Most people have likely asked "If i could see in the infrared spectrum, what would it look like?" or some similar question involving how to implement additional possibilities in perception. There are three ways to do this.
The first involves manipulating existing senses. Ex. infrared radiation makes its source become tinted a specific color, or compacting the visible spectrum so that everything is blue/red shifted, the new colors are added where room was made in the blue/red region.
The second blends in with the first, but the way it would be interpreted by the person experiencing it would feel very unnatural, though it allows for infinite additional sensory devices.
Use a combination of senses to represent parameters. Ex. The location of the radiation in the field of view is mapped using cartesian coordinates, x being intensity of cold, y feeling more like a brick or a feather, intensity of the radiation being the distance from your elbow to your shoulder. Such an extreme example may not be possible without a complete redesign of a several brain regions, besides, i would much rather have an external display.
This is where things get interesting, creating a new sense. How to describe this? Try to imagine a 4th spatial dimension, its entirely inexplicable to our minds.
People who are born blind are capable of drawing things they imagine, this means at least vision is prefabricated. Considering they evolved much earlier than most mental capacities, its likely all senses are set in such a way. So to add an additional sense would require an implant, probably biological neurons in a horribly difficult to engineer network, perhaps even an entirely new section of the brain.
But what made me start to think of this; For some time ive been having dreams where i can levitate with dexterity. It requires effort or i fall, but after the third or so dream i had learned how to do it with ease. I essentially had learned how to walk, but it is nothing like walking. Since in reality i have no way of levitating at free will, i would think the latter paragraph is wrong.
I know certainly that the consciousness makes use of modules, not necessarily physically. All thoughts can be labeled as a distinct feeling, they're not related, but they are comparable. A physical touch has location on the cortical homonculus, so we may be inclined to say its part of other things that do as well, but thats not true, the feelings of temperature and touch are entirely different, also as color is unrelated to shape. There are various relations between feelings, like colors having an emotion, music making you want to dance, and any abnormal synesthesia (I have auditory synesthesia, the relation makes perfect sense in my head, i wouldve never noticed if not for one day trying to watch the motion of this birds wings and thinking "That sound is rather distracting...wait, why is there sound?").
From what ive observed in my own mind i would say that; The consciousness, essentially you, you being defined as what is responsible for taking data and deciding what to do with it, has access to various modules. Emotion can be quantified as a feeling but also is a part of the consciousness, so i dont know what to do with it. Ill do a diagram. You could also break up the consciousness itself into modules, but thats another topic. Point being you could freely alter any 'feelings' (as im calling them) or perceptions, without affecting your personality. I like to replay music in my head a lot, my consciouness focuses on the respective module while doing that, but if i lost that module i would still be the same person.
So just by considering what it means to feel something, you get into asking how the entire mind works. I dont know enough psychology or neuroscience to go on any further, someone guide this in the right direction?
