BEHIND THE FABRIC OF SPACETIME
Abstract:
This essay reframes the ‘hard problem of consciousness’ as a
problem of dimensionality rather than ontology. It proposes that
consciousness is not an emergent property of matter but a protrusion into a
fundamental dimension of the universe which is unlike space or time. The
argument unfolds in three stages: First, it outlines Hyperdimensional Neutral
Monism (HNM) as a framework in which mind and matter co-emerge.
Second, it links HNM to the extra dimensions required by string-theory and
M-theory and demonstrates how their reliance on complex numbers motivates
non-spatiotemporal dimensions. Finally, it offers a path to verification through
the cosmological anomalies of dark energy and dark matter.
INTRODUCTION
Despite significant advances in neuroscience, little progress has been made in
explaining why there is ‘something it is like’ to be a subject of experience. The core
issue is how a complex arrangement of seemingly unconscious matter can possibly
give rise to conscious experience. The gap between matter and conscious experience –
‘the hard problem of consciousness’ – remains unresolved (Chalmers, 1996).
Rather than surveying existing responses to this problem, this essay develops a different approach first outlined in a recent publication (Philosophia, 2023).i My proposal is not strictly a new ontology of mind, but a description of reality which treats consciousness as dimensional rather than derivative. Instead of asking what consciousness is made of, or how it is composed of non-conscious elements, I ask in what dimensions it exists.
This shift carries two benefits. First, it promises explanatory power by treating consciousness as part of the fabric of the universe, rather than a byproduct of physical processes. Second, it integrates philosophy of mind with contemporary physics. This, in turn, opens a conceptual path to verifiable predictions – something rare in theories of consciousness.
This essay proceeds in three stages. I first review the basic tenets of Hyperdimensional Neutral Monism (HNM) and explain how additional dimensions can reframe the hard problem. Second, I connect HNM to string theory and M-theory, which already require additional dimensions beyond the four of spacetime. I argue that through the ambiguities inherent in imaginary and complex numbers, these dimensions can be reinterpreted as ‘consciousal’ instead of spatiotemporal. And finally, I sketch how dark energy and dark matter can be reframed as effects of consciousal protrusion and may offer opportunities for verification.
While I engage with contemporary theoretical physics, the central aim is not scientific, but metaphysical. The goal is to reconceptualize the mind-body problem as a problem of dimensionality. The appeal to string theories and imaginary/complex numbers is secondary and the possibility of verification within a cosmological framework is tertiary. The primary aim remains to offer an alternative framework in which consciousness and the physical world co-emerge from a deeper dimensional structure.
Rather than surveying existing responses to this problem, this essay develops a different approach first outlined in a recent publication (Philosophia, 2023).i My proposal is not strictly a new ontology of mind, but a description of reality which treats consciousness as dimensional rather than derivative. Instead of asking what consciousness is made of, or how it is composed of non-conscious elements, I ask in what dimensions it exists.
This shift carries two benefits. First, it promises explanatory power by treating consciousness as part of the fabric of the universe, rather than a byproduct of physical processes. Second, it integrates philosophy of mind with contemporary physics. This, in turn, opens a conceptual path to verifiable predictions – something rare in theories of consciousness.
This essay proceeds in three stages. I first review the basic tenets of Hyperdimensional Neutral Monism (HNM) and explain how additional dimensions can reframe the hard problem. Second, I connect HNM to string theory and M-theory, which already require additional dimensions beyond the four of spacetime. I argue that through the ambiguities inherent in imaginary and complex numbers, these dimensions can be reinterpreted as ‘consciousal’ instead of spatiotemporal. And finally, I sketch how dark energy and dark matter can be reframed as effects of consciousal protrusion and may offer opportunities for verification.
While I engage with contemporary theoretical physics, the central aim is not scientific, but metaphysical. The goal is to reconceptualize the mind-body problem as a problem of dimensionality. The appeal to string theories and imaginary/complex numbers is secondary and the possibility of verification within a cosmological framework is tertiary. The primary aim remains to offer an alternative framework in which consciousness and the physical world co-emerge from a deeper dimensional structure.