Is the Universe a Conscious Mind?

[Sunstone]

Is the Universe a conscious mind?

I'm not terribly fond of the notion that the universe is conscious, but I think Philip Goff makes a much more interesting than average case for that notion -- even though, in my opinion, his case suffers from some weaknesses.

But what do you think? Is the universe a conscious mind? Why or why not?

And if the universe is indeed a conscious mind, what does the universe think of @SalixIncendium's fashion sense, which some folks have perhaps justly likened to a black hole capable of sucking the very will to live out of nearly anyone. Lime green spandex pants and fire engine red socks, Salix? Really?

BONUS QUESTION: Supposing the universe were in some sense "conscious", what traits of human consciousness would it most assuredly NOT have?

 

[Buddha Dharma]

As you may have read in another thread- I believe it is conscious in a very mysterious way. I consider myself a Panentheist, even while being a Buddhist. Buddhists try to keep the paradox as paradox, so we try not to say much. I think signs that the universe is conscious include it's laws and the way things work. It just seems so unlikely a universe that works could be random. That is one common reason I accept- not going into my position as a Buddhist.

The more we learn about the universe, the more amazing I think it is, and I find myself asking- this amazing thing happened totally without a guiding hand? People think that?

I think it would not have the emphasis on ego of human conscious, to answer your bonus query. It may even be spontaneous. We know consciousness and spontaneousness can in fact go together.

 

[BSM1]

Is the Universe a conscious mind?



And if the universe is indeed a conscious mind, what does the universe think of @SalixIncendium's fashion sense, which some folks have perhaps justly likened to a black hole capable of sucking the very will to live out of nearly anyone. Lime green spandex pants and fire engine red socks, Salix? Really?

BONUS QUESTION: Supposing the universe were in some sense "conscious", what traits of human consciousness would it most assuredly NOT have?

Like any conscious mind the universe evidently could use a good laugh.

Bonus: supposing and/or presupposing.

 

[osgart]

Maybe it has a mind like quality, but it isn't really alive.

The universe alive, I'd feel sorry for it that way.

 

[dfnj]

Is the Universe a conscious mind?

I'm not terribly fond of the notion that the universe is conscious, but I think Philip Goff makes a much more interesting than average case for that notion -- even though, in my opinion, his case suffers from some weaknesses.

But what do you think? Is the universe a conscious mind? Why or why not?

And if the universe is indeed a conscious mind, what does the universe think of @SalixIncendium's fashion sense, which some folks have perhaps justly likened to a black hole capable of sucking the very will to live out of nearly anyone. Lime green spandex pants and fire engine red socks, Salix? Really?

BONUS QUESTION: Supposing the universe were in some sense "conscious", what traits of human consciousness would it most assuredly NOT have?

Great article.

First consider mind and consciousness. We are the Universe's way of experiencing itself. We are made of the very stuff we are experiencing. So in some ways we have a direct experience of what IT is that we are experiencing.

But let's talk about mind for a minute. Mind is a complete abstraction of nature. Mind is space where an infinite number possible thoughts can be realized. For the Universe to be like a conscious mind, besides being able to experience reality as out there have self-awareness, the mind part would have to be able to realize an infinite number of possible realities the same way our mind does with imagination. If that is the case, then a Universal mind would have to be able to be like a multiverse. The only way the Universal mind can be complete is if every possible quantum state is realized over an infinite amount of time. Only then, would the Universe mind be like our imaginations.

RE: "The multiverse theorist postulates an enormous number of distinct, unobservable entities: the many universes."

The multiverse is more interesting to me than some made up agency BS. The fact that anything exists at all as opposed to nothing is a violation of Occam's razor. I have no problem with the idea that our Big Bang was the result of a star collapsing to a black hole in previously existing space-time dimension. Each space-time dimension is a single thought of the Universal mind.

What is real on the cosmic timescale will never be proven. I think all axiomatic systems of thought creating a cosmological dogma are all about equal. You can't prove one way of thinking is better than any other. All objectivity is determined by subjective judgments. Just pick your believe system that fits the facts. Assume the rest. It's all good.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Is the Universe a conscious mind?

I'm not terribly fond of the notion that the universe is conscious, but I think Philip Goff makes a much more interesting than average case for that notion -- even though, in my opinion, his case suffers from some weaknesses.

But what do you think? Is the universe a conscious mind? Why or why not?

