Life the universe and electricity

[robinbloke]

A lot of introspection over the weekend, brain dumped here for my own reference as much as anything as I had a long period of trying to define what "I" am in any sort of subjective terms, based on what "I" believe, being fundamentally agnostic.



I am...well exactly what? From an mundane point of view; what input do I have to this process I plainly call 'thought'; well breaking things down as much as I can; I have a 'voice' in my head, a stream of thought, what is this based on? One; Knowledge, and a decision making process based on experience. A calculation entity built entirely on experiences and pathways built from such experience. Two; Emotion, feeling, now this is a tricky point, since this, fairly, can be classified as knowledge, as it is part of experience; maybe it is the sixth sense, hmmm, and I'm arguing myself out of the point I was about to make, so I need something to reform it. Pause. I can react without concious thought, even unknowingly. This subconcious thought, I propose, is the basis for emotion, the whole sense of feeling itself is a separate stream of control for our bodies.
At least this was my proposal, and now I'm a little unsure, I think I'm getting closer at least, but the working model that I'll be looking to refine now is that.

a) I am a physical entity
b) I hold, database like, knowledge inside my brain (in whatever electrical/chemical form)
c) I can perform actions and interact using my physical form
d) I am capable of conceptulising and thinking in my 'thoughts'
e) I experience emotions, if these are thoughts or not I am now unsure
f) My concousness/thought is governed by b), d) and e)

What exactly I *am* physically is relatively simple, what I am mentally is another, my thoughts are electrical and chemical processes inside my brain, changes governed by electrical sparks. These sparks give rise to this voice I can hear/my thought.
Thought itself is therefore a physical, measureable quantity, it is electrical signals and my 'thought' is quite possibly no more than a kind of electrical 'ear' that interprets these signals and gives them for "me" to listen to. Whoever "me" is.
So, how many things am I?
Am I simply a listener to this electrical ear, I know I can 'hear' these thoughts, and the activities of my brain something else which 'I' listen to and do not control.
Is thought itself an entity, is it me? Is my perceieved control of my physical self an illusion or just the result of these electrical signals over and over forming pathways and firing neurons to break signals and continue in my species base function (ie reproduction/survival).
As a unit lifeform am I definied by a single thread of control or many? (Thought, The listener, Emotion, Physical form... etc) or are these threads themselves part of the 'whole' that I can and simply facets of that thought (such as legs, arms and head are parts of my body, independant as such - but still defineable parts)
In breaking down what I am, am I loosing part of what I am, or am I coming closer to defining the parts of the whole?

Still working on this one...

Comments

[zotz]

I've got a couple of books on this sort of thing. It's quite a fraught issue. There are lots of philosophers and neuroscientists at each other's throats over it. Very entertaining. I could lend you them at some point if you're interested (the book, of course, rather than the philosophers).

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

That'd be much appreciated actually, I'm tending towards the thought that essentially philosphy and neuroscience are parallel sciences, if not the same thing.

[surje.livejournal.com]

one way of looking at what you are is by taking away things and seeing what is left. So if you take away your daily routine, regular contact with the people you expect to see regularly, the comforts that you take for granted, the quality of your sense organs, your health, your posessions, your freedom, your rights, your country, your beliefs, your memories, your ability to remember what you were doing at the beginning of this sentence... what is left? how about the sex drive, the dreams, the nightmares, the fears, the worries, the happiness, the pain, the goals, the regrets, the longings... still there's something squirming and hungry that wants to survive!

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

But exactly what? Is it just a spark of electricty jumping from neuron to neuron, or is there some other chemical and electrical forces buzzing around that have some kind of drive?

[surje.livejournal.com]

you've just found an evolutionary niche, you exist because the right environment was there in which you happened to be the most successful solution to the problem. an emergent property of your genetic material is one which gives you enough determination and intelligence to defeat the elements and your natural predators. but part of that success is due to the emergent behavioural properties of the group, so it is your social and emotional capacity which allows you (and the group) to function with optimal efficiency.