X-Message-Number: 4152
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 9:56:04 -0500 (CDT)
From: N E U R O M A N C E R <>
Subject: SCI.CRYONICS Consciousness as a Mathematical Dimension

from Mac Tonnies 


    Robert Ettinger pointed out that my proposal re. consciousness as a 
    physicaldimension was vague.  He's right, so here I'll elaborate.
    It seems logical to me that awareness is an inherent structure in our
universe, the next step in the dimensional hierarchy begun with a zero-dimen-
sional point and carried out in the following sequence:
1. Line (one-dimensional)
2. Shape (ex. Square) (two-dimensional)
3. Cube (three-dimensional)
4. Hypercube/Tesseract (representative of a four-dimensional structure in 
   spacetime)
5. Self awareness

    Each stage of the sequence is interdependent.  Just as a cube could not
exist without its two-dimesnsional counterpart, consciousness could not exist
without a backdrop of four-dimensional spacetime.  I argue that organic brains
evolve to a state capable of harnessing this universal ground-state of
consciouness and utilizing it on an individualized basis.  Certainly, quantum
physics (most notably the Uncertainty Principle) indicates a deep-rooted bond
between awareness and observable reality.  I believe the "fuzziness" physicists
observe when defining subatomic particles is the result of "interplay" between
the fifth dimension and its predecessors.  Or, rather, the dynamics of two
harmonious processes forced to behave together under intense scrutiny (scrutiny
itself, in this case, being one of the factors).

    Such a system renders the universe into a quantum froth of pure 
    information.Quantum "inconsistencies," like those observable in the brain's 
    electrical
system, are comparable to the break-up of resolution one experiences the closer
he or she gets to a phosphor-coated television monitor.  Quantum uncertainty
suggests that we are approaching the fundamental wellspring of perceived
reality.
   The implications of a universal awareness (similar to a natural resource)
in light of uploading are staggering.


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