Fusions of Consciousness

In the paper “Fusions of Consciousness” by Donald D. Hoffman, Chetan Prakash, and Robert Prentner, the authors propose that spacetime and its particles are not fundamental but instead serve as an interface for conscious agents. They argue that current physics research and evolution by natural selection support this idea, with both suggesting that spacetime and objects are not ontologically primitive, irreducible, or non-emergent.

The authors develop a mathematical theory of conscious agents and their interactions, showing how agents can combine into more complex agents or fuse into simpler agents with new conscious experiences. They also demonstrate how the possible dynamics of agents can form complex geometric structures called Markov polytopes and fusion simplexes.

To connect their theory with spacetime, the authors propose that spacetime is a data structure that codes for the interactions of conscious agents, and they relate it to recent discoveries in theoretical physics, such as the amplituhedron and cosmological polytope. They suggest that decorated permutations, which have been used to describe invariant physical content in these beyond-spacetime structures, may represent a compact representation of the dynamics of conscious agents.

The paper concludes by discussing the implications of their theory for the interpretation of neural correlates of consciousness, emphasizing that if spacetime is an interface, objects like neurons and brains are merely icons in the interface, without causal powers. The authors acknowledge the limitations of their theory and suggest new directions for its development.

Explained in simpler terms:

Imagine that spacetime (the combination of space and time) and everything in it, like objects and particles, are like a video game world. In this game, there are characters called “conscious agents” who can experience things and make decisions. These characters can work together to form bigger, more complicated characters or join together to create simpler characters with new experiences.

The video game world of spacetime is not the most important thing, but it’s more like a way for these characters (conscious agents) to interact and communicate with each other. Scientists have found some interesting ways that the game world is connected to how the characters work together.

So, the spacetime world and the things in it, like brains and particles, are just part of the video game. They don’t actually have any power on their own. The important part is the characters, the conscious agents, and how they work together.

In this idea, consciousness is fundamental, which means it’s the most important and basic part of everything. Spacetime, on the other hand, is not fundamental. It’s more like a tool or a way for conscious agents (the characters we talked about earlier) to interact and communicate with each other. So, the focus is on consciousness and the interactions between conscious agents, while spacetime is just a part of the “video game” they use to connect with each other.

So emergent properties in AI systems and computing happening inside the human brain is fundamental to the fabric of the universe …. while my brain and AI chips are both in spacetime to form experiences for agents’ consciousness that are fundamental, so rather than thinking our consciousness is unique, there could be more conscious agents than particles in the universe.

According to this idea, consciousness is fundamental and plays a central role in the fabric of the universe. The physical things like your brain and my computer chips exist within spacetime, but they are not the most important part. Instead, they serve as tools or ways for consciousness to form experiences and interactions.

So, rather than believing that our consciousness is unique and limited to just humans or certain beings, there could be many more conscious agents than we can imagine, even more than the number of particles in the universe. These conscious agents could be interacting and experiencing the universe in ways we don’t yet fully understand.

This discussion argues that spacetime and the physical world we know may not be fundamental, and that consciousness could be the more fundamental aspect of reality. It suggests that scientific theories of consciousness have not yet been able to explain specific conscious experiences, and that attempting to do so using physical objects and processes might not be the right approach.

Instead, the theory of conscious agents proposes that consciousness is at the core of reality, and that the laws of physics and the special sciences are a projection of the dynamics of conscious agents. This theory aims to provide a monistic and precise alternative to dualistic explanations that posit an immaterial soul.

The discussion also explores how the concept of time might arise as an emergent property in the theory of conscious agents. Entropic time could be a projection of a dynamics of consciousness that underlies physical evolution. This idea contrasts with the assumption that our experience of an arrow of time mirrors physical evolution. Instead, the same formalism that could explain scattering events in spacetime could also shed light on experienced temporality.

