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Anthony Brown's avatar

Related to this topic. I find the theory that we are all one consciousness reflecting back on ourselves through human experience fascinating. It’s like we’re all waves in the same ocean, thinking we’re separate but actually part of one continuous body of water.

What I find incredible is how this shows up everywhere once you start looking. Eastern philosophy has been saying this forever - the Upanishads literally say “You are That,” meaning you are the universal consciousness you’re seeking. Even some Western thinkers like Spinoza and Schopenhauer picked up on this. And now with quantum physics and theories about consciousness being fundamental rather than just a brain byproduct, science is starting to flirt with these ancient insights.

The practical implications blow my mind too. If we’re really all the same consciousness experiencing itself from different angles, then treating others with compassion isn’t just nice - it’s literally taking care of yourself. It completely reframes empathy and ethics.

Plus, anyone who’s done serious meditation knows that feeling of boundaries dissolving, where “me” and “everything else” start to blur together.

I work in AI and this perspective is fascinating when you think about networked intelligence. If individual minds are like nodes in a universal consciousness network, what happens when we create artificial networks that start exhibiting emergent behaviors?

Are we recreating on a digital level what already exists naturally?

If this interests you, definitely check out “I Am That” by Nisargadatta or Alan Watts’ “The Book.” Sam Harris also explores this beautifully in “Waking Up,” especially how meditation can give you direct glimpses of this reality. It’s one of those ideas that’s both ancient wisdom and cutting-edge science rolled into one.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Andrew Perlot's avatar

No idea about Peterson, but the idea is ancient.

"One way or another: atoms or unity. If it’s God, all is well. If it’s arbitrary, don’t imitate it.” — Marcus Aurelius

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