X-Message-Number: 19061
From: "George Smith" <>
References: <>
Subject: Re: CryoNet #19044 - #19056
Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 12:03:33 -0700

In Message #19049 David Pizer wrote:

"Question
George Smith wrote:
snip
> Man is not conscious, only capable of it.
Can you elaborate on this."

Huxley's original quote which I paraphrased is (as I recall),  "Man is not
rational, only capable of it."

Any serious study of human psychology, especially in regard to memory and
the manipulation of unconsicous processes (neo-Ericksonian hypnosis, for
example) reveals that consciousness is sporatic at best whereas most
"thinking" and other behaviors are largely unconscious.  Most methods of
behavior change, including all successful "sales" persuasion methods rely
upon manipulating these unconscious mental processes.  (The strictly
rational salesman is commonly the failed salesman).

People walk around in an almost continuous dream state, "narrating" the
story of their lives to themselves (in pictures as well as words).  I like
to suggest that it is not dissimilar from cartoon characters who will have a
"bubble" drawn above their heads to show what they are thinking.  People
live almost entirely "in" that bubble environment, looking at themselves as
if they were a character in a movie (perhaps aptly entitled, "My Life").

For example, when people drive cars their driving behavior is almost
entirely unconscious while their mental state is usually one of
dissassociation.  Drivers are daydreaming while listening to the radio,
talking about politics, or just "spacing out".  When actions of other
drivers are "negative" (getting cut off by a passing car) the reactions are
unconscious and entirely predictable.  Depending upon the immediate
condition of the body (sleep, blood sugar levels, etc.) the response will
normally range from frustration to raging anger and is as predictable as the
actions of a wind up toy.

Sudden shocks, severe pain or strong emotion can cause the individual to
"wake up" and become conscious momentarily and operate from a position "in"
their body rather than from a daydream state.  After such events, the
individual commonly returns to the daydreaming, dissociated condition.

There are degrees of consciousness spanning a spectrum from deep sleep to
vital awareness.  The curious fact of the matter is, though, that people are
convinced that they are always conscious (when they are not sleeping).  This
arises because basically when asked, "Are you wide awake right now?" the
person will need to BECOME more conscious, make an internal and external
reality check in order to answer that question.  That done, they promptly go
back to their more normal daydreaming condition but now carrying the memory
of "Every time I check to see if I am awake, I am.  Therefore I am always
awake."

This condition has been compared to a man in a dark room with a flashlight
strapped to the top of his head.  Everywhere he looks he thinks he sees a
fully lit up room because the flashlight beam is always in front of him
lighting up that portion of the room he can see.

I do not mean to take this answer into the realm of mysticism nor
hyper-sentience, but simply to explain that people have the illusion of
being conscious all of the time (when not sleeping) whereas the fact of the
matter is simply that they seldom are conscious at all.  I am suggesting
that almost all human behavior, to include creative thinking, problem
solving, emotional responses and everyday behavior, does not require
consciousness whatsoever.

When we cryonicists stand in mute shock at the seeming blindness of
otherwise highly intelligent individuals who reject cryonics for no sane
reasons we can fathom, it is perhaps useful to understand that the culture
programs almost all of what we consider to be "choices" and that
preprogrammed robots cannot make choices unavailable to them.

And there are two upsides to this issue, if my assessment of the human
condition is accurate:

(1) Unconscious people can be relied upon to act and think along certain
"pathways".
(2) Those "pathways" can actually assist them in choosing life over death,
cryonics over crematoriums.

Just my opinion,

George Smith
CI member and Immortalist

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