A Landscape of Consciousness

Lorraine Ford
While the outcomes of creativity/ free will might appear to be disordered from the point of view of an observer who can’t predict the outcomes, knowledge/ consciousness is always ordered. Knowledge/ consciousness is not matter, it is knowledge of matter and its situation, and this knowledge is always ordered.

So, while fundamental-level matter can be represented in terms of numbers that apply to categories like mass or position, and the mathematical relationships between these categories, the on-the-spot knowledge/ consciousness of an elementary particle could seemingly be represented as something like:

“(mass=number1 AND position=number2 AND charge=number3) IS TRUE”.

The above represents the sort of methodically ordered knowledge that a viable moving, real-world system requires, the sort of necessary knowledge required in order for a viable moving, real-world system to exist.

Similarly, the higher-level knowledge/ consciousness of higher-level matter (i.e. organisms) requires the ordered analysis and collation of myriads of items of lower-level knowledge/ consciousness, and this ordered analysis and collation required for higher-level knowledge/ consciousness can be represented using the same type of logical symbols: IF, AND, OR, IS TRUE, and THEN.

Irrespective of its method of delivery (feelings, emotions, thoughts) higher- and lower-level knowledge/ consciousness is a necessary and functional part of a viable moving, real-world system, and is therefore part of the physics of the world.

(And so is creativity/ free will part of the physics of the world. E.g. “number jumping” by an elementary particle, where these numbers apply to the particle’s own categories, is an example of the creativity/ free will that is part of the physics of the world.)

When it comes to the underlying real-world mathematical system, physicists and mathematicians and others have tacitly assumed that the system would automatically know its own categories, relationships and numbers, and have tacitly assumed that the system would automatically initiate movement in its own numbers that apply to the categories.

I.e., physicists, mathematicians and others have wrongly assumed that a mathematical system would not need a separate knowledge/ consciousness aspect, and would not need a separate aspect to initiate/ re-initiate movement (i.e. jump the numbers).

But in fact, a viable moving mathematical system requires a separate knowledge/ consciousness aspect, and a separate creative/ free will aspect to initiate/ re-initiate number movement.

Numbers:
Real-world numbers are not things that morph into other numbers, just like the real-world position category does not morph into the mass category, and a law-of-nature mathematical relationship does not morph into another law-of-nature mathematical relationship. The numbers that apply to a real-world category can only “jump”/ “quantum number jump”, i.e. a new number has to be assigned to a category; and presumably this number assignment is done by matter itself. This is called “free will”.

Speed of light:
But the law-of-nature mathematical relationships are NOT subject to speed of light restrictions. When quantum number jumps occur (these numbers always apply to categories e.g. the position category), then other numbers are instantly updated due to relationships between the categories, i.e. the numbers are updated faster than the speed of light. This is because no THING is moving faster than the speed of light: the numbers are updated faster than the speed of light due to law-of-nature mathematical relationships between the categories. No particle, no matter, no THING is moving faster than the speed of light. Mathematical relationships are NOT subject to speed of light restrictions.

Free will and consciousness:
Some people can’t abide the thought that matter (particles, atoms, molecules, and living things including human beings) could have free will. But then again, and like it or not, physics only has a pile of equations, and a pile of equations does not make a viable moving system. I.e. physics has no explanation for why the numbers (that apply to categories like position) would ever change; physics has NO model of a system that works; despite the delta symbols in the equations, physics has no model of number change; physics only has relationships between categories, not a system. A viable moving system is all about the numbers: quite apart from any mathematical relationships, a system needs to be able to interrogate its own numbers, and a system needs to be able to adjust its own numbers. I.e. a viable moving system needs aspects that could be described as “consciousness” and “free will”.

How do we represent the world?
In the relatively simple case of representing low-level matter, our knowledge about matter is represented in terms of categories, like mass or position, where these categories have been measured resulting in a number. So, our knowledge about matter is represented in terms of a list of categories (e.g. category1, category2, and category3), with their associated numbers (e.g. number1, number2 and number3). The only way we can acquire this knowledge about the low-level world is by measuring the low-level world.

How would we represent knowledge/ consciousness in the world?
In the corresponding relatively simple case of any on-the-spot knowledge/ consciousness possessed by the low-level matter itself, the low-level knowledge/ consciousness of low-level matter, about itself and its surroundings, would be represented as something like:

(category1=number1 IS TRUE) AND (category2=number2 IS TRUE) AND (category3=number3 IS TRUE).

The above type of on-the-spot, real-time, collated knowledge/ consciousness is required by the underlying real-world mathematical system, or by small parts of the system, in order for the real-world mathematical system to function.

