Something It Is Like
Dedicated to David J. Chalmers, Philosopher of Mind
Copyright 1997 by Nonjohn All Rights Reserved
There is something it is like to be you.
There is something it is like to be me.
There is something it is like to be alive.
There is something it is like after we die.
There is something it is like to be a dog.
There is something it is like to be a bat.
There is something it is like to be a bee.
There is something it is like to be a thermostat.
There is something it is like to be a pie.
There is something it is like to be a slice.
There is something it is like to be a bite.
There is something it is like to be the spice.
There is something it is like to be a rock.
There is something it is like to be God.
Brief Poetic Analysis of "Something It Is Like"
The first stanza deals with the most familiar forms of consciousness, including that of first-person and second-person perspectives. The first stanza also emphasizes continuity of consciousness from life to death.
The second stanza deals with consciousness in non-human systems, and moves from more complex to less complex systems of consciousness.
The third stanza deals with infinitely-divisible, spatially-distributed aspects of consciousness.
The fourth and final stanza deals with extremes of consciousness from the classical example of a “rock” to “God,” the most complex consciousness, inclusive of all of reality.