Is Consciousness a space-like phenomena ?

The purpose of this post is to briefly describe how the electric and magnetic fields produced by slow moving ions in neurons creates a space-like spacetime that has the same nature as consciousness.

The hypothesis described in previous posts states that quasi-static electric and magnetic fields produced by slowly moving ions in confined water bound geometries can create super luminal fields with a space-like nature. This post extends this hypothesis by stating that conscious experience is formed by quasi-static, space-like fields in neurons.

The hypothesis is further extended with the working hypothesis that quasi static surfaces in space-like spacetime contribute to consciousness.

Extensions to the hypothesis further support the hypothesis that evolution has found an extremely energy efficient means to calibrate the brain by using superluminal fields that only transfers energy (material causality as force) when calibration is necessary.

Importantly a full treatment of the quasi-static fields in Maxwell’s equations predict that consciousness is space-like in nature.

Slowly Moving Ions

It is a misconception that the nature of electric and magnetic activity in the brain is either the production of electromagnetic fields or a sequence of static potentials. The brain’s activity related to consciousness consists of slowly moving ions, and only slow moving ions. Slowly moving ions do not produce electromagnetic fields in the form of luminal (i.e. light) fields, neither do they produce a series of static fields.

Slowly moving ions produce what are called quasi-static fields. Engineers call these quasi-static fields “approximations” because engineers use simplified versions of Maxwell’s equations when calculating them. This gives the impression that quasi-static fields are a second-class form of field. However quasi static fields are first class fields and actually have a more complex nature than both electromagnetc and static fields. The engineer’s approximation is a simplification of the calculations and not a simplification of the fields.

Understanding the electric and magnetic nature of fields in neurons is fundamentally about understanding the nature of “slowly” moving ions through neural geometries containing water. The starting point for this understanding is at there are a limited number of ions (e,g, Na+, K+, Ca+, Mg+, Cl-) and there are a limited number of channels and neural geometries through which they interact. Ions act as the source and target of electrical potentials and their movement is the source and target of electric and magnetic fields. Ions wavelength are in the visible spectrum.

Previous posts have shown the geometry of neurons mirrors the geometry of many electromagnetic nano technologies, such as waveguides, interference patterns, micro-spheres and nano-jets. It is significant that the geometry of both neurons and nano-technology is mirrored because the behaviour of electric and magnetic fields are geometrically scalable.

Recap – Quasi Statics in Water

The following section recaps previous posts on quasi-statics in water:-

1. Water forms a large majority of atoms in brain and all electrical signal must pass through it.
   
2. Bulk water has a permittivity of between 55 and 80 at body temperature already shows a low absorption to wavelength of 220. Water permittivity near some electrically charged surfaces reduces to 4-5 as the water adopts forms a structure.
   
3. A full treatment of quasi-static electric and magnetic fields in Maxwell’s equations have shown that fluxes can be “real”, “superluminal” and “space-like”.
   
4. Slowly, oscillating electric fields near the speed of brain wave oscillations, in confined geometries, reduce permittivity (ε) of water in the longitudinal and latitudinal direction to a value below one for a limited range of (ionic) wavelengths in visible light.
   
5. In the quasi static electric limit, when the permittivity (ε) drops below 1 then the quasi-static electric field becomes superluminal creating a space-like field. Similarly in the magnetic limit when permeability (μ) is below 1 then the magnetic field is super luminal creating a space-like field.
   
6. In the quasi static Darwin regime the electric field E is decomposed into the its transverse component ET and longitudinal component EL (Degond and Raviart 1992). When the transverse electric field is neglected, but not longitudinal electric field then fields are able to create feedback and thereby create internal oscillations but not radiation (Larson 2006).
   
7. This led to the following conclusion by Bauer 2018. “Prior to Maxwell there were two independent div[ergent] curl systems. In Maxwell’s equations there are two curl div[ergent] systems where the results of one feed into the source of the next. In Darwin there are three div[ergent] curl systems where the results fed into the next one.” (Bauer 2018).
   
8. In the quasi static Darwin limit longitudinal (flux) field is instantaneous. The overall (force) fields however are shown to not be superluminal (Kruger 2019). This implies that complex quasi static fields may be continually linked through non-radiative fields.
   
