Totally agree with this! Memory is 100% a physical process, and without memory you still may experience things outside of just going forward in time, but how would you know? Consciousness doesn't seem to retain any information, only the physical form (based on brain injuries causing memory loss) So any time consciousness is aware of something, it only has the context of that information, which for this means a brain that only can be aware of 'past' things
this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2026
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
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- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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And this could "explain" dreams too !
"Say, let's admit consciousness is the result of a physical process."
Let's not. I don't have any proof of that. Everything obviously exists inside consciousness. Why should I believe it arises from matter? Even a brain cell under a microscope exists inside consciousness. You'd need to have some kind of an objective view that exists outside consciousness that can show matter creating it. But then you wouldn't be able to know about it because it's outside consciousness. Everything you know must exist inside consciousness. Else you wouldn't know about it.
We obviously don't know but I'd say that it's still a pretty good starting assumption to say that consciousness is an emergent feature of information processing which is a physical process happening in out brain.
Yeah, when i wrote
Say, let's admit consciousness is the result of a physical process.
It was more of like in math with unprovable statements, you can say let's assyme it's true because it leads to all these interesting consequences. All the while being very much aware that it all requires for this perticular to be true
We don't have proof that consciousness is the result of a physical process. But there's no reason to think it isn't. You can make up anything and say it's unknowable, and nobody can prove this false; but it's pretty much useless. Sure you can stick with 'I think therefore I am' as the only knowable thing, but it won't get you very far. The physical world as science has self-consistently explained has been shown to be very practical, specifically with prediction of observation. Consciousness seems different, but there's no real reason to assume it is.
Thing is that science cannot prove matter is prior either, yet that is taken as the core assumption that all other assumptions must align to.
This is the scientific version of Christians saying "god is real, says so in the bible, and because bible was written by god, it must be true".
Science can't prove anything. It seeks to build comprehensive models that agree with observations by disproving those that don't. It is specifically built in a way that uses predictions based on theory and then tests them. This process is used to avoid making useless and unknowable additions. That, and its inherent nature to question everything, is what makes it fundamentally different from religeon. However, it is based on an assumption that the universe makes sense as a physical construct. And that is because there is no other useful starting point. You can try to build a model of the universe based on any gibberish of feelings, but it isn't useful in any way.
You can try to build a model of the universe based on any gibberish of feelings, but it isn’t useful in any way.
Useful to what end? The very idea that you need to build a model is based on believing in a system that thinks the model is important.
A model is an understanding of how it works. It allows one to predict how things might react in different general cases, which can be very useful for innovation. You don't need to try understand things if you don't want to, but it's a bit ignorant sounding.
A model is an understanding of how it works.
"Models work because they help us make better models, and we know better models work because... they’re better models."
No, no. I think your showers need to be longer. You might be onto something.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk, i will be coming back tommorow with a conclusion to my thesis
This actually reminds me of the theory of quantum immortality (the idea that you’re immortal because your consciousness will always continue on in branches of reality where you survive). It kind of fits with your description of awareness “moving forward” only along certain coordinates of time or possibility.
My understanding of pasta salad is a result of how couscousness works.
I think I understood this and agree. Last night was a bit of a bender, so maybe I haven't recovered yet, but damn.
No seriously, this is a good one
There is no time. There is just the state of now, which is ever changing. (imo)