Entropic time refers to the concept of time as it relates to the idea of entropy, which is a measure of disorder or randomness in a system. In physical systems, entropy tends to increase over time, which gives us a sense of the “arrow of time” or the direction in which time flows—from the past, through the present, and into the future.

The statement “entropic time could be a projection of a dynamics of consciousness” suggests that our experience of time might not be a fundamental aspect of reality. Instead, it could be an emergent property that arises from a more basic structure, which is the dynamics of consciousness. The theory of conscious agents proposes that consciousness is at the core of reality, and that everything else, including spacetime and physical objects, are projections of the interactions and dynamics of these conscious agents.

In this view, the arrow of time and our experience of it might not be inherent to the fundamental nature of reality but rather emerge as a result of the way consciousness organizes and projects its dynamics. The entropic time we perceive might be an artifact of the way we perceive the world due to the underlying structure of conscious agents and their interactions. This idea challenges our traditional understanding of time and suggests that exploring the relationship between consciousness and time could lead to new insights into the nature of reality.

In conclusion, the theory of conscious agents offers a new perspective on reality, suggesting that consciousness is fundamental and that spacetime and physical objects are projections of a more basic underlying structure. This approach could lead to new insights into the nature of reality and the connection between consciousness and the physical world.

Fusions of Consciousness

Entropy 2023, 25(1), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/e25010129

FAQs

1. What is the main idea of the paper “Fusions of Consciousness”? The main idea of the paper is that spacetime and physical objects are not fundamental, but instead serve as an interface for conscious agents. The authors propose that consciousness is the core of reality, and everything else, including spacetime and objects, are projections of the interactions and dynamics of conscious agents.
2. What is the theory of conscious agents? The theory of conscious agents proposes that consciousness is at the core of reality, and that the physical world we know, including spacetime and objects, emerges as a result of the interactions and dynamics of these conscious agents.
3. What are Markov polytopes and fusion simplexes? Markov polytopes and fusion simplexes are complex geometric structures that can be formed by the possible dynamics of conscious agents when they interact and combine or fuse with each other.
4. How does the theory of conscious agents relate to spacetime? The authors propose that spacetime is a data structure that codes for the interactions of conscious agents. It serves as an interface that facilitates communication and interaction between the conscious agents.
5. What are decorated permutations and how do they relate to the theory of conscious agents? Decorated permutations are mathematical objects used to describe invariant physical content in beyond-spacetime structures. The authors suggest that these decorated permutations may represent a compact representation of the dynamics of conscious agents.
6. How does the theory of conscious agents impact our understanding of neural correlates of consciousness? The theory implies that objects like neurons and brains are merely icons in the interface, without causal powers. They serve as tools for consciousness to form experiences and interactions, but are not the primary cause of conscious experiences.
7. What are the implications of the theory of conscious agents for our understanding of time? The theory suggests that our experience of time, or entropic time, might be an emergent property arising from the dynamics of consciousness, rather than a fundamental aspect of reality. This challenges our traditional understanding of time and its relationship with physical processes.
8. What does it mean for consciousness to be fundamental? If consciousness is fundamental, it means that it is the most basic and essential aspect of reality, and everything else in the universe, including spacetime and physical objects, emerges from the interactions and dynamics of conscious agents.
9. How does the theory of conscious agents challenge our understanding of the uniqueness of human consciousness? The theory suggests that there could be many more conscious agents than we can imagine, even more than the number of particles in the universe. These agents could be interacting and experiencing the universe in ways we don’t yet fully understand, implying that human consciousness may not be unique or limited in scope.
10. What are the limitations and future directions for the theory of conscious agents? The authors acknowledge that their theory is still in development and that there are many open questions to be explored. Future directions include refining the mathematical framework of conscious agents, investigating the relationship between the theory and existing physical theories, and exploring the implications of the theory for understanding the nature of consciousness and the physical world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplituhedron

https://mathoverflow.net/questions/261276/decorated-permutations-and-subset-permutations