21 The essence of life
21 The essence of life
The essence of consciousness
The essence of life
Keys that separate living things from machines
《 The essence of consciousness 》
It is surmised that consciousness is a single big (macroscopic) integrate body (fused body) which is formed from actions of fulfilling ideological work --the measurement action and the computation action-- among matter actions inherent in constituent substances of a living body and only fulfills ideological work.
However, since the origin of consciousness is the matter action, its quality seems to be microscopic --immaterial--. (The work of microscopic matter actions brings macroscopic substances as traces).
(It can be also said that consciousness is the measurement action itself and the computation action itself. It may be perceived a little through analogy what the actions of the measurement action and the computation action are if we think of the bodily sensing action and the thinking action of our consciousness, though the sizes are too different to compare).
(However, what fuse seem to be those only two actions of fulfilling ideological work. Other actions of dealing with entities remain individual actions. This is because the whole constituent substances of a living body do not form a single big (macroscopic) substance (quantum) through close chemical bonds).
And, matter which is macroscopically a third person object is equipped with microscopic matter actions, which operate spontaneously, independently, and actively as first person subjects.
For this reason, it seems that, like actions inherent in matter, consciousness, which is formed from actions (of fulfilling ideological work) which are the first person subjects, can operate spontaneously, independently, and actively (while it is formed). In a word, consciousness is a first person subject.
(The fact that actions inherent in matter are the first person subjects is the fundamental basis or reason for consciousness to be the first person subject and intelligent --has bodily sensing ability and thinking ability--. This is essential. It seems that something can never have intelligence unless it is a first person subject).
(For these reasons, a living body as the third person object which is outwardly --macroscopically / materially-- but a conglomerate of innumerable substances can also be the big first person subject called consciousness in an internal --microscopic / immaterial-- facet of matter actions of fulfilling ideological work. A living body is a so peculiar physical being).
By the way, it seems that there are two types of aspect ofconsciousness movement, microscopic movement and macroscopic movement. (Please refer to the section "Consciousness doesn't work with energy (Important)" for details).
First of all, because the movement of matter actions as consciousness constituents is spontaneous, independent, and instantaneous --microscopic--, the movement of consciousness is also instantaneous and microscopic fundamentally.
However, morphologically big and macroscopic consciousness is a creature and continues to be formed moment to moment. It seems that, the feeling that consciousness (= bodily sensing action + thinking action) is moving (changing) over time is simply because consciousness continues to be formed passively, instantaneously, and integrally over time. The seemingly macroscopic and diachronic movement of consciousness is not brought by consciousness as the first person subject on its own, but heteronomously and integrally brought by the macroscopic movement of a living body --constituent substances-- which is the basis of consciousness.
This is like the playback of a video. Images which are still at rest, if they are played back continuously, also give the illusion that they are moving on their own. The microscopic and instantaneous operation (action) of consciousness in a facet of the first person subject is completed moment to moment, and the results --bodily sensation and senses of thought-- is, so to speak, stationary. However, results completed every moment, if they occur continuously, also give the illusion that they are moving on their own.
Consciousness is like a video in which each image is created in real time and is shown in real time as they are created. In this sense, it can be said that a living body which is the basis of consciousness is (the forming apparatus and) the playback apparatus of consciousness.
(In this respect, it might be said that (the movement of) consciousness has "microscopicity( of the internal, spontaneous, and instantaneous movement)-macroscopicity( of the diachronic, big, and passive movement) duality" or "activeness-passivity duality").
(By the way, actions inherent in matter are essential for the existence of matter --actions inherent in matter are the true identity of matter-- and matter operates internally and instantaneously without supply of energy, and it seems that the internal and instantaneous movement of consciousness also doesn't need energy.
Energy is used in external (macroscopic) and concrete activities of a living body's substances such as various metabolism. Then, heat is generated, but, because the heat is always discharged to the outside, the entropy production rate reduces. So to speak, it may also be said that energy is burned to continue to sustain (the formation of) consciousness).
The fact that consciousness can perceive comprehensively the state and situation of substances and the physical events inside and at surface of its living body, can think (design) comprehensively its living body's state at the next moment in a constructive and productive direction of maintaining or forming the living body's entire physical order, and, via the thought result, can affect (the movements of) its living body's constituent substances seems to be the essence of consciousness.
And, this thing is also essential about the movement (activities) of organisms (living bodies). Consciousness is indispensable to the activities of organisms, and it can be said that the emergence of consciousness is the essence or core of the being of a living thing.
However, actions inherent in consciousness --the bodily sensing action and the thinking action-- are instantaneous and completed instantly. And, the movements of substances affected by the thought by consciousness are also carried out instantly. And, it seems that, by repeating them diachronically, integrally, and endlessly, a big movement of a living body such as metabolism is formed.
And, a living body (an organism) is a system of autopoiesis --self-production / spontaneous, independent, and active production of one's own advanced and dynamic physical order--, and, it seems that, because consciousness is such a thing, a living thing can move spontaneously, independently, actively, integrately, productively, and constructively --so to speak, can carry out self-organization--, in a direction of maintaining or forming its physical order.
However, the fact that a living body's substances move (macroscopically / materially / externally) based on the (microscopic / immaterial / internal) considered result by consciousness means that substances move unnaturally violating ordinary known laws of physics. (It seems that the movement of living bodies cannot be explained fully yet only by the known macroscopic laws of physics).
