible but they may not exist in the same reality. In other words they may exist in an experience but the sense of reality will be the same and thus the awarepath will be the same. These experience machines will allow for a reality where other beliefs systems can exist. With out destroying any other belief system totally. This system gives us a better form of immortality than all other religions.
Glossary
Itoimmortality, forms of immortality that are possible from the identity theory.
Sinimmortality, singular immortality. the essence of a person is a singular thing. There is only one such object per person that is immortal
Linimmortality, linear immortality. the essence of a person can only exist linearly in time.
Sinlinimmortality, singular linear immortality.
Obimmortality, object immortality. there is some object apart from the body that is immortal.
Spimmortality, spirit immortality.
One of the purposes of epistemology is to be able to create system of knowledge or explanation or prediction whether they are correct or not and to be able to modify them in a smooth continuum of change. and to convey these ideas to others as simply as possible. One purpose of epistemology is to create, modify, and convey, concepts and systems of knowledge, and to study these processes scientifically and epistemologically. To study something epistemologically is to is to look at it in every possible way with every possible tool and every possible transformation.
Is the materialist position actually one that believes that the body is the one and only body that produces the mind?
The importance of the identity theory is in the fact that it shows the way to produce immortality with out the need for a god using our own skills . We do not need to have god for us to have immortality. What we must have is a society of smart, consciousness, progressive, problem solving individuals that want to understand the world with out destroying it. The identity theory makes immortality a matter of steps of scientific and epistemological progress. The concept of immortality turns out to be much more complex that we have previously thought. There is beauty in the creation of different awarepaths and simiawarepaths. there are the awarepath with these beautiful awarepaths and simiawarepath and there are ones with out. we have so much to gain from this study. People have had wonderful and emotional experiences that they cherish in their lives. There can as well be beauty in the superpath and the supersimipaths and simisuperpaths. What is a super simipath? It is a simipath that is part of a superpath or that is superpath - complex. A simisuperpath is part of a superpath.