Expanding Universe: Metaphysics & Consciousness

[hejs]

Hi! Do you know how theories in Metaphysics explain the expanding and accelerating universe? Intuitively i think of expanding consciousness but then what is consciousness? The "thing" that i observe my own thoughts with?

 

[Les Sleeth]

Hi! Do you know how theories in Metaphysics explain the expanding and accelerating universe? Intuitively i think of expanding consciousness but then what is consciousness? The "thing" that i observe my own thoughts with?

Hi hejs, I think your question is more of a physics thing than metaphysics. If you haven't already you might read up on the cosmological constant and dark energy for more information.

Because the word "expand" has been used with both the universe and consciousness doesn't mean there is any relationship between them. If you think about how consciousness expands, for example, it doesn't seem to be an automatic thing like what's happening with the universe. Also, sometimes "expand" is used metaphorically when applied to consciousness, and so isn't really meant to describe actual spatial extension.

As for what consciousness is, good luck figuring that out! You can find a lot of threads here on that subject. You might try reading a few to get up to speed on what's been discussed already.

 

[moving finger]

Hi! Do you know how theories in Metaphysics explain the expanding and accelerating universe? Intuitively i think of expanding consciousness but then what is consciousness? The "thing" that i observe my own thoughts with?

Thinking of consciousness in this way leads to the "Cartesian Theatre" illusion, that there is a separate "agent" which is having well-defined "thoughts" and which can "observe" those "thoughts".

I think you'll find (perhaps after much more reading and introspection) that a more coherent view of consciousness (one which does not lead to cartesian dualism, metaphysical qualia or other such weird ideas) is that the "thing" and the "I" and the "observing" and the "thoughts" are all bound up inextricably as one series of complex neurophysiological states, it makes no sense to suggest there is an "I" which is separate from the "thoughts" and the "act of observing the thoughts" - it is all one.

Best Regards

MF