The Phenomenal Hyperspace: A Study of the Dimensional and Spatio-temporal Structures of Phenomenal Space and Binding

The paper argues that understanding how distributed brain events bind together into unified conscious experience requires examining the dimensional structure of phenomenal space. It proposes that phenomenal space and consciousness appear beyond empirical observation because they involve a fourth spatial dimension. A transcendence principle of detection (TPD) is introduced: transcendent degrees of freedom in an n+1 dimension are necessary for experiencing an n-dimensionally extended physical structure as an n-dimensionally extended phenomenal structure. The three-dimensional phenomenal structure of human experience is postulated to be the first-person outcome of three-dimensional neurophysical structures monitored at a fourth spatial dimension.

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Abstract

The dimensional structure of phenomenal space and its relation to the brain have not been widely focused on in brain and consciousness studies. This paper postulates that focusing on the dimensional structures displayed in the relation between phenomenal space and the brain is necessary for understanding the integration of distributed brain events in binding. A related issue is why items and events of phenomenal space and consciousness as they appear in experience seem to be beyond the reach of natural scientific empirical observation. The proposed solution to these issues is postulated to require a fourth spatial dimension. A transcendence principle of detection (TPD) is introduced, which states that transcendent degrees of freedom of an n+1 dimension are a necessary condition for experiencing or detecting an n-dimensionally extended physical structure as an n-dimensionally extended phenomenal structure. It is postulated that the phenomenal outcome of binding, i.e. the threedimensionally distributed and extended phenomenal structure of human experience, is the expected first-person outcome of threedimensionally distributed neurophysical structures being monitored at the domain of a fourth spatial dimension.