What is Consciousness: Definition and 232 Discussions

Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience or awareness of internal and external existence. Despite millennia of analyses, definitions, explanations and debates by philosophers and scientists, consciousness remains puzzling and controversial, being "at once the most familiar and most mysterious aspect of our lives". Perhaps the only widely agreed notion about the topic is the intuition that it exists. Opinions differ about what exactly needs to be studied and explained as consciousness. Sometimes, it is synonymous with the mind, and at other times, an aspect of it. In the past, it was one's "inner life", the world of introspection, of private thought, imagination and volition. Today, it often includes some kind of experience, cognition, feeling or perception. It may be awareness, awareness of awareness, or self-awareness. There might be different levels or orders of consciousness, or different kinds of consciousness, or just one kind with different features. Other questions include whether only humans are conscious, all animals, or even the whole universe. The disparate range of research, notions and speculations raises doubts about whether the right questions are being asked.Examples of the range of descriptions, definitions or explanations are: simple wakefulness, one's sense of selfhood or soul explored by "looking within"; being a metaphorical "stream" of contents, or being a mental state, mental event or mental process of the brain; having phanera or qualia and subjectivity; being the 'something that it is like' to 'have' or 'be' it; being the "inner theatre" or the executive control system of the mind.

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  1. B

    Quantum Consciousness: Hammeroff/Penrose Pioneers + PNAS Photosynthesis Findings

    Hammeroff/Penrose seem to be the two main pioneers of this (apparently radical) idea recently. The main beef against it is that coherence times will be too short under physiological conditions. However, recently, long lived quantum coherence was showed in photosynthesis in a PNAS paper...
  2. C

    CONSCIOUSNESS is similar to energy in the matter

    I have an interesting question, do you think CONSCIOUSNESS is similar to energy in the matter that it cannot be created or destroyed but only borrowed and returned? If a human were to be pronounced dead by medical terms and was preserved cryogenic-ally and woken in the future do you think it...
  3. H

    Is Consciousness actually Information

    If the cells in our body (including brain cells) are replaced every 7 years, then in a sense we should be completely different individuals than we were 7+ years ago. But to us, we sense the sameness in consciousness throughout our life. How can that be? My belief is that it is the...
  4. B

    Consciousness vs Natural Instinct

    I am having trouble deciphering the difference between consciousness and and unconsciousness. If Consciousness is an illusion created by electrical signals that project what we call reality, would this mean if it seased to exisit so would life? and would we lose natural instincts such has...
  5. J

    Argument against computer consciousness

    I was wondering what people think of the following argument against the idea that consciousness is the result of computation. Imagine to the contrary that a computer becomes consciously aware by running a particular program. Let us assume that the program is enclosed in a loop and is run...
  6. I

    Consciousness in the materialist perspective.

    Ok, so I know there's a significant camp of people who: (A) Think that consciousness is physical (by-product of the brain) (B) Think that they have free will, in the sense that the atoms moving around their brain don't necessarily cause their actions, or that consciousness is having a...
  7. A

    Exploring the Link Between Quantum Physics & Consciousness: Why Not?

    Why is it that more physicists aren't looking at possible connections between quantum physics and consciousness like Wolf and Sarfatti ? Seriously... is there no money in it? Not testable? Is it considered career suicide? What is it? Just curious...
  8. F

    Consciousness and Special Relativity?

    The brain is an area of neurophysiology activity. Neurophysiology activity consists of electrochemical reaction. Thus at any given time, the brain state is defined by a subset of electrochemical reactions, derived from a large set of possible reactions. Consider the phenomenon of a conscious...
  9. L

    Consciousness and the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

    Dear participants and visitors of a forum ! By the present moment, very many publications on a subject "Consciousness and the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics" have collected. It, first of all, concerns to "Many-worlds interpretation" and "Bohmian interpretation" ...
  10. P

    Consciousness and time dimension

    IF consciousness is a result of complex physical processes, and could thus be simulated by a hugely complex computer program (which should not be extremely controversial) - WHAT IF the finite execution of the computer program would be presented, not with temporal steps (using the time...
  11. P