Why can’t consciousness be measured?
The above discussion illustrates why knowledge/ consciousness can’t be measured: low-level knowledge/ consciousness is already a type of collated measurement of self and the surrounding world. The measurement is not the same as the thing that is measured.

Consciousness (and agency/ free will/ creativity) SEEM to be different to the material aspects of the world only because they ARE different aspects of the world to the material aspects of the world.

While the analysis and creativity of higher-level consciousness (as particularly exemplified in e.g. poets, painters, musicians and inventors) can’t be denied, basically consciousness is a type of collated measure of the surrounding world, which allows us to navigate the world safely.

Consciousness is a measure of our relative position in the world, not coming in the form of a table with relative distances (from objects) and associated numbers, but coming in the form of experience. Consciousness is a measure of the wavelength of light, not coming in the form of a table of wavelengths and associated numbers, but coming in the form of the experience of colours of objects.

Well before people were able to represent the world in terms of special written and spoken symbols, people and other living things were able to navigate the world only because consciousness measures the surrounding world, and this measurement comes in the form of experience.

Consciousness SEEMS to be different to the material aspects of the world only because consciousness IS a different aspect of the world to the material aspects of the world.

“Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe? The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe.” Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time.

Disappointingly, panpsychist philosopher Philip Goff seems to think that consciousness, on the part of low-level matter, would be sufficient to “[breathe] fire into the equations” (1).

I agree that, logically, low-level matter must have a low-level conscious awareness, i.e. a conscious awareness OF the equations/ relationships, with their associated categories and numbers.

But conscious awareness, on the part of low-level matter, is clearly not enough to “[breathe] fire into the equations and [make] a universe”, because breathing fire into the equations is more about the necessity for a causal or agency aspect of the universe that can move the numbers that apply to the categories in the equations.

But Philip Goff never mentions this very crucial aspect of the universe: the aspect of the universe that we symbolically represent with number symbols.

This is why it is so important for people, like Philip Goff, to clearly define what they mean by the word “consciousness”, and for them to not muddle consciousness with aspects of the world that can only properly be described as “agency”.

………………………………..

1. Philip Goff - Panpsychism: Arguing Pro and Con, Closer To Truth video, 10 Jun 2025, youtube.com/watch?v=_tvO9n3O9og .

Lorraine Ford
Panpsychist philosopher Philip Goff has clearly assumed that the equations of physics represent a viable moving real-world system.

But no matter how intricate and clever they are, equations are not sufficient to represent a viable system.

In effect, Philip Goff is saying that if you inject consciousness into a meat/matter-automaton (i.e. matter that is completely puppeted by the law-of-nature equations), then that would inject life into the equations.

But the purportedly-existing consciousness of a meat/matter-automaton is rather a pathetic thing: there is no “fire” there whatsoever.

lol.

Only agency, i.e. the ability of matter to jump some of its own numbers, can “[breathe] fire into the equations”, and create a viable moving real-world system.

Lorraine Ford
When physicists and philosophers claim that genuine agency/ free will/ creativity can't exist in the world, it is clear that they have made invalid assumptions about the world, because while they know that movement occurs in the real world (i.e. number movement), they don’t actually have any cause or reason for number movement to ever occur.

But there is also a tacit assumption in physics that the real world, or small parts of the real world, is aware of/ knows/ is conscious of its own equations, categories, and numbers. This assumption is so completely tacit, that physicists are unconscious of the fact that they indeed make an assumption about awareness/ knowledge. Physicists have tacitly assumed that some sort of basic awareness/ knowledge exists in the world.

But, being a totally separate aspect of the world to the aspect of the world symbolically represented by equations, categories, and numbers, there can be no assumptions about the form that this low-level awareness/ knowledge/ consciousness might take.

However, it makes sense to think that this low-level awareness/ knowledge/ consciousness is essentially the same sort of thing as higher-level awareness/ knowledge/ consciousness: i.e. knowledge about self and the world that comes in the form of feelings and awareness, rather than in the form of equations, categories, and numbers displayed on paper or screen.

I guess one of the main problems, when looking at the issue of consciousness, is human hubris and human belief in their own exceptionalism.

It is not just the fact that human beings still can’t quite believe that non-humans could be conscious, it is the fact that human beings have elevated themselves to be the measure of consciousness.

But this doesn’t happen in physics and chemistry where measurements and experiments are performed on low-level particles and molecules without ever considering high-level human beings.

In any case, because only the physical correlates of consciousness can potentially be measured, methods other than measurement need to be employed to understand consciousness.

And seemingly, if consciousness had no utility, if conscious knowledge of self and one's surroundings wasn’t necessary, it wouldn’t exist.

