What is an observer? (fedia.io)

submitted 1 month ago by BlueberryAlice@fedia.io to c/philosophy@lemmy.world

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What is an observer?

We have long assumed
that “an observer observes the world.”

But what if—

observation itself is not something we do,
but something that only appears
when certain conditions are met?

Two independent systems
align only at specific moments.

Yet this alignment cannot be explained
by causality, correlation, or measurement.

So who is observing?

Or rather—

does the observer emerge
only when observation becomes possible?

Summary 👇
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19nDAJ_9MgrUFv4Ggyd9yvZIy4YCH9EqSlVOZPr_VuPs/edit?usp=drivesdk

What do you think about this perspective?

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[-] Iconoclast@feddit.uk 1 points 1 month ago

No, I don't think there's such a thing as a self. It's just an illusion. Obviously there's a difference between something happening in my consciousness versus someone else's, so subjectivity is real, but there's no one in the center doing the observing. It's just appearances in consciousness - sounds, sensations, thoughts, feelings... Nothing wills them into existence. They just appear from seemingly nowhere. You can't really think a thought before you think it.

this post was submitted on 12 Apr 2026

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