Conscious simultaneity with continuous motion: a measure-theoretic resolution of the hard problem.

Summary

The paper proposes that the hard problem of consciousness arises from an epistemic paradox similar to that found in quantum and classical physics. It suggests that consciousness serves as a workaround for issues related to temporally extended information in continuous time. The temporal uncertainty principle defines consciousness as a superposition of synchronous and diachronic perspectives, which helps reduce uncertainty and enables novel concepts and adaptive behaviors. A new model is introduced to explain how the brain achieves this mechanism.

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Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of integrating phenomenal consciousness with physical laws by seeking to identify and define its function. The central claim is that the hard problem is caused by the same epistemic paradox that makes quantum and classical physics mutually incompatible: the measure-theoretic limit. It is logically impossible to explain the mechanism by which state transitions occur within continuous time except by using approximations, because the mathematics requires point-equivalent instants of zero duration, which cannot exist ontologically when time is continuous. Classical and quantum physics use mutually incompatible frameworks to model causality and overcome this dt→0 limit. It is argued here that consciousness functions as an ontological workaround for this and all problems related to temporally extended information in continuous time, including sensory qualia. The temporal uncertainty principle (TUP) defines consciousness as a superposition of two contradictory temporal perspectives, synchronous and diachronic, within a single "now". These perspectives interact recursively to reduce uncertainty to a point where further reduction is logically and physically impossible. This mechanism prevents computational paralysis when the system confronts unresolvable causal boundaries, and enables the generation of novel concepts and adaptive behaviours. The bi-directional electromagnetic model (BIDEM) postulates how the brain can achieve this mechanism within a general resonance theory (GRT) framework. By demonstrating how phase-amplitude coupling integrates two dimensionally orthogonal substrates, BIDEM enables diachronic information to act within simultaneously experienced instants. The model yields testable predictions for cross-frequency EM interactions and introduces a "simultaneity barrier" as the basis for an objective Turing test of artificial consciousness.

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