21.4.05

Elizabeth Rauscher (2001) has developed a detailed theory of an eight dimensional complex Minkowski space in which such phenomena as remote viewing would be possible as well as apparently being able to view things at a point.

These space-time theories of consciousness are highly speculative but have features that their proponentes consider attractive: every individual would be unique because they are a space-time path rather than an instantaneous object (ie: the theories are non-fungible), and also because consciousness is a material thing so direct supervenience would apply. The possibility that conscious experience occupies a short period of time (the 'specious present') would mean that it can include movements and short words; these would not seem to be possible in a presentist interpretation of
experience.

Theories of this type are also suggested by cosmology. The Wheeler-De Witt equation describes the quantum wave function of the universe (or more correctly, the multiverse). This equation does not involve time. Time was explained by Bryce De Witt by dividing the multiverse into an observer with measuring devices and the rest of the universe. The rest of the universe then changes relative to the observer. This introduction of time results in the occurrence of space-time, gravity and the rest of the observed material world. As the famous cosmologist Andrei Linde (2003) puts it:

"The general theory of relativity brought with it a decisive change in this point of view [the 3D world]. Space-time and matter were found to be interdependent, and there was no longer any question which one of the two is more fundamental. Space-time was also found to have its own inherent degrees of freedom, associated with perturbations of the metric - gravitational waves. ............"
"Is it possible that consciousness, like space-time, has its own intrinsic degrees of freedom, and that neglecting these will lead to a description of the universe that is fundamentally incomplete?"

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