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Regarding The "WHY" In The Consciousness Equation
I have pretty much read almost every post on this app regarding consciousness/shaksiyat etc and Ghamidi sahab’s opinion too, and I want some corrections on the understanding that I’ve developed from these.
Consciousness is insani shakhsiyat (that is invisible) that is given through nafhk e ruh, as mentioned in Quran. But, having said that,
1) the reason why the question regarding consciouness arises is NOT because we all humans feel it inside us (the inner self) because we actually don’t, physically. It’s just the chemical processess etc that arise feelings in us and so from human perspective the point of initiation is our brain (but we know through Quran, its that shaksiyat that actually initiates and brain executes) but RATHER the question of consciousness arises due to the question that ‘why brain does what it does’. i.e. why is brain wired in such a way that it categorizes ‘sach bolna’ as ‘khair’ and ‘dhoka dena’ as ‘burai’. Is this correct understanding or not and why?
so when we hear a lie, our mind (through processes) tells us it’s a bad thing and hence we feel bad inside our body. ‘Why’ it does the same biological/chemical processess for all of the humans around the world? The answer that Quran gives is insani shaksiyat which is invisible that lives in your heart.
2) If we assume that the fact-paced development of AGI (in centuries) might be able to mimic every single thing (such that the practical distinction with us would be difficult), from normal Intelligence (computations we can say) and emotional intelligence as well (as they can be mimicked to the last extent too).
However, we’d still say that AI doesn’t have consciousness from a Quranic perspective because it is the processes that AI mimics, but the real cause (insani shaksiyat) is still not within them; the ‘why’ is still there. So, apparently, in scientific connotation, they might appear ‘conscious’ because they are literally able to do exact same IQ and EQ tasks as efficiently as humans do, but all they are doing is mimicking processes of our brain and still lack the cause. Is this correct?
3) Referring to the above, if it’s the case, one could raise the question, then what’s the use of insani shaksiyat if the processes can be mimicked and human IQ/EQ can be exactly performed?
@Umer25 Brother, I want you to help me out on this one, please, if something is not clear in the question (which there is a high chance of because my thoughts are really cluttered), you can ask again, but I want to get this cleared out. InshaAllah
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2 Replies
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Regarding The "WHY" In The Consciousness Equation
updated 1 month, 3 weeks ago
2 Members
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@Umer25 Brother, could you kindly answer these questions? Shukria
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1) It is correct for the most part, but I think two things are getting mixed up:
- Human shakhsiyat (personhood)
- Human biological machinery (brain, hormones, neural circuits)
Nafkh‑e‑Ruh = the emergence of a moral, responsible self:
It means Humans were endowed with a self (shakhsiyat) capable of aesthetic and moral intuition (fitrah), ability to impose moral judgement and rational thinking. This shakhsiyat is non‑material, but it expresses itself through the body.
We don’t feel consciousness as a physical sensation. But we do experience:
- awareness
- intention
- moral intuition
- guilt
- love
- meaning
These are not reducible to chemical processes, even though the brain is the interface.
Is the question of consciousness about “why the brain categorizes good and evil”?
This is partially correct, but incomplete. The real question is:
Why does the human organism have moral awareness at all?
Neuroscience can describe how the brain reacts to lying or injustice.
But it cannot explain:- why humans have a universal moral grammar
- why we feel guilt even when no one is watching
- why we value truth, justice, beauty
- why we have a sense of “I” that persists over time
So your understanding is close, but the “why” is not just about moral categories—it is about the entire phenomenon of selfhood.
__________
2) Correct. Even if AGI perfectly mimics human behavior, it does not become a bearer of shakhsiyat.
Consciousness is not synonymous with behavior:
A machine can simulate:
- emotions
- empathy
- reasoning
- creativity
- moral language
But simulation is not experience.
Similarly, Shakhsiyat means:
- a real experiencer
- a real chooser
- a real moral agent
- a real bearer of responsibility
AI has none of these. It has:
- no inner life
- no moral intuition
- no free will
- no accountability
- no self that persists through time
It is a pattern‑replicating system, not a self-aware subject. AGI will always lack shakhsiyat because:
- Shaksiyat is not emergent from complexity
- not a product of computation
- not a biological accident
- not a neural pattern
It is a God‑given metaphysical reality tied to human nature. So yes, your conclusion is correct.
_____
3) Mimicking is not same as possessing:
A calculator mimics arithmetic better than humans. That doesn’t make it a mathematician. Similarly, AI can mimic moral behavior, but it cannot be a moral agent.
The purpose of shakhsiyat is:
- moral responsibility
- free will
- accountability before God
- the capacity to love, intend, choose, repent
- the ability to seek meaning and truth
- the ability to be tested
And AI has none of these. Even if AI surpasses humans in:
- IQ
- EQ
- creativity
- reasoning
It still cannot:
- sin
- repent
- intend
- love
- worship
- be accountable
- be rewarded or punished
Because it has no self and The value of shakhsiyat is intrinsic, not functional. Its worth is not in outperforming machines. Its worth is in being:
- a moral being
- a spiritual being
- a responsible being
- a bearer of divine trust (amanah)
Machines can imitate behavior, but not being.
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