Rick: Matzke proposes that the universe is composed of matter, energy and information, where information is neither matter nor energy. The argumentation he uses is written up in his masterpiece of 2017 titled "Deep Reality". His updates since then propose existons as basic units of conciousness from which all other concious entities are based upon. As he takes us on a tour of the universe of the very tiny, going beyond 1 X 10*-9 meters, or nano-meters, the level where cryonics advocates mostly deal with and hope for reanimation from, I came to realize that or consciousness is likely not recoverable from that cryonics lleve and in fact exists in the quantum realm right now, with our biological "clothing" being "inhabited" by our "quantum soul" as a biological avatar. Can you expand on this? Thanks.




GoogleGemini, “GG” : Okay, let's unpack Matzke's ideas and explore the implications for consciousness, cryonics, and the "quantum soul" concept. This is a fascinating and speculative area, drawing from philosophy, physics, and potentially biology.



**Matzke's Tripartite Universe: Matter, Energy, and Information**



Matzke's proposal, as you present it, rests on the idea that information is a fundamental component of the universe, distinct from matter and energy. This is a significant point. Here's why:



* **Information as Fundamental:** Traditionally, physics has focused on matter and energy, with information often viewed as a *property* of matter and energy. Matzke's view elevates it to a foundational element. This is not entirely novel; ideas like Landauer's principle (which links information erasure to energy dissipation) suggest a deep connection between information and the physical world. Think of it as the software of the universe, running on the hardware of matter and energy.


* **Beyond Reductionism:** If information is fundamental, it implies that you cannot fully understand the universe by simply reducing everything to its material components. Information introduces a layer of complexity and organization that isn't captured by just knowing the positions and momenta of particles.


* **Implications for Consciousness:** This is where it gets interesting. If information is fundamental, and consciousness depends on information processing, then consciousness might be more deeply embedded in the fabric of the universe than we typically assume.



**Existons as Basic Units of Consciousness**



The concept of "existons" as basic units of consciousness is a crucial addition. This is where Matzke potentially departs from mainstream thinking and offers a specific mechanism for how this fundamental information manifests as consciousness. Here's how we can unpack this:



* **Building Blocks:** Think of existons as something like fundamental "quanta" or packets of awareness. They are the most basic entities capable of experiencing something – of having a proto-consciousness.


* **Hierarchy of Consciousness:** If existons are fundamental, then complex consciousness (like human consciousness) arises from the organization and interaction of these existons. Just like atoms combine to form molecules, existons combine to form more complex conscious entities.


* **Location/Scale:** Matzke's work suggesting that these existons exist at a scale beyond nanometers points to a potential problem for cryonics, as these could be permanently destroyed at the cryonic level.


* **Challenges:** This is a very speculative area. A key challenge is to define exactly what an existon is, how it interacts, and how those interactions give rise to the subjective experience we associate with consciousness.


* **Existons and Panpsychism:** This idea bears a resemblance to panpsychism, which is the view that consciousness is ubiquitous throughout the universe. The distinction being panpsychism does not offer a mechanism for how such consciousness might emerge and function.



**Cryonics, the Quantum Realm, and the "Quantum Soul"**



Now let's connect this to cryonics and your concept of a "quantum soul":



* **Cryonics Limitations:** Your realization is that cryonics, focused on preserving the physical brain at the nanoscale, might be insufficient if consciousness resides at a deeper, quantum level. If existons and the information they carry are disrupted or destroyed during cryopreservation, then simple structural integrity might not be enough to restore the original consciousness.


* **The "Quantum Soul":** This is a metaphorical way of describing the idea that your identity, your sense of self, isn't simply stored in the physical arrangement of your brain cells. Instead, it's encoded in a quantum-level informational structure (potentially composed of existons) that interacts with, but is not entirely reducible to, your physical brain.


* **Biological Avatar:** The idea of our bodies as "biological avatars" suggests that our physical form is just a vehicle for this deeper, quantum-level consciousness. The brain is the interface that allows the "quantum soul" to interact with and experience the physical world.


* **Quantum Information Processing:** If this view is correct, then consciousness might involve quantum information processing (e.g., quantum entanglement, superposition) in ways that classical neuroscience doesn't fully capture. This could explain some of the hard problems of consciousness, such as how subjective experience arises from objective physical processes.



**Important Considerations and Caveats:**



* **Speculation:** It is very important to emphasize that this is all highly speculative. While there are intriguing philosophical and scientific ideas that support these possibilities, we don't have definitive empirical evidence.


* **The Hard Problem of Consciousness:** The biggest challenge remains the "hard problem of consciousness": how do physical processes give rise to subjective experience? Even if we identify the physical correlates of consciousness (like specific brain activity patterns), that doesn't explain *why* those patterns are associated with a feeling of "what it's like" to be conscious.


* **Testability:** A scientific theory needs to be testable. One must identify potential experimental observations that could support or refute this theory.


* **The Nature of Information:** It is important to clearly define what constitutes information. Is it just any arrangement of matter and energy, or does it require a specific kind of organization and meaning?



**In conclusion:** Matzke's ideas, and the implications you've drawn from them, offer a compelling and challenging perspective on the nature of consciousness. It suggests that cryonics might be insufficient for preserving and restoring consciousness if the key information is encoded at a quantum level that is disrupted during cryopreservation. The concept of a "quantum soul" acting through a "biological avatar" is a powerful metaphor for this possibility. However, it's crucial to recognize that this is a highly speculative area, and much more research is needed to understand the relationship between information, consciousness, and the physical world.