Articles on illusions: (https://www.philosocom.com/post/the-two-types-of-illusions
https://www.philosocom.com/post/system-of-illusion-reality-as-application-by-igal-shenderey
https://www.philosocom.com/post/existence-as-multi-layered
https://www.philosocom.com/post/distinguishing-truth-from-illusion )
What if the collection of components we call “mind” is, in itself, physical? Thoughts are neurology, emotions are biochemistry, and so forth. Every mental occurrence is a result of a physical occurrence inside our bodies and from interaction with other bodies.
Still, not every physical component leads to a mental occurrence. Therefore, I conclude that our bodies are more evolved physical substances, which are complex enough to create the non-concrete illusion that is the Mental Dimension. Our bodies are gates to this special dimension, unseen and uncreated by any object other than ourselves (and only sometimes, other biological beings such as cats and dogs). Any object that does not create this access to said dimension, or no longer does, can be regarded as inanimate. Perhaps, only those who have access to it, and can be concious of it, can be considered living beings.
The Mental Dimension is, basically, the very plane of existence that makes us conscious beings. It separates us from the rest of the physical reality by giving us the ability to not only experience, but be aware of said experience. An inanimate object may experience things too, like an ice cube that was once fluid. However, that ice cube does not have, in theory, the consciousness that we humans have. And that is the thing that separates us mental-based beings from the rest of this existence. That includes animals and is not limited to humans.
Be surprised, but as of now, humanity has yet to create a sentient A.I, according to this source. If our current A.Is were sentient, they would possess self awareness and reflect on their own existence independently of our interactions with it. Thus, it can be considered inanimated, for it is a tool, a language model. I refuse to use it to augement my articles, but I digress.
I believe that the Mental Dimension was created in us by evolution in order to create massive social networks, which have ensured our superiority over less complex and/or powerful species. The entire point of this Mental Dimension is to develop our social skills and coherence in the name of collective survival and the most certain way to do so is by dominating the world.
What I refer to as "world domination" is our inclination, as a promising species, to ensure our survival through prosperity. Without optimal prosperity, our chances at survival, as a species, would have been greatly reduced. Now that we have achieved world domination, no other species on this planet can make us extinct. "World Domination" is, therefore, the defeat of rival species on our survival, in a way that makes humanity as a whole live in material abundance.
Social skills and the ability to collaborate are impossible without the mental dimension of our experience. We need to store common ideas and memories in our minds and act accordingly in order to do things we cannot do by ourselves. For example, if we want to run a business, we need to give our employees specific roles, and make sure they fulfill these roles in the name of profit and other pursuits. A set of inanimate objects cannot collaborate, unless automated by us, self-aware beings.
However, the cost of this evolution is the inability to specifically differentiate between objective and subjective, truth and lie, real and illusionary, external and internal. We may not be rational beings by default because we are programmed to survive, not to make up for this specific cost. Philosophy may be regarded as impractical because it does not necessarily contribute to survival like psychology is, for instance.
In this way, our access to the Mental Dimension is constantly biased to obey those who struggle for power, as they define for us what is right and true and what is false and wrong. That is, of course, unless we struggle for dominance ourselves, like I'm doing by building this content empire you're in right now, but my example is not what matters right now.
When we follow an authority and put our trust in it, we may sometimes be doing so, completely or partially, to ensure our own survival. It does not matter if those social authorities are correct or incorrect; as long as we hold their opinions well enough (or pretend we do) they shall determine and dominate our positions in the abstract Mental Dimension.
For instance, we must pay our taxes. Paying them is a display of our submission to these more-powerful authorities. By paying them, we ensure our own survival. Our hatred or disapproval of the authorities we pay for does not matter if we want to survive. Nonetheless, the choice to not pay taxes remains our own. We only must because we store the idea that we do, within the Mental Dimension, as many other people do.
Do you see how this sphere of being contributes to our collective functioning?
We can only know things through our mind. Our mind is both our blessing and our curse, our greatest strength that has led us to dominate this globe, and our greatest weakness when it is either too incompetent or untrustworthy for our goals. Since my mind is a tool I use for this job as a philosopher, I try to make sure I'm mentally stable, and avoid certain substances that could hinder my efforts. The mind is the very portal to the Mental Dimension, so having it in poor condition would mean that my access to this dimension will be subpar.
Those who successfully create the system of beliefs in our minds and direct it in accordance to their desire for power, will have dominance over our Mental Dimension. Consciously or unconsciously for us, they will be one of the many tiny and enormous heads which administer the globe by its social molecules, which merely exist in our heads.
The mind does not exist outside of abstract reality, even if it creates delusions. It is the portal for a shared reality that is based on a shared, abstract network.
The mind is a construct of highly advanced and highly complex matter; it is a brew of interactions with the physical and inter-subjective environments, and a key of our individual identities. The thing is, that the mind is an "illusion", and illusions do not exist. I am aware it sounds contradictory. Please entertain my reasoning to this.
The words that you are reading have no purpose in the world beyond our minds; they are but mere shapes covering a screen and a page. Because society is a construct of our minds, society does not exist, either. It’s all an illusion. It is an illusion we are taught to deem as fact because, as said before, we are programmed to survive as a collective, and not aim for optimal rationality. We do not need to understand society on a philosophical degree in order to survive within it, for example.
Philosophy is the antagonist of inter-subjective mentality. Where the Mental Dimension builds, philosophy ruins, reforms, and exposes. Where inter-subjectivity narrows, philosophy broadens. Where inter-subjectivity darkens in a womb of safety, absolution, and assumed certainty, philosophy shines a sharp light on it.
A light that hurts like peeling away layers of an onion, as the protection of illusions gradually fades, until the truth is finally revealed. Society creates many layers of illusions, covering truths and presenting them as grand and exalted. And sometimes, as the "truth".
Therefore, if we are to know matter, as the matter which exists beyond the manipulation of the Mental Dimension, we must philosophize until The Great Void is revealed. By "Great Void" I refer to this, in this context: To come to an understanding that nothing reigns over the pure Physical Dimension beyond the cages of the conscious being. Beyond the social cages of the Mental Dimension. That's exactly why consciousness can reveal, as well as decieve not only others, but ourselves.
And it is with philosophy that we can exit these cages, even if only within the realm of the mind: Through realization and through acceptance.