9. The four fields in Maxwell’s equations, can be categorised as either electric or magnetic and as with a force or a fluxes. Electric field intensity (E force) and magnetic field intensity (H force) are description of forces on the outside of a defined area that is essentially a conceptual black box. Electric current density (D flux) and magnetic flux density (B flux) are describe fluxes on the inside of the boundary that essentially form “conceptual” internals, which are actually real (LeBlonde 1973).
   
10. Oscillations in water by ions at slow frequencies reduces permittivity in confined water to create electric and Darwin quasi static fields, some of which could be space-like in nature. This allows the creation of complex div-curl systems. Faster oscillations create quasi static fields over longer distances.
    
11. Electromagnetic field theory creates complex surfaces, where fields form singularities. The hypothesis is that consciousness is dependent on these surfaces.
    
12. It is the hypothesis that the purpose of consciousness is to “calibrate” the brain in realtime. Calibration is meant ensure the quasi static fields in the brain interact to accurately reflect external representations. Evolutionary demands mean that energy, as force, is only expended when the brain needs to create a recalibration event or a reset event (action potential) in the control circuitry.
    
13. This leads to the hypothesis that complex divergent curl systems can be composed of slowly moving fields, and that when the permittivity is below one the flux fields are instantaneous, non-causal and create space-like fields.

Diagram (Kruger 2019) showing the quasi static limits. The hypothesis is that consciousness exists in and around the convergence of lines from quasi static (non-radiative) fields and is non-radiative, and space-like in nature.

Spacetime

A conclusion of the recap above is that consciousness exists in a space-like part of spacetime, in a complex quasi static div-curl system.

The modern study of spacetime in physics starts with with Einstein’s theory of relativity (1905) which led to Minowski’s 4 dimensional theory of spacetime (1906, 1909). In the past 50 years physics has used the theory of relativity and spacetime to explore the physics of black holes and the the big bang on a universal scale and quantum gravity on a planck scale. Space-like spacetime at the micro scale is relatively unexplored.

The intuitive understanding of 4 dimensional theory of spacetime has relied heavily on the idea of the light cone, where time is a vertical dimension, space is a horizontal dimension and an event occurs at the centre of the graph. The proportion of the graph is such that light (physical causality or force) travels upward at 45 degrees. Steeper than 45 degrees is time-like spacetime for events slower than light. Less than 45 degrees is space-like spacetime for events faster than light. space-like spacetime has, a four-dimensional non-Euclidean geometry (a sub-manifold)

Diagram (Minkowski 2008) showing the light cone, with space-like spacetime to the left and right of the event. The hypothesis is that conscious exists in space-like spacetime.

Space-like fields are hypothesised to form “maximal“ surfaces because the fields are instantaneous and time-like fields form “minimal” surfaces. This means fields in time-like spacetime form different topologies than time-like spacetime. The hypothesis is that quasi static (neuronal) topologies in time-like spacetime are rendered as different topological surfaces in space-like spacetime.

Recap – Phenomenal Experience

Conscious experience from a phenomenological perspective has been described in previous posts. Parallels between phenomenological conscious experience and theoretical space-like phenomena allows a rough topological mapping to be made. Phenomenological conscious experience gives a privileged insight into the nature of space-like spacetime. Previous posts have described how phenomenological theory has gradually developed to produce a body oriented continuous field, as follows:-

1. Brentano hypothesised consciousness was a unitary mental phenomena where intentional (directed) , non-atomic phenomena formed a spatial continuum. Every continuum consists of nothing but a continuity of boundary points.
   
2. Von Ehfrenal hypothesised the concept of a phenomenological field or “Gestalt“. Conscious thoughts are formed outside of consciousness and are temporal in nature. Temporal Gestalt are built up out of changes in non temporal gestalts in a unified manner, Foreground and background spatial shapes form the parts of a whole set against a background field.
   
3. Perls hypothesised consciousness happens at the boundary where a surface is adjusted between the organism and its environment so the field stays in equilibrium. When a field becomes tense or overworked it has excess energy and needs protecting. Consciousness is continually adjusting.
   
4. Merleau-Ponty hypothesised the simplest sensation is a dot-like figure on a background and forms a figure in a field. The body does not represent itself as a set of points in a space-time but the body implicitly includes this information, which is only later cognitively represented as objective spacetime points. According to Merleau-Ponty the visual field is not a bounded area, but folds around the body to create an experience of the whole situation, including quasi-visual elements.
   