    Why consciousness is not reducible to nonconscious things

    What do you think of the following argument about consciousness* (from now on called "C"): ________________________________________________ P1: The only things reductionism reduces, are our own misconceptions. P2: Misconceptions require C. C: To say that C is reducible, is to say that C...
  12. J

    John Hagelin, Ph.D on Consciousness

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrcWntw9juM&feature=related This is a neat video, id be interested to hear what others think.
  13. M

    Medical Quantum Physics, Neuroscience and Consciousness

    http://www-physics.lbl.gov/~stapp/PTRS.pdf Just thought I'd leave this here to start a discussion. Not sure if the thread will need to be moved.
  14. R

    Can there be Artificial Consciousness and Emotion?

    Consciousness has been generally defined as the awareness of one’s self and its surroundings. But as shown from an expert of A Practical Guide to Vibrational Medicine Consciousness can be defined as something more than just “awareness” “Consciousness is not merely a by-product of...
  15. M

    Global Consciousness project

    I wonder if many have actually heard of the Global Consciousness project (GCP). Here is a link to their home page. http://noosphere.princeton.edu One of their aims was to deduce whether human consciousness affected random number generators and apparently, increase in collective...
  16. Z

    We will NEVER fully understand Consciousness because we're PART of it.

    From everything I've studied, I've come to the conclusion that we will never FULLY grasp what it means to be a conscious being, because we are PART of the system. It's like trying to understand the structure of a 'box' when you are inside of the box. You can't know what it looks like unless you...
  17. T

    Further Facts of Consciousness

    "Identity theories" of consciousness generally assert that the physical basis of thought (brains, etc.) is identical with thought. For the more physicalist versions of identity theory there is nothing more to be said: what brains do can be labeled thought/consciousness and that is the end of the...
  18. D

    My definition of consciousness - non recursive

    After watching Smolin’s video yesterday about the “Evolving laws” (thanks Fra) I was not convinced by Smolin, but I found something interesting in his reasoning about the role of “NOW”. I decided to use it in the definition of consciousness. So, Consciousness is an entity which breaks: 1...
  19. P

    Is Consciousness the Key to Understanding the Universe?

    Have you heard of the ideas of Dr. Amit Goswami? His website is www.amitgoswami.org "Goswami is convinced, along with a number of others who subscribe to the same view, that the universe, in order to exist, requires a conscious sentient being to be aware of it. Without an observer, he claims...
  20. K

    Advice for Self-Studying Math and Science

    Edit: Egad! I misspelled the title, fitting. . . uh, make that "Stream" of consciousness. Not to be a bore. . . I have, of late, become rather obsessed with the science(s). (I guess it depends on one's epistemic commitments as to it being physics or a subset, or individual hard sciences.) It...
  21. S

    [Thought experiment] The futility of consciousness and free will

    All right, for arguments sake we shall assume that the neurons of the human central nervous system function in a simplified way, it shall soon become clear that this isn't relevant to the experiment, we shall assume they work as: 1: They receive an electrical charge via one to more inputs 2...
  22. E

    Does Deleting Which Path Data Restore Quantum Interference?

    Hi I'm a complete novice when it comes to Quantum physics, or any physics for that matter, so I hope this isn't a very silly question. I'm currently reading Brian Greens's excellent book "The fabric of the cosmos" and I'm up to chapter 7 Time and Quantum. On pages 195 and 196 and in Figure 7.5...
  23. entropy1

    Determining wether consciousness is required in the double-slit experiment

    Considering the double-slit-experiment version whereby only one electron is fired at once, and a measuring device is placed by one of the slits, which can determine through which slit te electron travels. My question would be: Which case is sufficient to qualify as an observation that will...
  24. F

    Does consciousness go against the laws of physics?

