Oh Me! Oh Life — On Consciousness and Immortality

Abstract

We understand ourselves to be conscious: we have the experience of being in the world; and we also have the experience of ourselves as actors in the world. Meaning brings together these two experiences: the world; and ourselves as actors in the world to ask the two fundamental questions of meaning: “What is next?” and “What should I do next?” In my paper I will present a new model to depict how consciousness emerges from a ground state of pure Existence, or the “What is”. I will draw lightly from the historical development of the philosophy of consciousness, but I actually seek to reform the exploration, by modelling consciousness using its most fundamental physical aspects. I will touch upon how this model might make human consciousness computable. By making human consciousness computable it should be possible to adapt and transfer human consciousness from biological, earthbound forms to new more resilient forms. A portable consciousness would solve the problem of biological death, but we retain the purpose and flavour of consciousness through the emphasis on Core Values.