In this blog, I explore metaphysical topics with an eye towards religion, mainly from a science perspective. After all, the title of the blog is taken from a speech from one of history’s great scientists. However, it’s well-known that there are limits to science, including the fact that some topics are difficult to address with scientific methods.

Because this is the case, we need to be careful with our level of certainty about topics which are not yet well understood. For example, more and more research is being conducted to understand consciousness. This is becoming increasingly relevant with the recent developments of artificial intelligence. However, there is no way to directly probe consciousness with the tools and methodologies of science; the work done by neurologists and similar and investigate things related to consciousness, but not the phenomenon itself. This is because consciousness is a strictly subjective phenomenon.

Perhaps this is why philosophy is still an important tool for investigating consciousness. Because of its subjective nature, the most direct investigation is through introspection. Philosophy provides some structure and commonly-used tools for this process.

One example of such a tool is the “thought experiment”, in which a question is investigated by imagining some situation and thinking carefully about what might be occurring. There are a number of thought experiments that have become somewhat standard ways of framing questions about consciousness, although there are as yet few (if any) universally accepted answers.

The use of thought experiments suggests the possibility of other such tools that could be useful for exploring consciousness. In particular, if we think about the fact that consciousness is a fundamental part of the human experience, then it’s reasonable to wonder what other ways we have of exploring the human experience and whether they might also be helpful.

iOne possible example that has come up is the representation of artificial intelligence in some movies and books that explore various aspects of the mind through the ways humans might relate to advanced artificial intelligence. Several AI developers and consciousness researchers have suggested that these narratives are useful for exploring these complex topics. Movies like Blade Runner and Wall-E explore possible human societies that are strongly influenced by AIs and so reveal human weaknesses, while Ex Machina probed the emergence of consciousness in artificial intelligence. Books like the Murderbot series explore issues around agency in human/AI hybrids, while the Bobiverse series asks what it is that makes sentient entities individuals.

Now, these may be thought of as examples of art, and art is definitely a way we have of exploring the human condition, one that is not typically associated with science. However, these examples suggest that certain types of artistic expression might be helpful as a tool for scientific investigation, much like thought experiments are a philosophical tool that can help.

A quick search for “examples of art that explores consciousness and mind” results in topics from the abstract, like surrealism, to the direct and literal, like Greg Dunn’s work to picture brain activity as artwork. Artists like Marina Abramović have created performance art pieces that are almost like lab experiments themselves that even include brain measurements.

From my studies so far, it seems that photography is less often used in this way, but that may be just that I haven’t turned up good examples yet. I don’t know why it would necessarily be that much different.

Along those lines, I’ve tried using photography a little bit to try exploring consciousness topics. For example, using stained glass windows to think about dualism and the “hard problem” of consciousness, or waterfalls to explore the importance of conscious experience, sometimes called “qualia”, or wondering how spherical photography can be used as a metaphor for looking beyond physicalism. Related to consciousness, I’ve tried using plant photography to explore human reactions to AI, one of the themes often addressed in science fiction writing and movies.

These have been simple experiments, but I’ve found that the process of working through them helps me understand the issues better. Time will tell if they also help me with any new insights. At the very least, it seems helpful to explore the process of using art itself.