That, to me, is like saying that gravity exists as a product of consciousness
Well, no. The meaning of gravity is a product of consciousness. If I asked you what the meaning of gravity was, you could probably give me a good answer; but it wouldn't be the meaning of gravity, but rather the meaning of cosmic force. The only thing we can ever speak of is ourselves. Immanent in all that we say are the words: I think, I believe, I feel, I perceive, etc.
I feel angry at Bob; I like Susan; My back is sore; That is something I call a rock and something I call the color, red. We talk about and we describe the thoughts in our mind. People will look at the same thing, or listen to the same music, and drink the same glass of wine...and describe them very differently; Because they are not making statements about these things: They are making statements about their thoughts, feelings, etc.
When a rock tells a story about its past, it isn't. You are reading a story. You are giving meaning to an old rock. Now perhaps the rock is sentient, and could have inherent or derived purpose or meaning, but as we truly know only our own thoughts, we can not know the rock's meaning unless we become it. The meaning we know is our own.
When we look at a rock with a young and dull brain we just see something hard and round and fun to stand on. As one studies the sciences, one begins to ascribe meaning to the rock, because he is able to use deduction to infer wonderful data about the rock's existence. But this is not the rock's meaning. It is in the consciousness of the observer, and is different for every observer. If the rock has its own discreet and unwavering meaning...that meaning is lodged in the rock, just as the only existence we know dances and cavorts in our own thoughts... |
