Hello there

I want to explore the idea that, since my consciousness is the only consciousness that I can experience it is therefore the only one that exists.

I want to develop this idea further and to do so I should start off by reading what has been written before. When I look I can only seem to find
the view of a single consciousness that is shared out among all minds, but this idea is not what I mean. I am persuing the outcome of empiricism.

Does anyone know of any relevant works that take this hard empiricism approach to the idea?

isnt this concept (placed in bold print in your quote above) essentially the same thing as concluding that your consciousness is the only one there is?
either way we end up alone...

some thoughts:
but if as above empirical evidence is a 'collection of naturally occurring data' it should be easy enough to collect and interpret whatever data supports any particular position in order to prove one conclusion or another. or does this assume that all available data must be collected and sifted through, verified, comparisons made etc...and how does one know when they have 'all' the data there is?...

if the idea is to use only data gained by personal experience, rather than reading about someone else's experience (especially when you are considering the possibility that there isnt anyone else!) we can conduct our own experiments.
but if we are the only being, can we observe our own selves? how does the eye see itself? we can look at ourselves in the mirror i suppose...set up a camera and make a video...

may i ask you what leads you to believe that i believe that?

isnt this concept (placed in bold print in your quote above) essentially the same thing as concluding that your consciousness is the only one there is?
either way we end up alone...

maybe i am confused. i thought you wanted to prove empirically whether or not there exist any consciousnesses other than the one you are experiencing in your awareness right now. did i get it wrong? if i understand correctly, my question was 'why would you not want to look into the possibility that there is only one consciousness that in fact exists in every other human being as well?'

whether there is only one universal consciousness is or is not true, i dont see any reason for it to be experienced similarly let alone identically by every human being. in fact by observation, listening, reading, experience, i would say that certainly no two individuals experience consciousness in exactly the same way. but i have no idea of whether or not it can be proved empirically or if it could how to go about it.

so are you saying that like agnostics are not sure about the existence of god, you are not sure of the existence of anything outside your consciousness? and if you should find proof that there are other consciousnesses, you wouldnt be sure as to whether or not their experience of consciousness was the same as yours? (for instance, when they see the color red does it actually look green to them according to you...)

i think about a lot of things and wonder why and what if about a lot of things, but i never questioned whether or not i exist or whether or not anyone else exists. maybe that is bcause there is no way to prove it-but we still have to deal with it, so it makes more sense to me to ask other questions as a priority.

at the same time, i wouldnt discount anyone else's question...but i think i am not understanding exactly what your question is. from the title of the thread i almost would have guessed it would be 'if i believe that i am alone, what should i do? do ethics really matter? does anything matter?'

Because my consciousness is the only one I can experience, it does not follow that therefore mine is the only one that can exist. Empirically, one could quite-possibly deduce there must be other consciousnesses using evidence consisting of other's behavior, expressions, actions, etc.

As far as the original question: References as to how far such an empirical view might go, I'm afraid I can't much help.

Good Luck

but if we are the only being, can we observe our own selves? how does the eye see itself? we can look at ourselves in the mirror i suppose...set up a camera and make a video...

This is part of the issue I want to tease out. Does empiricism lead me to abandom the idea that others have consciousness. I am confused too Is this why hard empiricism is classed as an obselete science?

Hello there
I want to explore the idea that, since my consciousness is the only consciousness that I can experience it is therefore the only one that exists.

In order for there to be only one consciousness, it would have to experience through numerous minds simultaneously. Since I do observe others experiencing at the same time as I.

Therefore, if there is only one consciousness in existence, then it must be that of gods.

Not necessarly, the other minds could be fakes, that is, computers running, with only yours being trully extra-corporeous and timeless.

Not necessarly, the other minds could be fakes, that is, computers running, with only yours being trully extra-corporeous and timeless.

But, what is a god?

Suppose it could be that yours is the only mind, and the rest are computers. What reason have you to think that there is any chance that it is true?

That theory makes no sense to me.

To me, God is the most fundamental thing that exists in eternity; from which life is possible.

Neil

I believe yes, just like the possibility of life being an ilusion is meaningless if you cant escape that ilusion, the possibility of my consciousness being alone in the universe is meaningless if I cannot test it.

So I suppose its considered obsolete because there is not much to progress after that point, and its not a view you can use in life.

I propose that the only consciousness that exists is gods.

In order for there to be only one consciousness, it would have to experience through numerous minds simultaneously. Since I do observe others experiencing at the same time as I.

God is omni-present, so god can be everywhere in the universe at once. Since god can be everywhere in the universe at once, god can experience through every mind at once.

Therefore, if there is only one consciousness in existence, then it must be that of gods.

And, what is "God"? A force, a mind, a person? What is it?

Of course there is no proof one way or the other, and all i can give is what my opinion of god is, but first let me say how ridiculus the idea of all other inhabitants of earth being merely programs or computers running, fakes as you put it. I would feel silly even discussing such a topic. What happens when this only conscious person dies? Where does the consciousness go? Is it perpetually reincarnated into a fake world? Or perhaps it is the end of the world. Are you a fake? Given your theory one of us is. Im pretty sure im real. I think you are the fake.

So nobody knows for certain what god is, obviously, or at least no one can prove what god is, but i dont think a definition of god is necessary for it to be the better of the two theories. So who created these fake people you speak of? God? I guess in which case you and God would be the only two real consciousnesses in the Cosmos. Or if no god then perhaps these fakes just appeared from an unordered system, a product of an infinite number of conditional permutations as yourself, in which case i guess you would be God, or at least the only consciousness in existence.

The only thing i can do is look to science and use common sense, from a non biased standpoint when attempting to define god, and yes, i would say god is a force or a combination of forces, and perhaps a conscious being as well, but the nature of such a being i dont care to go into at the moment, aside form what ive said.

Ive recently learned of this "Occams razor". I think now would be a good time to use it to slice away your theory.

Then please post what you think is a suitable test to demonstrate that my consciousness is not alone in the universe.

I do not see how the idea can be obselete if the opposite ie there are other minds, can not be proved either.

I am flattered by your praise, but I do not accept your title of god... or should I?

If we were trying to establish that our bodies react in a similar manner to external stimuli, then I am easily proven wrong. What I am trying to establish is that is there an experience of the stimuli other than physiological reaction, an internal awareness of the experience, a minds interpretation of the event, like that of what I experience.

If your proposition of the only consciousness that exists is gods is correct, and I only have proof that I have consciousness, I am god. Was that outcome intended?

I think the "I am alone" belief actually cannot be correct, because in order for us to be under an ilusion, something else must be creating it. So I would say one needs at least two minds. Though I personally believe that if two minds can exist, then any number can.

I dont think there is any =)
Thats why its obsolete, there is nowhere to go after that point, the path ends on the first stone, it seens. Aka: Further thinking about it will not result in much, besides headaches =)

but i think it would be more likely that we would create the illusion of being alone rather than creating the illusion of being in a world populated by other creatures and people.