Head to head
Dennett’s Illusionism vs Meijer’s Universal Knowledge Field
Dennett’s Illusionism and Meijer’s Universal Knowledge Field, compared field by field from their entries in the Atlas.
At a glance
- Dennett’s Illusionism belongs to the Materialism family in Kuhn's Landscape of Consciousness, Meijer’s Universal Knowledge Field to Idealism.
- Dennett’s Illusionism treats consciousness as emergent; Meijer’s Universal Knowledge Field treats it as fundamental.
- On AI consciousness, Dennett’s Illusionism says “Possible” and Meijer’s Universal Knowledge Field says “Likely”.
- On life after death, Dennett’s Illusionism says “No” and Meijer’s Universal Knowledge Field says “Yes”.
- On meaning and purpose, Dennett’s Illusionism says “Humanistic only” and Meijer’s Universal Knowledge Field says “Cosmic/Ultimate”.
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The claim
In brief
Dennett’s IllusionismDaniel Dennett argues that qualia, conceived as intrinsic, ineffable, private, and immediately known properties of experience, do not exist; they are philosophers’ inventions. Experience is real, but it is not what it seems from the inside: the brain’s unconscious processes produce a benign ‘user illusion’, and there is nothing to consciousness beyond the functions and dispositions involved.
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldThis theory posits that consciousness exists within a Universal Knowledge Field (UKF), conceived as a collective storage of all information present and evolving in the universe. The UKF is consistent with fundamental physics and cosmological models, and human consciousness is understood as an integral part of this universal consciousness, which interfaces with the brain primarily through harmonic resonance patterns involving specific electromagnetic field frequencies.
What consciousness is
Dennett’s IllusionismConsciousness is the functional activity of the brain, which presents itself to us as a user illusion. ‘There are no qualia.’
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldConsciousness is identified as a Universal Knowledge Field (UKF) that stores and evolves all information in the universe, of which human consciousness is an integral part.
Big questions
Can AI be conscious?Differ
Dennett’s IllusionismPossibleSince consciousness is nothing beyond functions and dispositions, a machine with the right functional organization could have it; Dennett does not take this up here.
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldLikelySince consciousness is fundamental (Idealism) and relies on informational/field properties, advanced AI systems capable of achieving the necessary complexity and interacting with the UKF could likely achieve consciousness, though this is not strictly proven by the sources.
Dennett’s IllusionismNoSince consciousness is a product of the brain’s processes, it ends when they end.
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldYesAs consciousness is fundamental reality (UKF), individual consciousness (soul/spirit) is an integral part of this ultimate consciousness, persisting beyond the dissolution of the biological body/brain.
Dennett’s IllusionismNo position
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldLikelyGiven that consciousness is a permanent informational field (UKF) that the brain interfaces with, duplicating the informational structure and function of the 'holofractal memory workspace' could allow the specific individual consciousness pattern to be maintained in a non-biological substrate.
Dennett’s IllusionismHumanistic onlyDennett’s materialism, and his place among the New Atheists, leave no room for cosmic purpose.
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldCosmic/UltimateConsciousness (UKF) is the ground of all being and the organizing principle of the universe, suggesting inherent cosmic meaning and purpose.
Nature of mind
Ontology
Dennett’s IllusionismPhysicalism (illusionist)
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldIdealism (Consciousness/Mind is fundamental reality)
Mind and body
Dennett’s IllusionismConsciousness is wholly a product of the brain’s unconscious processes. Dennett rejects any inner, non-physical domain of felt properties.
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldConsciousness (a scale-invariant mental attribute of reality) is fundamentally non-physical and operates through a holofractal memory workspace associated with the brain (pilot-wave-guided supervenience).
Fundamental or emergent
Dennett’s IllusionismEmergent
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldPrimitive
Qualia
Dennett’s IllusionismThere are no qualia in the traditional sense. Dennett calls the supposed intrinsic, ineffable, private properties ‘nothing but philosophers’ inventions’.
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldThe origin of qualia is hypothesized to arise from the field-receptive holofractal memory workspace, which functions as a scale-invariant mental attribute of reality associated with the brain.
How it works
Mechanism
Dennett’s IllusionismThe user illusion. As a computer’s desktop icons stand in for complex underlying processes, the brain presents itself to us in a simplified form we mistake for an inner world of qualities.
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldConsciousness arises from the non-physical Universal Knowledge Field interfacing with biological systems via harmonic resonance patterns (tonal projections) and integral information processing.
Where it is
Dennett’s IllusionismIn the brain’s unconscious processes, with no inner theater.
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldUniversal (UKF stores all information in the universe). Locally, it is associated with a 'holofractal memory workspace' associated with the brain, which mirrors this cosmic connectivity.
What it does
Dennett’s IllusionismThe user illusion is benign: it lets us manage ourselves without access to the brain’s underlying complexity.
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldThe UKF/Consciousness organizes and guides synchronicity, both spatially and temporally, in essential organs such as the heart and brain, acting as a organizing field.
Evidence and criticism
Testability
Dennett’s IllusionismConceptually testable
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldArguably empirically testable through investigating the specific effects of electromagnetic field frequency patterns in animate and non-animate systems.
Tests so far
Dennett’s IllusionismNot stated
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldInvestigating the effects of discrete electromagnetic field frequency patterns on animate and non-animate systems (to verify harmonic resonance patterns).
Criticisms
Dennett’s IllusionismDennett is often read as denying that experience exists, and critics reply that an illusion of experience would itself be an experience. Dennett resisted the eliminativist label, though many philosophers apply it to his rejection of qualia.
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge FieldThe reliance on a fundamental non-physical Universal Knowledge Field and the explicit incorporation of transcendental human experience and psi phenomena lead to significant tension with conventional physicalism.
Sources
Key sources
Dennett’s Illusionism
- Consciousness Explained, Daniel Dennett
- I've Been Thinking, Daniel Dennett (2023)
- Dennett’s Illusionism (Landscape of Consciousness), Daniel Dennett (1992)
Meijer’s Universal Knowledge Field
- Universal consciousness: collective evidence on the basis of current physics and philosophy of mind. Part 1 (2018)
- Consciousness in the universe is tuned by a musical master code, Part 3: a hydrodynamic superfluid quantum space guides a conformal mental attribute of reality (2020)
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