Researching other peoples thoughts on Time and Consciousness (Science/Philosophy)

This is a post thinking and reflecting on some of my earlier posts regarding time and consciousness whilst researching other peoples similar theories.

Consciousness

Integrated Information Theory looks like a very interesting concept after doing some extra reading.

IIT seems to focus on the fact that a consciousness can not only see and record a large amount of information but link it together meaningfully at the same time. It suggests that these links between pieces of information set whether we are conscious or not and that our level of consciousness can be calculated by a mathematical method to create a constant phi. This seems to touch and develop on ideas I have personally pondered upon here on my blog.

Sources of Interest regarding IIT;

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-theory-of-consciousness

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/science/21consciousness.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&sq=integrated%20information%20theory&st=nyt&scp=1&

Quantum noise, entanglement and chaos in the quantum field theory of mind/brain states

http://arxiv.org/pdf/q-bio/0309009v1.pdf - needs to be read; notes/thoughts may follow.

Research into Time specifically –

The original concept of time tends to be called “Newtonian Time” (named after Isaac Newton) ; this is based on the premise that Time is another dimension in the Universe along with the 3 dimensions of space. It also presumes that time is unchanging in its speed in comparison with any other external bodies acting upon it.

“Absolute, true and mathematical time, of itself, and from its own nature flows equably without regard to anything external, and by another name is called duration: relative, apparent and common time, is some sensible and external (whether accurate or unequable) measure of duration by the means of motion, which is commonly used instead of true time ...”

I found the highlighted part of that quote particularly interesting as it may explain my confusion with time as a 4^th dimension; perhaps I have confused this so called “common time” with “true time”.

There are other ways of looking at time now. Since Albert Einstein showed the world Relativity and special relativity time was changed completely and now wasn’t thought of as a constant but as something relative to the speed of light. I’m not too familiar yet with special relativity and the warping of space-time but it is much less “absolute” that Newtonian time. Other scientists claim that Time is immeasurable as it is not a thing or event and a lot of philosophers have other views on what time is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_time_and_space

After reading about other people’s thoughts I feel that even though I need to try to understand time and consciousness more by learning about suggested theories in more detail (especially relativity); my ideas seem to touch on those thoughts others have had. However I probably need to attain a better level of understanding In the subject area until I start making full theories.

Maybe in time (Pun not intended :P) I will come back to writing a theory of time as it is something which has always fascinated me.