Ask HN: Does consciousness itself require memory?
7 comments
I was going to comment something similar and I've had similar experiences.
It's a different form a consciousness for sure, almost like you're repeatedly waking up in the moment you're in, but there is repeated momentary awareness there.
Although I'll hedge a little bit and say that perhaps no memory at all would imply those moments are so short there is no real experience to be had. What I experienced was just enough to form the thought "I am here", before restarting the loop.
It's a different form a consciousness for sure, almost like you're repeatedly waking up in the moment you're in, but there is repeated momentary awareness there.
Although I'll hedge a little bit and say that perhaps no memory at all would imply those moments are so short there is no real experience to be had. What I experienced was just enough to form the thought "I am here", before restarting the loop.
That’s horrible, I have seen others in this stupor (helped carry someone to their safe ride home once). Thanks for sharing your story. Everyone should be careful!
No.
Consciousness is a feedback mechanism which perturbs the potential of existential reality, yes the quantum domain.
Consciousness as we presently understand it is the temporal feedback of awareness. However present understanding confuse awareness or sense of self as the extent of consciousness, it is not.
Consciousness has an information density advantage far superior to anything understood by mankind.
This information density is quantum holography. When quantum holography is understood consciousness will be understood (and the qubit will be abandoned as a dead end.)
Consciousness is a feedback mechanism which perturbs the potential of existential reality, yes the quantum domain.
Consciousness as we presently understand it is the temporal feedback of awareness. However present understanding confuse awareness or sense of self as the extent of consciousness, it is not.
Consciousness has an information density advantage far superior to anything understood by mankind.
This information density is quantum holography. When quantum holography is understood consciousness will be understood (and the qubit will be abandoned as a dead end.)
I think there are two ways to interpret this question, not sure which one you meant.
Question one: if you don't remember being conscious, were you actually conscious?
Seems the answer should be yes. Just because you don't remember something doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Question two: can you be conscious without something like memory?
This one I think may depend on future understanding of what consciousness is. It seems like consciousness without any memory would be consciousness without anything like perception.
Question one: if you don't remember being conscious, were you actually conscious?
Seems the answer should be yes. Just because you don't remember something doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Question two: can you be conscious without something like memory?
This one I think may depend on future understanding of what consciousness is. It seems like consciousness without any memory would be consciousness without anything like perception.
Any formulation of consciousness requires learned/stored distillations/compressions of reality, some form of object constancy, so, yes.
Having been slipped date rape drugs, I was keenly aware that something was going wrong up until I couldn't form new memories. Apparently I was still talking and acting kinda normal except I kept repeating myself. I couldn't form new memories and eventually blacked out. Thankfully some friends took me home. I couldn't even remember how to get into the car but I was carrying on weird conversations. Is it arguable that I was unconscious, while walking and talking? Maybe...
It's an interesting argument but I think it falls short.