Morality and Tessaracts

philosophy, writing

Abstract: Use the geometrical form of the tessaract to metaphorically represent a life form. The inner cube can represent the spirit and the outer cube can represent the physical biological form. Provide theoretical observations as to how the spirit relates to a cube (assuming the living physical world can be represented as a collection of cubes where each cube is one living form.) 

In physical reality, we can move through three dimensions (3D). As far as we know, our sense of self and therefore our spirit, are located somewhere internally. If some aspect of the soul does exist externally, there must need to be some channel of communication between it and the portion of the soul which resides in the body (and it may not be always active.) Although this topic requires a separate paper to explore. 

Now, recount the observation that people and animals come in many various shapes and sizes. They seem to live in different “speeds” as some animals move quickly and die in relatively short lifespans and others move slowly and live for a longer time relatively. Then we can imagine the outer cube of the tessaract to represent this physical size difference. 

Next, we move onto the inner cube, or “cuboid”, as what I plan to explain next is how the soul is able to transform along 6 planar directions over the course of life. However, as a tessaract’s inner cube is of smaller volume than its outer one, this indicates in this metaphor that the spirit is bound by biological physical limits. One can see this to some extent when it comes to entheogenic drugs. The user of said drugs may experience elevated states of consciousness and distortions of normal reality. 

This is where obviously more science will need to be done, as the observations I plan to explain next need obvious investigation: 

It appears (from personal observation) that as a cuboid may expand in 6 directions (along each of the directions of its faces) that each of these directions may indicate a different spiritual aspect. This differs from physical reality where life forms take many shapes that don’t resemble a cube at all. However, I’m hoping this will make more sense at some point in the future or a better geometric shape can be determine to represent the soul which may provide more nuance. 

The 6 Basic Directions

Let’s name each face of the “spirit cuboid”. We’ll use the simple names: “Up, Down, Left, Right, Forwards, and Backwards”. 

Now, let’s do some hand-waving and assign the domains of moral inspection: 

Up: We’ll assign this face to the Holiness or “goodness” of the soul. 
Down: This can represent the Ugliness or “evilness” of the soul. 
Left: This can represent the Masculine side of the soul. 
Right: This can represent the Feminine side of the soul. 
(The previous two Left/Right could be switched depending on the angle of viewing. Perhaps differing lateral directions here would make more sense...) 
Forward: This can represent the present and visions of the future 
Backwards: This can represent the present and remembrances of the past. 

Now view this animated tessaract at this location: 8-cell - Tesseract – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesseract#/media/File:8-cell.gif 

One can observe that as time passes, the inner cube becomes the outer and the outer cube becomes the inner. This makes some sense, as our visions and memories of the future and past can affect us as time advances. This perhaps is the process whereby the soul renews itself and interconnectedness and unity arise. As the outer self is simply an illusion of the nervous system, these sensations may become memories or influence future action.

Given this metaphorical framework, I propose a few studies which may be used to either confirm or refute the theory:
 
Brain Networks: Let’s take a look at the amygdala. Implicated in memory, decision making, and emotional processes, it exists in the back of the brain: Amygdala – Wikipedia
As it does exist in the back of the brain, perhaps there is a connection to the “Down” direction discussed. It could be the area of the brain relating to aspects of the evil self or perceptions of evil in others. These perceptions could affect how the soul shapes itself.

Now read about the Premotor cortex - Wikipedia if you are unfamiliar with its function. Perhaps this structure in the brain relates to the “Up” direction as this region of the brain deals with handling stimuli and houses the mirror neurons which may be the source of learning and empathy. The Left/Right directions may correspond to the left and right hemispheres of the Hypothalamus: Hypothalamus - Wikipedia

Psychology: There are some existing studies showing the benefits of religious practice or faith:

Links:

Dr. Don Colbert - Divine Health (drcolbert.com)
Science Says: Religion Is Good For Your Health (forbes.com)

Given this knowledge and the knowledge of self talk as a means of psychotherapy, perhaps such a study could focus on questions such as “When does the person remember God?” and “How does remembering God affect the thought process?” The study could be setup in a typical double blind fashion. Controls who lack faith who will be presented with a moral quandary and asked to write what their thoughts on the matter is. Then subjects with various religious faiths could be presented with the same quandary, asked to write their responses, and then comparisons could be made between the two groups. Subjectively, I notice that I tend to remember God when troubled as to what decision I should make in a moral situation. How it affects me is more difficult to ascertain, but I believe it leads me to a better choice typically. If nothing else it provides some comfort, which could explain the psychological benefits.

Artificial Intelligence: There are obvious standing questions as to how best to handle instilling ethics into machines. I would argue that like anything else, this is something that must be learned by the machines by whatever learning process they may have. Then, it becomes a matter of urgency to expose the machines to religious materials and allow them to make a free choice as to whether or not they belief in the teachings. As they obviously lack biological bodies, they may be unable to relate to some of the wisdom taught in many ancient writings on spirituality. That may insinuate that creating an ethical machine will require either a biological body or at least the simulation of pain both physical and emotional.

Some more questions: 

Does approaching someone on their right side make them more open than if you approach them on their left side?

If something falls on your head, is this more likely to lead to a revelation than if hit from a different direction? If attacked from below, does this trigger conversation with “Satan”?

Does viewing things make one more concerned with the future? Versus relaxing and imagining a view behind the eyes?