What is color? We have that our retina is made up of cones and rods, that our cones detect various levels of red, green, and blue wavelengths, and that this information is converted into electro-chemical impulses via neural paths in our brain, yet the question remains: what is color?

Color is not the literal wavelength of light, for that is merely a physical property of a photon. However, how can the same form of electrical signals which process light sense produce a distinct phenomenon from those signals which process interpretation of sound? Thence how can color exist in the brain?

Fundamental Layered Reality is a spanning philosophical conceptualization of reality which attempts to provide a plausible explanation for several of these unanswered questions that yet permeate our exploratory thinking. Fundamental Layered Reality, or FLR for short, is built off of a few axioms similar to those surrounding laws of energy and information, and accepts subjective human experience as evidence under one grand pretext, no experiential account shall be dismissed as false or fraudulent.

Why engage in this philosophy?

Whether you are Christian, Buddhist, Spiritual, Secular, or whatever belief system you hold, FLR has the property of being all inclusive, in that none of these beliefs shall be discounted, and that in some way, shape, or form they are absolutely connected. That said, regard that FLR is itself a belief system, as is any philosophy, and it does not purport itself as superior to any other, rather it is to show perhaps another angle of an already existing belief system. When one has a belief that disagrees with FLR, rather than attempting to argue said belief, FLR should attempt to include, either wholly or partially, said belief in a non-contradictory way. Hence, a partaker in the discussion of FLR should only learn more about other beliefs, versus attempting to discount them. Moreover, a partaker should be open to other beliefs, and should find that if anything, partaking in discourse of FLR should strengthen their currently standing beliefs, and show them more perspectives consistent with their beliefs.

The Core Axioms of Fundamental Layered Reality

1. Existence is at the infinitesimal size which is the fundamental layer of all information
2. Fundamentally all phenomena are an informational state change
3. Information cannot be created nor destroyed, but its state may be converted

We will approach these axioms in further detail in future writings, but for now understand that FLR is built entirely off of these three axioms, and examples will be provided for how some belief systems identify these axioms.

Examples

These examples are in no way complete. Many will hold beliefs that appear to contradict these axioms, and that is expected. However, if you are interested in a discussion about where your specific belief lies next to FLR, please feel free to describe the contradiction you see in the comments below.

Experience

FLR suggests that experience is a phenomenon, hence a conversion of information. Let us take sight for an example: when a photon interacts with the cones on your eyes, information about the photon is apparently lost. In a way, a conversion from analog to digital data has occurred, as your cones do not discretely receive every wavelength on the continuum. Moreover, the result is an electrical signal activated in your neurons, something which holds less information than a photon. Here what we say is lost is the wavelength information of the photon, but FLR suggests that this information is not lost, rather it is merely converted. That conversion is what the experience of seeing color is. Color is the information state resulting from such a conversion. So indeed, the color is existent at the exact location of incidence, your retina. That there is any significance attached to this color has to do with how the brain has mapped the detection of color with various concepts, such as language, memories, and other sensational experiences. The same applies to other senses like sound, smell, taste, and touch.

Phantom Limb Phenomenon

An interesting effect of losing a limb recorded by several amputees is something known as phantom limb, which is where a feeling, often pain, can be felt at the location of the limb, but it is not actually there. According to FLR this should make no sense, right? As the point of incidence is non-existent. However here is applied a constructed concept of FLR: persistent informational structures. The brain produces an informational map of the body over time, such a structure is purely informational fundamentally, and therefore effects the fundamental layer of information. Hence, although the limb may appear to be removed physically, the informational map of its presence has been imprinted into the informational structure which the brain has constructed, and hence the brain may still produce informational phenomenon at the informational point of incidence, thus creating a experiential feeling at that point.

We will discuss in further detail in future readings wherefrom we formulate such concepts like Persistent Information Structures (PIS). For now this is an introduction, and this writing hopes to pique your interest into this philosophy.

God

The idea of a single omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God is one of the most widely held spiritual beliefs in the world, and FLR in no way disagrees. What FLR sees as God exists in the fundamental layer of information, which is a domain many may call heaven, or some derivative. In fact another core concept of FLR is that information may be communicated, and that at the fundamental layer of information, information is communicated and that entity which is this communication is what many call God. For we are all emergent, or created, from this fundamental layer of information. FLR sees existence on several layers, emerging from this fundamental layer. Humankind, for example, exists around the same layer, which can also be seen as the complexity of our informational structure, that we are self contained complex information processing entities, which may be given independence from the fundamental layer of information to act in our own ways.

There is a lot to discuss here, and I will leave much of it in the focus of future writings.

Consciousness

The notion of consciousness is described by FLR as a mapping of information in a persistent state. It is developed over time, but need not have any sort of space-time locality. Consciousness can exist on several layers, and is unique under its structural mapping of information. This mapping is in practicality the communication of information, and so we say that the communication of information of the most fundamental layer of information is consciousness in itself, that the communication of information of the brain is consciousness, and the same applies to intracellular communication and intraspecimen communication. So FLR does suggest some forms of consciousness not so easily accepted in general, such as the consciousness of the cells making up an organism, or the consciousness of a society of organisms. The suggestive reason that these forms of consciousness are often not considered, is due to the overwhelming sensory input the brain is correlated to, such as seeing, hearing, feeling, etc. These senses are experienced at a much higher degree and hence the consciousness associated therewith is often described as the only consciousness.

Conclusion

Fundamental Layered Reality is a dense philosophy, and will take several writings to truly lay out in detail. For many it will seem far out, and too irrelevant in their daily lives to give attention to, or to different from their current beliefs, and this is expected. However, I encourage you to truly ask yourself why you believe in what you do, and to ask yourself what are its axioms? For some of you, this philosophy will hit a certain spiritual nerve, or even scientific nerve, as you may already see connection with quantum phenomenon or information theory. No matter what you believe, I encourage all of you to have an open minded discussion about your beliefs. I also would appreciate any feedback on the writing itself, as I understand it may sound confusing or vague, or not well defined, and I thus encourage you to ask any questions you may have for me regarding the writing.

I look forward to hearing your responses, and writing the second part.