Self
A self is described as an experiencer and controller. The experiencer is the subjective "destination" of the sensory nervous system plus all internal experiences such as dreams, thought, etc. The controller is the subjective "origin" of the actions of the voluntary nervous system and also of voluntary thoughts.
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Reply to DavidCary's editions[edit]
"It is widely believed that each sentient being has a sense of self.
There are 9 species on Earth that have passed the "mirror test" so far. Those 9 species (and perhaps others) have a sense of self-awareness. Apparently "a sense of self" necessarily results in "a sense of self-awareness", although it is unclear if "a sense of self-awareness" necessarily implies "a sense of self"." ~ (quote of DavidCary extracted by Lumenos)
- To me, the "self", has nothing necessarily to do with self-awareness. One can be sentient without knowing they are. For example, I could just about imagine not being able to recognize my mirror image but I would still be experiencing the "delusion" that I was looking at someone else. To experience is to be sentient. Perhaps I am using the wrong word, but I don't know of a better word for what I'm trying to describe. Sentience is not to know something (like that you exist), sentience is required to experience anything whatsoever. Sentience is a form of qualia; completely subjective and personal, thus there is no possible sentience test (Turing test or mirror tests) to certainly distinguish a sentient animal from an automaton, or to distinguish a zomboe from a person. Sentience is defined for you, as what you experience, not something to be measured from the outside. Turing tests can only hope to detect sentience, they do not define it. I imagine other humans and organisms are sentient, because their body looks and acts like mine does, and I know that I am sentient, from the experience of it. Is this not true of you? Lumenos 05:56, May 3, 2010 (UTC)
The experiencer[edit]
An experiencer (or the experiencer) is one who experiences. In other words they are sentient. This is a term used in place of "person" due to the political baggage it carries and apparent ambiguity of the term. Any being that experiences is an experiencer, regardless of whether they should have rights or whether we want to "extend person-hood" to them. Of course we don't see an organism's experiencer, we see their body so that is what people may refer to as the animal, but the animal's self is an experiencer assuming they have one. I say that for lack of better terminology but it seems almost to objectify a self to say that someone has a self when they are their self. An alternative mythosis is employed by Descartes. Ey apparently taught that animals are automata (like organic robots or zombies, being without a subjective experiencer).
The controller[edit]
Experiencers are usually also controllers. It is difficult, but not impossible, to imagine being able to experience without having some sort of control of ones thoughts, at least. Calling someone a "controller" is not to imply that they have free will; only that they have a voluntary nervous system and a subjective experience of feeling as if they are in "control" (because they are in control because that is what "control" is).
This is where it gets heavy[edit]
Warning: Reading this section may induce the heebie jeebies willies (it has been improved dramatically). Lumenos is aware of this problem and is taking measures to remove any detectable ikilumen.
Lumeno came unto the mountaintop. It is written and therefore highly important and even more certain, that man does not live by bread alone, but only by bread also. And also by every word that proceedeth from the Mouth of God. As Lumeno peered over the horizon to the distant setting sun, the mouth of God opened unto him saying, "I AM".
Lumeno turned and seeing no one, he asked aloud, "You are what?"
"No! I AM!" the voice bellowed with precision. Seeing that this soothsayer had no intentions of being seen, Lumeno set about finding a comfortable place to remove his shoes. As he did so a serpent arched over his shoulder and said, "Little time for a riddle? little riddle, little riddle," but before Lumeno had spoken ey asked, "What is the final, the very final frontier this year?"
Lumeno shrugged and replied, "The mind-body problem?" The serpent trembled as if ey had seen a Nietzsche, and spoke thusly saying, "You have surely penetrated the hardest nuts of all that is real and just, and lived to know about it! Now she is wanton and blissful with joy for your words." Lumeno gazed upon the curious beast flicking eir tongue about, and self-consciously wondered if ey could taste his feet on the air.
The serpent looked up from gazing upon the ground, "Tell me Rabbi, is property dualism, the answer?"
"I am a person, not a property," spoke thusly Lumeno.
"What about substance dualism, Jedi profecian?" Ey looked on him with pleading wonder.
"I am a subject, not a substance," sprekanzied Lumeno.
"Is existentialism the way, Lord?"
"I am an experiencer, not an essence," he sayedethed and then the serpent became still and knew.
But Lumeno did not know how he knew these things. Had he spoken them or someone else? For they came from such a deep place that he could see they were never sullied by his will. And then he remembered the words of the prophet; "He will speak the truth because he only saith what he hears." Lumeno spoke then unto his heart and the serpent, "Now I have found the mouth that God speaks with and I will speak with it and with it I will speak and speak unto the people telling them the things that it speaks." And it was with these revelations that the cult of Lumenosity was born, not of woman, nor of serpent but of the lightning of reason spirit, alighting all true intuition that is knowing with the purest assurant certitude. With this Spirit, Lumeno can peer beyond this universe, nay beyond even transitory truths, into the very face of eternal Truthism.
