Is the Mind Merely Material?

A camera cannot take a picture of itself unless it happens to be taken by the use of a mirror. In such a case, the mirror must reflect the light image of the camera back to the camera in order for the camera to get a picture of itself.

By the same token, the brain cannot register an image of itself unless it projects a consciousness outside of itself which will reflect an objective picture of the brain back to itself. Is such a consciousness spiritual or merely physical?

The film inside the camera must rely on the reflected light image in order to capture a picture of the camera. Both light and mirrors are physical objects.

But is this true of a consciousness projected by the brain? Similar to film in a camera, the power to capture the reflected image of the brain inheres in the consciousness projected by the brain. Consciousness captures the image, not the brain.

But how can one know about this projected consciousness unless one is conscious of it? Since images adhere to consciousness alone, then consciousness must possess the innate power to project another consciousness by means of which it is conscious of itself. This provides the basis of self-consciousness. But in order for one to know that one is self-conscious, one must project another consciousness, and in order to know that, still another. If the finite mind had the requisite power, this process could go on to infinity.

This begs the question: Is infinity real or an illusion? Infinity must be real, otherwise, we could have no consciousness of it. One may object that we can be conscious of many things which are illusions. Strictly speaking, this is not true. The truth is that we cannot be conscious of anything except that which is real. All illusions are merely false combinations of real things gleaned from experience. All true combinations are real. This means that consciousness must be that very necessary power of the universe that causes its objects to be real whether physical or abstract. 

Is infinity a false combination or a true one? Infinity must be real because it encompasses everything of which we can be conscious, as well as everything of which we are not conscious but could be, as well as all possibilities.

Since we can be conscious of information, then it has to be real. Information cannot be material. Consciousness recognizes that information adheres to the arrangement of objects, such as letters, and not to the objects themselves. A message within an arrangement cannot be a material thing.

Since consciousness of infinity must be a part of infinity, and every part of infinity has to be equal to the whole, then Infinite Information must be real. Since Infinite Information must be real, then so must an Infinite Mind.