Ron --
[Ham, previously]:
There is no such thing as collective consciousness. There is only correspondent behavior to a common stimulus. You can't share an experience by looking for correspondent behavior. Confusing observed behavior with conscious experience leads to a flawed epistemology.
[Ron]:
Funny, I was thinking the same thing. Isn't it all conscious experience?
You raise an astute question that is relevant to the metaphysics of Essentialism as well as the MoQ. The answer depends on what you mean by "it all".
If you are talking about existence (being-aware), the "being" contingent of this dichotomy is an experiential construct of value. Since experience is what one is aware of, I regard it as the (otherness) content of conscious awareness. The essence of consciousness, however, is value-sensibility. This sensibility is primary to experience, but is individuated as a conscious agent (i.e., subject, self, or self-awareness).
The "universal design" of experiential existence represents a synthesis of Value that is common to all cognizant subjects. Thus, the relational world is a subsistent continuum, manifesting properties that are quantitatively measurable but whose 'qualia' are defined and realized by the individual.
So it is not "conscious experience" but our proprietary sensibility to Essential Value that "orders" the universe as a self-subsistent system. We all share the experience of time/space dimensionality, evolutionary development, phenomenal attributes, and dynamic relations of the world of appearances. Sensually, esthetically, morally, and qualitatively, however, the universe is our individual creation.
On the other hand, if the "all" you refer to is metaphysical reality, there is no otherness or division. Not even value or sensibility is separated from the Absolute Source. The nothingness that divides and delineates relational existence is but the negation of Essence, and All is One.
In either case, conscious experience is not collective or universal. It is proprietary to the individual self -- the value-sensing agent and choice-maker of existence.
You have a logical mind, Ron, and you're not afraid to extend it to new concepts. I admire your perspicacity and have gained much insight from the exchanges we've had over the years.
Thanks for this one, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Ham Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
