Oct 21, 2026 03:10 PM
Wondering last night in bed how morning light can wake up an unconscious body.
Seems like it would have to be conscious to be stimulated by light. But maybe not. Sensory perception doesn't exactly shut off when we go to sleep. The body can still sense when it needs to shift itself during the night and even intelligently does so. The body can also somehow sleepwalk, feeling its way around and reactively walking where it seems to want to go. And getting cold at night will wake us up and make us pull up the blanket.
Maybe this all goes to show that the sentience of the body and its ability to be stimulated and to respond intelligently is quite independent of our being conscious. It appears physical reality makes itself present sensually even without being conceived as existing by our conscious minds. In sleep apparently sentience and consciousness go their separate ways, the subjective body sequestered in its non-conscious void and the subjective mind sequestered in its non-sensory dream state. It is the dawning light that mercifully signals their loving reunion.
Seems like it would have to be conscious to be stimulated by light. But maybe not. Sensory perception doesn't exactly shut off when we go to sleep. The body can still sense when it needs to shift itself during the night and even intelligently does so. The body can also somehow sleepwalk, feeling its way around and reactively walking where it seems to want to go. And getting cold at night will wake us up and make us pull up the blanket.
Maybe this all goes to show that the sentience of the body and its ability to be stimulated and to respond intelligently is quite independent of our being conscious. It appears physical reality makes itself present sensually even without being conceived as existing by our conscious minds. In sleep apparently sentience and consciousness go their separate ways, the subjective body sequestered in its non-conscious void and the subjective mind sequestered in its non-sensory dream state. It is the dawning light that mercifully signals their loving reunion.