Doesn't reality require a singular consciousness?

[Guest bartwart]

This sounds like Pantheism or the new strain called Scientific Pantheism. So what if the Universe were "conscious" of itself? It certainly wouldn't be like what we experience. And what is there for the Universe to be conscious of? Itself? It is in fact a useless idea; it has no utility and it is unprovable, much less definable.

[erik]

When advancing knowledge its useful to have some basis in reality to start with though. Otherwise your hypothesis, or in this case arbitrary assertion, is worthless and a waste of time.

[Richard_Halley]

Yes, Erik... especially when, by your own admission, there is no way to gain evidence to support your hypothesis.

[MisterSwig]

I thought i had taken the Law of Identity into account. Is it not true that the whole is the sum of its parts? Therefore, a leaf may have an identity while its constituent molecules each have their own identity. In which case the individual Man has an identity while humanity, of which the Man is a part, has its own identity. Furthermore, humanity forms part of existence, which in turn has an identity.

Meta:

You say that the whole is the sum of its parts. But you are failing to recognize the difference between perceptual wholes and conceptual wholes. One type exists in reality, and the other type exists only in your mind.

A leaf is a perceptual (or concrete) whole, which actually exists in reality. Humanity is a conceptual (or abstract) whole, which only exists in your mind.

Men, although essentially similar to each other in reality, do not meld together to form a physical whole being. We are all separate individuals, like the leaf.

I think you just made an error in applying the law of identity. You were not recognizing two different types of "wholes."

I hope that helps.

[RadCap]

radcap: "to continue to assert that something is possible WITHOUT evidence is to assert your REJECTION of logic. Doing so ALSO asserts your inability to speak with us, because logic is the ONLY means by which man can grasp identity and thus existence."

poohat: "Here in the world of science we often refer to this as a 'hypothesis'. They're generally considered to be essential to any significant advance in knowledge."

Translation: Floating abstractions - the unreal - are NECESSARY to know the real. Entertaining the unreal is "essential" to the world of science.

I do not believe I have seen a greater and more explicit rejection of logic, identity and existence on this site than this statement.