And if the universe is indeed a conscious mind, what does the universe think of @SalixIncendium's fashion sense, which some folks have perhaps justly likened to a black hole capable of sucking the very will to live out of nearly anyone. Lime green spandex pants and fire engine red socks, Salix? Really?

BONUS QUESTION: Supposing the universe were in some sense "conscious", what traits of human consciousness would it most assuredly NOT have?

Is the universe aware of itself and others?

No. Having a design and supporting life doesnt have meaning in it, in and of itself. The universe goes on without human beings. It doesnt think and then change its thoughts to act in another way. It just is. The purest form of a "higher being" if there is one: life itself.

 

[Grandliseur]

Is the Universe a conscious mind?

I'm not terribly fond of the notion that the universe is conscious, but I think Philip Goff makes a much more interesting than average case for that notion -- even though, in my opinion, his case suffers from some weaknesses.

But what do you think? Is the universe a conscious mind? Why or why not?

And if the universe is indeed a conscious mind, what does the universe think of @SalixIncendium's fashion sense, which some folks have perhaps justly likened to a black hole capable of sucking the very will to live out of nearly anyone. Lime green spandex pants and fire engine red socks, Salix? Really?

BONUS QUESTION: Supposing the universe were in some sense "conscious", what traits of human consciousness would it most assuredly NOT have?

No, not if we accept scripture; however, it is part of a conscious mind, e.g. God can feel, know, what all parts of it are doing, down to what we think. How this works is beyond what we have been told.

Jeremiah 23:24 24 “Or can any man be concealed in places of concealment and I myself not see him?” is the utterance of Jehovah. “Is it not the heavens and the earth that I myself actually fill?” is the utterance of Jehovah.​

Please meditate on what the above means.

 

[dfnj]

No, not if we accept scripture; however, it is part of a conscious mind, e.g. God can feel, know, what all parts of it are doing, down to what we think. How this works is beyond what we have been told.

Jeremiah 23:24 24 “Or can any man be concealed in places of concealment and I myself not see him?” is the utterance of Jehovah. “Is it not the heavens and the earth that I myself actually fill?” is the utterance of Jehovah.​

Please meditate on what the above means.

It means crap. I think people who quote scripture have no idea what they are talking about. Why don't you tell me what the scripture is saying in your own words. It's meaningless gibberish to me. I'm not wasting my time on such a bad translation. Just awful. A complete waste of time to think about.

 

[dfnj]

Is the universe aware of itself and others?

No. Having a design and supporting life doesnt have meaning in it, in and of itself. The universe goes on without human beings. It doesnt think and then change its thoughts to act in another way. It just is. The purest form of a "higher being" if there is one: life itself.

Does time exist if no one with consciousness exists inside the Universe to experience it?

 

[Grandliseur]

It means crap. I think people who quote scripture have no idea what they are talking about. Why don't you tell me what the scripture is saying in your own words. It's meaningless gibberish to me. I'm not wasting my time on such a bad translation. Just awful. A complete waste of time to think about.

The implication is obvious. If we cannot hide because we are composed, made of, his matter, his material which still is connected to his consciousness. There is no way we can hide since we are part of the material that composes him. The analogy is a super computer where the low security users have access to their own material, and to none other, while the one at the top may have access to all the other users. Not a good analogy, but I think it works.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Does time exist if no one with consciousness exists inside the Universe to experience it?

Time only exist because humans counted the mins, hours, days etc so our lifestyle would be measures by the earth's rotation. Without humans, there are no days and nights "to be aware" of. It flows all together in one loooonng day.

Outside of that, I dont understand the question.

 

[dfnj]

Time only exist because humans counted the mins, hours, days etc so our lifestyle would be measures by the earth's rotation. Without humans, there are no days and nights "to be aware" of. It flows all together in one loooonng day.

Outside of that, I dont understand the question.

So what you are saying is until about 6000 years ago when humans invented writing time did not exist in our Universe. Without reflective thoughts we are all just automatons carrying out the laws of physics where no pattern of energy is any more meaningful than any other pattern of energy?

I think time moves as fast as it possibly be can until consciousness exists to experience otherwise. Time practically stops when people watch a clock. It's really quite amazing!

 

[Unveiled Artist]

So what you are saying is until about 6000 years ago when humans invented writing time did not exist in our Universe. Without reflective thoughts we are all just automatons carrying out the laws of physics where no pattern of energy is any more meaningful than any other pattern of energy?

I think time moves as fast as it possibly be can until consciousness exists to experience otherwise. Time practically stops when people watch a clock. It's really quite amazing!

