1 Plus Infinity - a Complex UniverseTotal Interdependence of Existence (TIE) - Condition of Existence (CE)

Consciousness is seen as an evolved state of the ability of the products of existence to ‘sense’ one another. This evolved nature of its being results in it having a related spectrum of meaning ranging from relatively simple awareness of the presence of another product to a highly evolved and complex state in which a product of existence is able to sense, modify and be aware of its own state of existence in response to both internal and external stimulation of its own cellular structure. This arises out of the fact that with evolution the products of existence take on more and more complex form as they combine together to create new larger evolutionary products; they become complex compounds. Gradually the continuance of the evolutionary process has seen the emergence of highly complex organic molecular compounds identified as life forms, which might be defined as evolved products of existence that have attained the level of sophistication that permits self awareness through the development of advanced sensory response systems. On going evolution of these products has resulted in the development of products with brains, thinking-beings. Brains are the organs in which the degree of sensory awareness has developed to the level where the body of the thinking-being, of which they are an integral component, has the sophisticated ability to record its exposure to experience, sense its own state as a result of that exposure, modify that state as a result of response to, this might be referred to as interpretation of, that exposure and to do so progressively with the progress of evolution of the Physical Universe as it exists in the present – has become conscious of a meaning to its own existence.

This gives the meaning of consciousness significance across the evolved state of the Physical Universe, by which is meant that it has meaning both in the Physical and Phenomenal Universes. It is important here to understand that this means that awareness, consciousness, spans, bridges the primary difference existing between the Physical Universe of the physical products of evolution, where inevitability is the primary reality of the evolutionary process of existence and results in certainty and truth, and the Phenomenal Universe where the secondary and above nature of the formation of the states of the physical products on which the phenomenal is dependent results in uncertainty, and probability of error. That is not to say that the Phenomenal Universe is condemned to always being wrong, it is not. The Phenomenal Universe, which has the potential to be the product of the minds of all thinking-beings also has, with time, the potential to gradually increase the truth of its content and to reduce the probability that its musings result in erroneous conclusions. This process is evolutionary in nature and is very dependent on the extent to which the thinking-beings act to test the products of their Phenomenal existence by introducing them to the Universe of physical products. This process of testing is in fact critical to the general course of evolution of the Physical Universe due to the potential impact that Phenomenal Evolution can and increasingly has on that course.

The process of thinking, which is deemed to be related to the interpretation of physical states of the brain as created by exposure to experience of Physical Universe, which by definition includes experience of the Phenomenal Universe, has led to the highly evolved state of living thinking-beings who are able to be aware of their own existence and to communicate that awareness of their own existence to other similar products of existence. This awareness of their own and others existence is deemed to be consciousness.