5. Further Merleau-Ponty’s analysis of the Cogito is that it is a conscious act, whereby I think I am must itself be apprehended at the very moment at which it is carried out.

Note: A goal of the current hypothesis is to be able to implement (Marr 1982) the Cogito.

Spacetime and Consciousness

The hypothesis is that conscious phenomenological experience is space-like in nature. This hypothesis has been put forward already (Sieb 2016,2017), however the space-like hypothesis described here is derived from a complete treatment of Maxwell’s equations (LeBlonde 1973) which was referred to in earlier posts and provides a detailed physical theory of consciousness. The current hypothesis has described the time-like electrical aspects of neural topologies which are now assumed to map to phenomenological space-like topologies.

The space-like conscious hypothesis also addresses the Cartesian Dualism between mind and matter because space-like (mind) and time-like (body) spacetime form two regions with limited causality between them.

Consciousness phenomenological experience appears to form a continuum both spatially and temporally. That is to say small scale consciousness phenomenological experience appear within themselves to maximally occupy a space over time. A patch of colour or sound fully occupies its own spacetime.

At the smallest level conscious phenomenological experience appears to be contiguous both spatially and temporally. That is to say different spatial and temporal immediate conscious experiences appear to be absolutely contiguous but not merge or have a gap spatially or temporally.

Conscious phenomenological experience appears to form a figure and ground at larger scales. The figure and ground appear to occupy a space, but be separate. The hypothesis being that different figures in space-like space time can occupy overlapping spaces.

Conscious phenomenological experience appears to occupy the whole space at a larger scale. Space-like spaces occupy maximal surfaces because of their instantaneous evolution. Time-like spaces occupy minimal surfaces because they evolve through time and not space. Spatial and temporal conscious experience occupy the whole space in a maximal nature.

Broadly space-like phenomena can interact without having time-like causal effects. It is when permittivity goes above one that time-like causal effects occur. Phenomena in consciouness cannot have a direct causal effect on external time-like phenomena nor can external time-like phenomena have a direct causal effect on conscious phenomena.

Descartes Cogito and Descartes Dualism can also be analysed from a spacetime perspective, The space-like nature of spacetime creates an instantaneous field where parts field are available to other parts of the field. Space-like maximum occupation provides a continuity that gives the Cogito its certainty. The causal relations between matter and mind can be reinterpreted as the relation between time-like and space-like phenomena. Time-like phenomena are materially “causal”. Time-like phenomena interact with space-like through field interactions.

The ability to reduce the permittivity of water, using oscillations for a narrow band of ionic wavelengths, creates a controllable “spacetime bridge“ (a conscious bridge) across neural geometries, with the same physical function as Descartes meta-physical pineal gland.

The geometry of the brain and consciousness appear at first to be very different and related in a complex way. In space-like spacetime geometry is not the same as time-like spacetime geometry. The mapping between space-like and time-like geometry (sub-manifolds) is explored in topological mapping theory. For example spatially tree structures or chiral structures in time-like geometries can map to complex surfaces in space-like geometries.

In one sense space and time reverse in consciouness. In consciousness a thing appears to hold phenomenological time if it occupies a space, and a thing appears to have phenomenological space if it occupies time. That is to say the phenomena of space and time is the conscious experience of time and space.

Conclusion

It is not just that space-like spacetime shares characteristics with phenomenological consciousness it is that quasi static fields and and the brains biochemistry of slow moving ions and oscillating water predict space-like phenomena as the basis of fields of consciousnesses.

In the “matrix“, presented in a previous posting, the subjective (mind) perspective is now hypothesised refers to space-like phenomena and the objective (matter) perspective refers to time-like phenomena. Language refers to our ability to independently refer to the activity of space-like and time-like phenomena.

The space-like conscious hypothesis offers a solution to the mind-body problem by proposing the mind is space-like in nature where the body is time-like in nature, and that casual relations are between mind and brain is based on the evolutionary function that consciousness provides real-time calibration in the brain.

Consciousness is a robust and reliable system that represents the environment in realtime and calibrates the organism to its environment. It is also a requirement that this system of calibration is efficient. To be evolutionary advantageous the organism has discovered a payoff between objective, time-like (materially) casual advantages and subjective space-like non-(materially) causal advantages.

Future posts will look at original work on space time and and other topological analysis of spacetime. In particular how spacetime topologies, space-like surfaces and quasi static field geometry relate to consciousness.