We are beings of electric patterns, with our thoughts riding our brains the way the brain rides the body, and it begs us to wonder then: what rides us in like manner - memes & TV commercials? :-P
Or are we actually just a subsystem in the climate control system being driven around by a huge colony of bacteria?
An interesting quirk of human consciousness is we justify our decisions retroactively. It’s how our minds work - most of what we do isn’t chosen by our consciousness, it’s snap decision making.
If you ask someone why they chose an apple instead of a banana at the cafeteria, they’ll probably rationalize it as a decision they made “I prefer apples” or “just feeling an apple today” or maybe even “I’m trying to get my fiber up”
They probably didn’t make that decision, their body did. Maybe their rationalization is true and in line with their previous thoughts - but they were talking to you, they probably didn’t weigh that decision at all. The animal they run on chose the apple
But it goes deeper - do we ever choose anything? Think about doing something you have to work yourself up to - introducing yourself to someone attractive, public speaking, jumping off a high dive.
You sit there and convince your animal self to do it. You’re not acting, then you are, because you’ve convinced the animal.
And the bacteria just might be in charge of the animal
We’re basically language models used to coordinate between ourselves and coax the animal when it gets stuck
In that case, what are we?
Meat suits hung onto skeleton hangers, obvi.
Or even more foundationally, proteins doing things with fatty membranes.
Basically piles of highly organized goo.
If you want to go deeper, we’re brains hooked up to a spinal system.
The bones and limbs are just bonuses to move our meat vehicle. But they’re not required.
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We are beings of electric patterns, with our thoughts riding our brains the way the brain rides the body, and it begs us to wonder then: what rides us in like manner - memes & TV commercials? :-P
Memes, the DNA of the soul!
what rides me?
your mom
Since awareness is a product of brain activity, we are chunks of brain tissue piloting skeleton mechs in meat armor
Are we really?
Or are we actually just a subsystem in the climate control system being driven around by a huge colony of bacteria?
An interesting quirk of human consciousness is we justify our decisions retroactively. It’s how our minds work - most of what we do isn’t chosen by our consciousness, it’s snap decision making.
If you ask someone why they chose an apple instead of a banana at the cafeteria, they’ll probably rationalize it as a decision they made “I prefer apples” or “just feeling an apple today” or maybe even “I’m trying to get my fiber up”
They probably didn’t make that decision, their body did. Maybe their rationalization is true and in line with their previous thoughts - but they were talking to you, they probably didn’t weigh that decision at all. The animal they run on chose the apple
But it goes deeper - do we ever choose anything? Think about doing something you have to work yourself up to - introducing yourself to someone attractive, public speaking, jumping off a high dive.
You sit there and convince your animal self to do it. You’re not acting, then you are, because you’ve convinced the animal.
And the bacteria just might be in charge of the animal
We’re basically language models used to coordinate between ourselves and coax the animal when it gets stuck
You have just leveled up my existential crisis. I will have to pass that to the bacteria council for consideration
Ugly giant bags of mostly water?
They only went to the skin. The analog would be a hairless human which we mostly are anyway.
We’re a strange kind of goblin, a puppeteer behind a screen of synthetic fabrics