This universe is ruled by the second law of thermodynamics that entropy increases, and things naturally get disorderly with the lapse of time. (The direction in which things get disorderly is the direction in which time passes). And, sophisticated physical order cannot form naturally without some cause, effect, basis, mechanism, framework, factor, or driving force which defys the second law of thermodynamics.
Thereby, it's not possible for substances, which are but a conglomerate of macroscopic third person objects, to move spontaneously, independently, actively, integrately, constructively, and productively in a direction of maintaining or forming their entire physical order, (unless they move spatially, spin, or undergo chemical reactions according to, for example, the comprehensive considered outcome by consciounsess which is integrate).
However, at present, there is a break between consciousness and matter, and no physical causality can occur between the two.
So the movement of a living body (an organism) is unnatural.
Therefore, it is expected that there is a problem hard to conquer around here, (unless some new physical framework, mechanism, or factor is assumed). (However, it may be an important issue that can broaden the scope of physics, if we change our perspective).
《 The essence of life 》
Consciousness seems to emerge at the same time with the birth of an organism (life / living body). And, an organism seems to be able to move spontaneously, independently, actively, integrately, productively, constructively, unpredictably, and flexibly owing to the work of consciousness. In a word, the (material) activity of an organism cannot do without consciousness.
Simply put, the following things seem to be the essence of an organism (life / living body).
1) Consciousness always emerges in a living body.
2) A living body can move spontaneously, independently, actively, integrately, productively, constructively, unpredictably, and flexibly based on the work of consciousness --can fulfill autopoiesis--.
The life activity of organisms (living bodies) comes under autopoiesis --self-production / spontaneous, independent, and active production of one's own advanced and dynamic physical order--. Thereby, it cannot be said that to fulfill autopoiesis isn't the essence of life. However, autopoiesis is the result based on the work of a living body's consciousness.
Moreover, it doesn't seemt that organisms alone fulfill autopoiesis. It's surmised that, even if it's inaminate, if the site is a flexible environment abundant in physical or chemical reactivity, inanimate matter consciousness emerges there and autopoiesis is fulfilled based on its work. The following things are the examples. Crystallization processes of various substances, from the crystal of snowflakes down --the formation processes of various precious stones and mineral also seems to be autopoiesis-- / the vicinity of hydrothermal vents / the vicinity of sources of various heat / heavenly bodies that generate heat inside them, from Earth down.
Furthermore, since the life activity of a living body bases on the work of consciousness, if the consciousness of the living body disappears, the life activity of the living body will also come to a halt at the same time. Or, consciousness also disappears at the same time with the full stop of the life activity.
In this way, the activity of organisms (life) cannot do without the work of consciousness. So, in a word, (the emergence of) consciousness is the essence or core of life.
In detail, the following things seem to be the essence of life (organism).
a) Consciousness always emerges in a living body (organism).
b) Consciousness of a living body perceives the physical events that occur in material world inside and outside of it, including the living body that is the foundation of the consciousness, through the five senses. (Input, like a detector or measuring instrument)
c) Comprehensive and unpredictable thinking (computing) is fulfilled automatically in consciousness according to the five senses perceived, in a constructive and productive direction of forming or maintaining physical order of the whole living body underlying the consciousness. (Internal ideological processing, like an electric circuit, computer, DSP, FPGA, AI, etc).
d) Based on the thinking in consciousness, (substances of the) body moves automatically and constructively --substances related, in related cells, move automatically and constructively--. (Output, like concrete movements of machines or robots).
In a word, the above can be said to be autopoiesis.
《 Keys that separate living things from machines 》
The following seems to be the keys which separate living things from machines.
A) In a living body (an organism), autonomous metabolism is carried out based on the work of consciousness.
B) Heat generated by metabolism is discharged to the outside of the living body and the entropy production rate reduces, and physical order forming effect occurs in the living body owing to that.
C) Owing to the physical order forming effect occured in the living body, consciousness continues to be formed and sustained natually and automatically from actions of fulfilling ideological work --the measurement action and the computation action-- among matter actions inherent in the living body's constituent substances, in a way of transcendental superposing over the whole of the living body.
D) While a machine, which is a conglomerate formed from plenty of substances which are third person objects, is a third person object which can move heteronomously (and macroscopically) as programmed for the first time after it was passively involved in some fundamental interactions --working on of extrinsic force or energy--, consciousness, which is formed from substances's matter actions which are first person subjects, is a first person subject which can operate spontaneously, independently, and actively.
E) Consciousness is equipped with a bodily sensing action and a thinking action. The bodily sensing action is an ability able to measure (perceive) the extrinsic influence about extrinsic force or energy on its own living body and the present state of its own living body. Through this action, consciousness can perceive comprehensively the state of its own living body, others, and external world. The thinking action is not programmed and is not predictable. However, referring to the comprehensive outcome of the bodily sensing action, it computes comprehensively and unpredictably a state of the living body at the next moment, in a constructive and productive direction of forming (or, sustaining, updating) the physical order of the whole living body concerned.
F) Referring to the computed outcome of the thinking action of consciousness, integrate, active, dynamic, constructive, and productive movements of the whole living body occurs (continues to occur).
In short, the activity of a living body is collaboration between the living body and its consciousness.
And, it seems that, since consciousness is such one, differently from a machine which is a conglomerate of third person objects and moves mechanically relying on fixed and predictable programming, living things can move spontaneously, independently, actively, integrately, constructively, productively, unpredictably, and flexibly --so to speak, can carry out self-organization--.
It is decisively important that (the thinking action of) consciousness can compute (design, think) comprehensively the state of the whole living body --physical order-- at the next moment.