Unless we are talking about different "times" if there were no humans, days wouldnt be "measured", daylights saving would be noexistent to an evolving universe. Nothing linear. No beginning to a circle.

 

[Brickjectivity]

The universe is probably a subset of all possible ordered universes, and that is probably a subset of some more extensive set. No, its probably not conscious or even real in the sense that we would prefer.

 

[dfnj]

The universe is probably a subset of all possible ordered universes, and that is probably a subset of some more extensive set. No, its probably not conscious or even real in the sense that we would prefer.

Absolutely NOT! The Universe is analog and cannot be represented by abstraction that can be contained in a set or subset. The Universe is not a thing. It's one giant wave with no beginning and no end. Everything is connected to everything else and the existence of sets and objects is just a delusion created by human language.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Absolutely NOT! The Universe is analog and cannot be represented by abstraction that can be contained in a set or subset. The Universe is not a thing. It's one giant wave with no beginning and no end. Everything is connected to everything else and the existence of sets and objects is just a delusion created by human language.

I am using the word 'Probably', but I am probably correct. Astronomical observations indicate our physical universe is a packet of time expanding from a point of zero size, zero dimension, zero. If it were a wave with no beginning or ending then surely that would be what Astronomy was revealing. Instead Astronomy indicates that everything comes from a single point. Otherwise why is space thinning? Why is every object getting further from every other object? Why do virtual particles appear and disappear? Where is the indication that the universe could be a wave? Also what makes black hole singularities possible, because its plain that normal rules do not work inside of them? The simplest explanation seem to me that black holes are evidence that the universe is not the bottom of reality.

 

[allfoak]

But what do you think? Is the universe a conscious mind? Why or why not?

This is a quote from the Kybalion.
THE UNIVERSE, AND ALL IT CONTAINS, IS A MENTAL CREATION OF THE ALL. Verily indeed, ALL IS MIND!

 

[Willamena]

It certainly doesn't lack consciousness.

 

[shunyadragon]

The use of consciousness to describe our universe is a romantic misguided anecdotal misuse of consciousness. Consciousness is best described as:

From: consciousness is best defined as - Google Search
"the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc. the thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual or of an aggregate of people: the moral consciousness of a nation."

Consciousness is an observed property of animals that have a brain, and the relationship of the animal to the physical self and the exterior world, It is not mysterious. Even though all the questions concerning the nature of consciousness science does have an adequate understanding and explanation for consciousness.

The known knowledge of our universe is explained by Natural Laws, and there is non known elements of consciousness, as defined, concerning the nature of our universe.

Macro cause and effect outcomes in our universe are not random. On the micro level of Quantum Mechanics some behaviors are observed to be random, but predictable, and only descriptive of Quantum Mechanics properties limited by our present knowledge.

The philosophy of Pantheism only believes that 'God' is the universe it self. Any interpretation beyond assumes a metaphysical interpretation approaches panenthesim in a fuzzy boundary.

You would have to come up with a different metaphysical definition of consciousness to equate it as the universe itself.

Yes, theists describe the Creation of our universe as a product of the consciousness of God. Okay, but this is a different issue based on belief.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Is the Universe a conscious mind?

I'm not terribly fond of the notion that the universe is conscious, but I think Philip Goff makes a much more interesting than average case for that notion -- even though, in my opinion, his case suffers from some weaknesses.

But what do you think? Is the universe a conscious mind? Why or why not?

And if the universe is indeed a conscious mind, what does the universe think of @SalixIncendium's fashion sense, which some folks have perhaps justly likened to a black hole capable of sucking the very will to live out of nearly anyone. Lime green spandex pants and fire engine red socks, Salix? Really?

BONUS QUESTION: Supposing the universe were in some sense "conscious", what traits of human consciousness would it most assuredly NOT have?

The article - like all fine-tuning arguments I’ve ever seen - seems to be based more on egocentrism and chauvinism than rational thought.

Sure: if the basic parameters of the universe were different, then life as we know it couldn’t had arisen (but could they have been different? They always seem to gloss over that part)... but so what? Maybe life is a precarious “afterthought.” Maybe life is staggeringly unlikely... but pick any set of parameters of the universe and there will be things about that particular universe that will be unique.

Fine-tuning arguments always struck me as an elaborate version of the Texas Sharpshooter fallacy: just because it’s important to us that that the universe supports life doesn’t mean that it was inevitable or it was some sort of goal of the universe.