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by perfmode 390 days ago
In this context, we differentiate between the conscious and unconscious based on observability: the conscious is that which is observed, while the unconscious comprises what is not observed.
1 comments

No, what I was trying to convey is that there could theoretically be multiple consciousnesses in one brain. These are however unaware of each other.

A person might have the impression that there is only one "me", but there could be tens, hundreds, or millions of those.

It might help to get away from the problem of finding where the presumed singular consciousness is located.

Then there is the beautiful issue of memory: maybe you are X consciousnesses but only one leaves a memory trace?

Consciousness and memory are two very different things. Don’t think too much about this when you have to undergo surgery. Maybe you are aware during the process but only memory-formation is blocked.

Or perhaps they all leave traces, but all write to the same log? And when reconstructing memory from the log, each constructed consciousness experiences itself as singular?
Which one controls the body? There is a problem there. You can’t just have a bunch of disembodied consciousnesses. Well, maybe.. but that sounds kind of strange.
What makes you think a singular consciousness controls the body?
It’s a single narrative that controls the body is what I mean. If one consciousness says “I am Peter” then other consciousnesses would know that and be conflicted about, if they don’t call themselves that.

What I mean is that a single narrative “wins”, not a multitude. This has to be explained somehow.