On Consciousness

Published on June 9, 2016 (↻ February 5, 2024), filed under Philosophy (RSS feed for all categories).

Nothing that I currently reflect on but a possible condition to understanding consciousness (and to advancing artificial intelligence):

It is this dilemma, between identity’s constant attempts to maintain stability and action’s inherent drive for change, that results in the imbalance, the exquisite creative by-product that is consciousness of self. For consciousness and existence do not result from delicate balances so much as they are made possible by lack of balances, so richly creative that there would be no reality were balance ever maintained.

A fascinating dilemma, here quoted from Jane Roberts’ The Seth Material and coming with the reminder that we may want technology that is loving.

Update (May 20, 2019)

On reviewing this unusually brief entry I wonder why I didn’t even mention Hegel back then; but more important to me now is to note the interesting connection to the “Divine Dichotomy” brought up in Conversations with God. There is something here.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a frontend engineering leader and tech author/publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead for companies like Google and as an engineering manager for companies like Miro, I’m close to W3C and WHATWG, and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development (and engineering management), but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my views and experiences.

If you’d like to do me a favor, interpret charitably (I speak three languages, and they do collide), yet be critical and give feedback for me to fix issues, learn, and improve. Thank you!