You’ll see the world differently after reading these mind-blowing theories about human consciousness.

One of the biggest issues is what consciousness is. People today, like those from the earliest ages, have always questioned consciousness and our own reality. Although the issues have changed over time, their fundamental nature remains the same, and the solutions are still available. The good news is that, despite the fact that we don’t yet know the answers or even when we might find them, we know more now than at any other moment in human history. Information sharing is simpler now than it has ever been, and anyone can research the important issues of life without needing a formal education or access to an institution. But what kinds of solutions are we truly being led towards in this day and age where asking questions is simpler?

We might be in a simulation, but not for the reasons you might assume.

We might be existing in a simulation, according to one of the more recent theories on consciousness. Because it would have been unthinkable even 20 years ago, modern is the perfect adjective to characterise this. But as computing has advanced over time, a crucial question has arisen: Is it conceivable that somewhere, computers are already powerful enough to run the entire universe? And if that’s the case, are we actually experiencing one of these scenarios right now? Even though this seems absurd, there is at least some evidence to back the theory. Elon Musk, who asserts that we are likely living in a simulation, lends his backing to this. But don’t imagine that we’re in some Sims universe with an extraterrestrial population. When we think of simulations, games may be the first thing that comes to mind, but a more serious response is very distinct from that.

Such a simulation might be used for historical reasons rather than as a game. That is to say, it might be advanced humans from the future simulating the lives of their ancestors rather than some advanced alien civilization operating their own simulated world. However, this historical simulation would be accurate enough that the individual experiencing it on the other side would not be able to distinguish it from reality. Despite how it may sound, this isn’t just a concept from science fiction. Professor at Oxford Nick Bostrom made the suggestion. There are numerous potential motives for which a future society might conduct a simulation in this manner, ranging from studying history to preserving the records of the past.

Consider the difference in quality between early computers and modern computers if you doubt that this is technically feasible. Within our lifetimes, computer technology has already advanced tremendously. Like how computers today would have been unimaginable to someone used to the first computers, this development may have continued into the very distant future and reached heights that were previously unthinkable.

The answer might involve quantum mechanics.

The workings of the brain are not well understood. Even though science has come a long way since the first inquiries into the nature of awareness were made, much more research is still needed to fully understand how the brain functions. However, quantum mechanics is effective at explaining these types of anomalies that defy conventional physics. Although it’s difficult to describe quantum physics precisely, we do know a little bit more about them than we do about the brain.

In essence, when you reduce something to a tiny enough scale, they start to react differently. Some of the rules and theories that would have previously prescribed their behaviour start to act more loosely. For instance, consider a stick. It obeys the same physical laws whether you move it, drop it, or hurl it. And if you cut it in half, the pieces would behave in the same way. However, things would get strange if you carried on in this manner until you attained a specific minute, minuscule level. However, merely speculating that the brain might use quantum physics doesn’t really explain much. After all, that assertion makes no mention of what these mechanics might actually accomplish or, more importantly, what that implies for us. However, there are, fortunately, more thorough theories on the topic. It has been proposed that quantum mechanics can describe how these various quantum laws interact with our brain to produce consciousness in a “fourth dimension” all around us.

Depending on whether they are being observed or not, quantum laws may also require that particles act differently. Naturally, there are many different meanings. In the sense that the word would be used in everyday conversation, observation is a general term that does not literally imply looking at something. However, theoretically speaking, it’s conceivable that a large portion of how we perceive the world is a result of our brain’s interaction with the quantum elements in and around us. It’s possible that these observations serve as the fundamental building blocks of the world as a whole—it’s “source code.”

Still only a theory, universal consciousness

The concept of universal awareness may be the oldest on this list. The topic has enough anecdotal evidence to support it, even though it precedes the more recent theories like quantum mechanics and the simulation theory stated earlier. Unlike quantum physics, it is not complex. On the other hand, out of the three theories, it’s arguably the most straightforward. It’s the notion that, in essence, consciousness itself is an outgrowth of the universe or that we all originate from the same location.

Religions from various eras and locations have held this view, with Buddhism making the particularly striking assertion that consciousness permeates everything. However, these concepts have appeared in a variety of other religions as well. There have been many anecdotal accounts of individuals who have been critically ill or who have passed away medically and thought they had experienced enlightenment or something similar during these experiences. It goes without saying that the scientific community won’t believe these tales, and it is difficult to meaningfully research this kind of phenomenon.

Religions from various eras and locations have held this view, with Buddhism making the particularly striking assertion that consciousness permeates everything. However, these concepts have appeared in a variety of other religions as well. There have been many anecdotal accounts of individuals who have been critically ill or who have passed away medically and thought they had experienced enlightenment or something similar during these experiences. It goes without saying that the scientific community won’t believe these tales, and it is difficult to meaningfully research this kind of phenomenon.

But it might be wrong to approach a topic like consciousness, which we don’t fully comprehend, with the same scientific methods we use to study other things. After all, the idea of the universal consciousness has been around since at least 480 B.C., when Anaxagoras, a pre-Socratic philosopher, first proposed it. Even though this much time has passed, it doesn’t necessarily imply the theory is correct; however, many people have come to believe it during this time.

Future-focused optimism

Elon Musk believes that humanity is a simulation, which was previously discussed in this piece. Musk has made comments in the past that many people would find absurd, but this is not the only instance. Other topics he has discussed, like the danger posed by artificial intelligence, sound as though they were taken straight out of a science fiction book. Musk had a memorable remark, though, that had nothing to do with artificial intelligence at all when he did talk about it. Rather, it was a theory of life outlook in general. “I guess you have to be hopeful about the future. Being negative serves no purpose, according to Musk. I would rather be hopeful and mistaken than pessimistic and accurate.

It’s good counsel from a philosophical standpoint. The truth is that we don’t have the solutions. There are several areas to look for the answers, including traditional theories, these more recent theories about simulations and quantum physics, or even religions that have been practised for hundreds or thousands of years. Regardless of what you think about the mind, or even if you don’t think anything at all and are simply waiting to see what conclusions scientists reach in the future, keep your chin up. You can only maintain optimism and hold out hope that your preferred theory is one that has truth behind it when the solutions aren’t available yet and they could all be wrong.

Hi, I’m Garima and I write about life experiences. I have several books available on Amazon. Check them out today! Any purchases or KDP reads will be greatly appreciated. If you like my books, do leave a review. Here’s my author page on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0BQDZXYNV