What is the element that makes conscious awareness seem like we are in control? The speed of light, quite possibly! The speed of quantum level events!
Let me take you to the theater. The lights dim. The projectionist hits a switch and presto! Instantaneously, you see the movie! Right? Wrong! Light travels one hundred seventy-three thousand miles a second. Light travels one mile in one, one hundred seventy-three thousandths (1/173,000) of a second! That's a whole lot of little pieces, and just one of those little pieces ain't much at all! It's hardly anything, but it never-the-less, is something. Now, let's say the projector is fifty feet from the screen and you are thirty feet from the screen. It takes the light from the projector [we're human, so we'll round if off for convenience sake] one, eleven millionths (1/11,418,000) of a second to reach the retina of your eye, give or take a miniscule portion of a nanometer or two! Imagine one second being divided into eleven million, four hundred eighteen thousand pieces. Each of those pieces represents the amount of time it takes the light to get from the projector to your eye.
It happens so fast it seems instantaneous! But, it is most definitely not instantaneous. It does take time. Get the picture? What appears to be instantaneous is not instantaneous. What appears to be simultaneous is not simultaneous. There is a very definite progression. The light begins at the projector, travels through space and hits the screen; unit one. The light bounces off the screen, travels through space and hits the retina; unit two. One, then two; each unit in the progression demands a precise amount of time. The two events are not simultaneous. There is a natural and exact sequence. Unit one precedes unit two. Unit two cannot happen until unit one has done its thing.
Now, let's talk about conscious awareness. Our brain functions in the realm of quantum physics. We're talking subatomic, incredibly short, distances. Quantum physics events within the brain are chemically mechanical and take time. These singular events each consume specific lengths of time. If the light from a theater projector takes a miniscule amount of time to reach our retina, one can imagine how little time it takes for the quantum physics of thought. Actually, one's imagination is probably insufficient for this exercise. Never-the-less, brain function, quantum physics events within the brain, takes time. Are you with me?
Both thought and consciousness are quantum level physics events within the functioning brain. The thought occurs; unit one. Then, awareness of the thought occurs; unit two. One, then two. Awareness of the thought cannot precede the thought. Awareness of the thought cannot occur simultaneous to the thought because conscious awareness is also a quantum level brain function. The quantum level function of awareness cannot even function parallel to the quantum level function of the thought it is consciously aware of, because the thought which it is aware of has not yet been thought. Unthinkably minute portions of time are as significant as eons. Quantum level brain function is always one step ahead of conscious awareness. If the projection of light on a theater screen seems instantaneous, how much more instantaneous would quantum level brain function seem. Universal allegiance to an intuitive sense is easily understood within this context! This is no ordinary slight-of-hand artist! Phenomenal even falls short!
The concept of parallel functions is intriguing. If the exact same quantum level processes operated parallel, then couldn't the thought and consciousness of that thought function simultaneously? No. The thought is one set of quantum level processes and consciousness of the thought is another set of quantum level processes. If simultaneous quantum level processes do exist, the concept of mind betters contains the dynamics than consciousness. Parallel processes are unlikely and mind is just as easily contained within the one strand of quantum level processes. Regardless, for consciousness to be a vehicle of autonomous behavior, running parallel would not be sufficient. Consciousness would have to precede thought for consciousness to control the thought processes. This is not the case.
Brain function, thought, is a maelstrom of quantum level events which we only become aware of, or conscious of, after they have evented. Thinking, the intricate manipulation of thought, is an exponentially more involved maelstrom of quantum level events which, again, we only become aware of, or conscious of, after they have evented. Actually, we are not conscious of the vast majority of quantum level events which construct a thought much less the processes pre-requisite to a thinking continuum. Our awareness is superficial. This conscious awareness, though lacking depth, appears to be simultaneous. It is not. It feels so instantaneous it creates an overpowering intuitive sense that our conscious awareness is calling the shots. Again, it is not. Consciousness is an after the fact phenomenon. If you don't believe me, ask Steve Pinker. He's a Harvard man.
