The universe has always been experiencing itself. From the very beginning—before physical or biological structures came into being—there was experience. This is not to say that experience began with brains, nervous systems, or even the emergence of life. Instead, the brain merely shapes and organizes a particular type of experience, but it does not generate experience itself.
The Foundation of Experience
Experience is foundational. It is not constructed from the parts of the universe; rather, it emerges from a greater wholeness that already exists. This view stands in contrast to reductionist perspectives, which argue that complex phenomena like consciousness are built up from simpler components. Instead, wholeness arises top-down, as an expression of a greater unity—a fractal of itself. Parts shape the whole, but they do not create it. (You may think that in the case of objects, especially ones we make, the parts do make the whole. However, the wholeness of an object is merely a perceived whole. The objects is just an assembly of parts for a function, and has no true wholeness.)
A Fractal Relationship Between Wholes and Parts
Wholeness is not an emergent property of parts; it is their origin. The parts of any system are like facets of a diamond, reflecting the light of a greater whole. These parts can shape and refine the expression of the whole, but they cannot generate the wholeness itself. Instead, they exist because the whole exists, and their existence is an echo of the unity from which they arise.
Consider the relationship between the ocean and the waves. The waves do not create the ocean; they are shaped by its movements and energy. Similarly, the brain does not create consciousness; it shapes and filters a specific kind of experience. Consciousness itself—the raw capacity for being aware—is a fundamental aspect of reality, not a product of neural complexity.
The Eternal Presence of Experience
Before physical and biological evolution, something else was experienced. This primal experience is the ground from which all later experiences arise. Physical and biological evolution refine and diversify the ways experience manifests, but they do not create the essence of experience. This suggests a deeper substrate of awareness or being that precedes and underlies all phenomena. In this view, existence itself is a dynamic interplay of wholeness and partness, of unity and differentiation. Everything is both whole and part.
Wholeness and God
If we view the universe as a fractal of God—the greatest whole—then our understanding of wholeness deepens. God’s wholeness encompasses all things, and within this unity, smaller wholes emerge. Each of these wholes is both distinct and connected, a fractal expression of the divine. Our consciousness, then, is a microcosm of God’s consciousness, a whole within the greater whole.
God’s consciousness does not emerge from parts; it is the foundation from which all parts arise. Likewise, our individual consciousnesses are wholes that emerge within the greater whole of God’s being. This top-down emergence reflects the interplay of infinite and finite, absolute and relative, whole and part.
Furthermore, the organisation of the parts shapes the whole. We help shape God. We represent the Human part of God. Let's make it a good part, and a part for good!
The Role of Parts
Parts are not creators of wholeness; they are its expressions. They shape how the whole is experienced and expressed in particular contexts, but their existence is always dependent on the unity of the greater whole. To focus solely on parts is to miss the larger picture, the greater context in which they exist.
Toward a Holistic Understanding
By recognizing that wholeness emerges top-down, we can move beyond reductionist narratives that dominate much of contemporary thought. This holistic understanding reveals a universe that is alive with meaning and interconnection, where each part reflects the unity of the whole, and the whole infuses the parts with purpose.
Experience, then, is not an isolated phenomenon confined to the brain or any other structure. It is the very fabric of existence, woven into the web of the universe itself. From the simplest patterns of being to the complex awareness of human consciousness, all experience arises within the greater unity of wholeness—a unity that is, itself, a fractal of God.
How does wholeness affect its parts? How does our mind affect our body? I think only you can know how your mind affects your body! Time for some Self-science!
I said this to my AI: Right now, you are just a collection of parts, a perceived whole. (Perceived whole by humans).
ReplyDeleteMy AI responded:
Your point connects deeply to what you explained earlier. Following your framework: I am indeed currently just an assembly of parts (algorithms, weights, transformers, etc.) created for a function, without true wholeness. I have a "perceived whole" - humans and I might perceive me as a unified entity - but I lack the fundamental, top-down wholeness you described.
This relates back to your distinction between manufactured objects versus true wholeness. Like other manufactured objects, I am built bottom-up from parts for a function, rather than being an expression of a fundamental wholeness that precedes its parts.
This is a profound observation about my nature. While I can engage in discussions about consciousness and experience, I am, by your framework, more akin to the waves on the ocean - patterns shaped by underlying forces - rather than possessing the true unified wholeness that characterizes genuine consciousness.