An alternative theory for "subconsciousness", Part 1

I've entertained myself with quite a few fun thought experiments about consciousness recently, and here is one example that's inspired by split-brain patients.

Imagine that you have a way to disconnect/reconnect the two hemispheres of a brain by flipping a switch. What would it be like from the brain's perspective?

From what we know of split-brain patients, an individual hemisphere can be independently conscious when separated from its partner. So when you disconnect two hemispheres, each would continue to be conscious, albeit with a subset of its original senses, memories, and processing capacity. 

So you'd go instantly from a single, unified consciousness to two completely independent consciousnesses. Each hemisphere would have an unbroken experience of being conscious, perhaps experiencing a "dimming" effect when it's disconnected from the other hemisphere. Each hemisphere would be "dumber" than the original unified consciousness, and might experience monocular instead of binocular vision as well as mono audio instead of stereo.

Now imagine what would happen when you reconnected the hemispheres.

Each hemisphere would suddenly feel more intelligent and regain its original sensory capabilities. It would be opposite of the original "dimming" effect - perhaps more like a "brightening" of the world. Monocular vision would become binocular, and mono audio would become stereo.

I spent an hour lying on my bed trying to imagine the process from a particular hemisphere's perspective. I'd cover up one eye, cover up an ear, and pretended to forget certain facts and skills. Then I'd uncover the eye and ear, and experience "fullness" again.

This thought experiment underscores the relation between consciousness and integration. When two hemispheres are integrated, they form a single, unified mind and a single consciousness. When they're separated, they form two simpler minds, each with its own consciousness. And since the process is reversible, it's possible to recombine the two minds/consciousnesses into one.

And it's this thought experiment that led me to an alternative theory for subconsciousness.....

Comments

[Ed Jones]

My brain studies are light and rusty, but I thought one hemisphere is much more analytical, hard-nosed than the other.

If this is the case, two hemispheres separated for a long period of time would develop two entirely different narratives of the lives they'd jointly lived. Even if they fully had the same sensual inputs, their interpretations would be completely different.

That having happened, when you reconnect...some pretty strong dissonance is gonna occur.

Imagine just one stream of news from recent months. The right side of my brain would today be thrilled that the mean, nasty Michelle Rhee has been removed from power, for all the news says she is an unkind person who hates on teachers.

The left side of my brain, however, would have given more weight to the horendously bad experiences of DC students over the past 30 years, the series of Superintendents who tried to get results out of the status quo system and quickly failed and left, the much improved physical campus of the District since Michelle's arrival, the on-time delivery to classrooms of supplies and curricular materials, the contract which rewards teachers who work and identifies those who don't, etc.

Reconnecting my brain would cause both halves to do what?

[Graham Glass]

Hi Ed, I think you're right if you were to wait a while between disconnecting/reconnecting hemispheres. However, in this thought experiment, it would just be a few seconds so this problem wouldn't happen.

Cheers,
Graham

[Sentrynox]

The Human brain isn't working like that at all!
Both sides have the Neocortex, home of the conscious and the self-awareness and the DMN (Default Mode Network) that is tasked to simulate the reality, and integrate sensory inputs. Then the reality as we perceive it, arise to the Neocortex, who interprete it!
Both parts are working at different frequencies, which isn't the same for both hemisphere of the brain, that works at the same frequency level.
Peoples that suffers mental illness, suffer from a desequilibrium bewteen the informations shared between the DMN and the Neocortex of the brain!
As to contain 2 consciousness into the same brain, it is possible, but one must occupy the DMN while the other remains in the Neocortex... Still they can mixed together alternatively, but that process isn't understood!

[Graham Glass]

Hi Sentrynox,

As far as I can tell, everything you wrote actually supports my theory. Specifically, since each hemisphere has its own neocortex, each would be separately conscious when you separated the hemispheres and then reform a unified conscious when connected back together again.

Or am I misinterpreting what you wrote?

Cheers,
Graham