• starman2112@sh.itjust.works
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    3 days ago

    Sleep isn’t the same as unconsciousness, at least as far as this dilemma goes. Sleep is a state of reduced consciousness, but there is continuity and awareness of your surroundings. If there weren’t, you alarm clock wouldn’t have woken you up this morning

    • yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de
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      2 days ago

      I’m neither a sleep nor brain expert (or amateur even), still, I know that the “you” part of your brain occurs largely in the prefrontal cortex while more basic stuff occurs at the back, like the brainstem.

      That’s why lobotomies “worked” – no more “you”, no more mental health issues!

      For waking up, I don’t think any “you” part is needed. Audio processing and some consciousness starter are probably all that’s needed.

      I don’t consider myself to be the entirety of my brain. I am the abstraction of abstractions of … that has emerged for some reason. Shutting those abstractions down for sleeping is, in my opinion, no different from this scenario. I wouldn’t consider brainstem continuity to be a relevant factor.