And the necessary information foundation, upon which higher-level consciousness information can be built, is clearly the lower-level conscious knowledge of particles, atoms, and molecules, that are conscious of their own categories, relationships and numbers.

fhfg

“By “epistemic collapse” I mean the collapse of a shared reality, caused by the loss of reliable sources for distinguishing what is true from what is false.” https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=14999, Notes on Epistemic Collapse, by Peter Woit, 27 June 2025.

The ONLY source, reliable or not, of distinguishing true from false is personal consciousness.

The results of all the research in the world, all the scientific papers, all the mathematical proofs, are just a lot of symbols on paper or screen.

BASIC consciousness is all about knowledge of self and one’s immediate physical surroundings, and there is not usually too much problem with a shared view of reality here. The information required to agree that (e.g.), at this current time and place, the sky is blue and the grass is dried out and brown, comes from particle interactions in the senses (e.g. the eyes and ears) and basic-level collation and analysis of the information that has come from these particle interactions.

But HIGHER-LEVEL consciousness, especially human higher-level consciousness, is all about a much higher-level collation and analysis of this same basic information that has come from particle interactions in the senses. And this much higher-level collation and analysis is where “shared reality” problems will inevitably occur.

However, the ONLY source, reliable or not, of distinguishing true from false remains personal consciousness. And, irrespective of how consciousness might present itself, e.g. in the form of feelings and emotions, this is the entire function of consciousness: to distinguish true from false.

The real world, and knowledge of the real world, are two separate things. Both aspects are required to exist in order to ever have a viable real-world system.

In other words, the real-world categories (like mass and position), the relationships between these categories that physicists represent with equations, and the numbers that apply to the categories, are not the same as the low-level knowledge/ consciousness of these low-level categories, relationships and numbers that is required in order to ever have a viable real-world system.

But similarly, the existence of these low-level categories, relationships and numbers, and the existence of knowledge of the low-level categories, relationships and numbers, does not imply that the numbers would ever change, move or jump. Agency/ free will/ creativity is a third aspect of the real world that is required to exist in order to ever have a viable real-world system that moves the numbers.

Low-level knowledge/ consciousness and low-level agency/ free will/ creativity are 2 “extra”, but non-measurable, aspects of the world that are required in order to ever have a viable moving real-world system. These 2 “extra” aspects of the world are systems aspects of the world, that can only be represented via the use of algorithmic or logical connective symbols.

Physicists seem to be mystified by evidence of the existence of these “extra”, necessary, systems aspects of the world, and label the puzzling aspects with terms like “observer” and “quantum number jumps”.

From the very beginning of the world, it was logically necessary that the world, or small parts of the world, would in some sense:

• be aware of,
• know,
• be conscious of

its own categories, relationships and numbers.

It can’t be assumed that the world somehow automatically knows its own categories, relationships and numbers, and that a separate knowledge aspect of the world doesn’t need to exist.

A knowledge/ consciousness/ awareness aspect of the world, or small parts of the world, is logically necessary in order to have a viable real-world system. “Observers” are a necessary part of a viable system.

However, the aspect of the world that knows itself is NOT the aspect of the world that moves itself.

The equations of physics, that represent the relationships between the categories, symbolically describe number movement as a result of other number movement, so these equations do not actually have a reason why the numbers would ever move or continue to move.

An agency/ free will/ creativity aspect of the world, or small parts of the world, is logically necessary in order to have a viable MOVING real-world system. Something that performs “quantum number jumps” is a necessary part of a viable system.

In my unified field theory, consciousness is regarded as a higher-order resonance phenomenon of the cosmic substrate (the etheric field). The essence of the universe is a holographic, dynamic, and tunable information field; all matter, energy, information, and consciousness are “slices” or “projections” of this etheric field under different parameters such as frequency, phase, and spin.

Specifically, the human brain and body function like an information resonance cavity. When your neural activity and bodily states resonate with certain parameters of the etheric field (such as frequency, phase, or spin), a unique pattern of information emerges—this is what constitutes your consciousness. In other words, consciousness is fundamentally the flow of information and energy resonance between you and the cosmic substrate.

This consciousness is not confined to the individual; it also possesses holographic and nonlocal characteristics. For example, sudden inspiration, empathic connections with others, or even experiences of unity with all things can be understood as broader resonances with the holographic information of the etheric field.

Within this framework, the clarity and depth of consciousness depend on the degree of tuning between you and the etheric field. If you achieve a high level of tuning—through practices such as meditation, awakening, or intense focus—your consciousness can become more profound, and you may even experience states of “emptiness” or “oneness.”

In summary, consciousness is a higher-order resonance of the cosmic holographic information field manifesting through you; it is an expression of the universe’s self-awareness. Every living being, every node of consciousness, is a unique resonance point within the overall flow of universal information. You are not an isolated entity, but an integral part of the cosmic whole.