    So the brain and everything in the universe is controlled by set laws that have set solutions right? The brain is mainly controlled by chemical and electrical reactions with amino acids and stuff. So these reactions should have set/predetermined outputs right? Just like how a computer has? Then...
  25. N

    Consciousness and other universes

    Is it possible that all conscious observors occupy different universes? Before you think this is ludicrous, take in mind that everything we experience, we experience within our mind in our own model of the universe. This model has the laws of Physics as they are hardwired into our brain. But...
  26. O

    How does consciousness contribute to evolutionary success?

    I have a small problem I was thinking about earlier.. Evolution is blind and only rewards behavior. Things like reproduction, fitness, and placing the bodyparts in the right place for survival would be rewarded. All beliefs, cognitive faculties etc would be invisible to evolution and its...
  27. A

    Present defined by consciousness

    It seems to me that the "present" is defined by us; conscious observers. Events are like frames on a movie reel. The observer is like the light in a movie projector that defines the present moment as the frame which passes in front of the light. The frames that have passed are the past and...
  28. D

    Bird's and Frog's view, Quantum decoherence and consciousness

    Hi, All As I know quantum reality (bird’s view) is transformed into the world we observe (frog’s view) via the process called quantum decoherence. Based on wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoherence (as I understand it) this is just mathematical result of mapping a quantum reality into a...
  29. C

    It’s about conscience, stupid; not consciousness

    It’s about conscience, stupid; not consciousness Why has the English language not coined a word that speaks to the concept of conscience without the confusion associated with the concept of consciousness? There must be a psychological aspect here. What would Freud say? Freud’s...
  30. M

    Consciousness of Double Slit Observer

    Have any experiments been conducted that explore the state of consciousness of the observer in the double slit experiment? My understanding of the double slit experiment is this. Shoot one photon at a time through a slit and you get a line of light (particle model). Shoot single photons...
  31. G

    Near Death Studies - Consciousness After Death

    Do you guys consider the "research" for consciousness after death 100% bogus? http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Story?id=98447&page=1 http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2002/10/55826 http://www.iands.org/research/important_studies/dr._pim_van_lommel_m.d._continuity_of_consciousness.html
  32. P

    Lingusitics How did early humans think without language?

    Hi all, As I know, we think by language. So before language appeared, how could human beings think? Thanks
  33. M

    Does Occam's Razor favor one consciousness or multiple consciousnesses?

    Is is simpler for you to be the only consciousness in the universe (therefore none of the rest of us are really conscious, we just appear to be so), or is it simpler for all of us to be conscious as well? Also, if the universe contains only one consciousness (and I'm not saying it does), then...
  34. H

    Exploring Consciousness & Unified Field Beyond Human Body

    Hello folks, recently, I have read many articles on Consciousness, Unified field, etc. Authors like John Hogelin, Eckhart Tolle and others agree, that Consciousness and Unified Field is One and that humans can experience , feel this Unified Field when living in Now, or through meditation by...
  35. V

    Consciousness and the measurement problem

    Consciousness and "the measurement problem" Hello All, Just a reminder that I am not a physicist...but for those who closed my thread on power of the mind :-(((( , pleae share your views on this- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness_causes_collapse and this-...
  36. Pythagorean

    Origin of Life and Consciousness - Physical View

    Could one say that the origin of life came about when a set of particles arranged in the right way were tipped into a sort of energy equilibrium that jiggled things back and forth, in obedience to physical laws (modern physical laws of course) And as this interaction of physical laws become...
  37. O

    An omniscient God and consciousness

    When humans think about things, can they think about more than one thing at once? At the exact same moment? Can a human even think that an apple is round AND green at the exact same time? Or does the sensation of green and round happen so tightly together in time that the connection is made...
  38. A

    Is Consciousness a Process Inherent in the Universe?

    I was wondering, seeing as the genome contains all the code that is necessary to building a three-dimensional structure (our brain) and consciousness emerges when a certain critical limit is reached (the complexity of matter), doesn't that mean that the the property of consciousness is intrinsic...
  39. K

    Pain & Consciousness: What is It?

    http://philosophy.uwaterloo.ca/MindDict/substancedualism.html Quote Perhaps the most famous proponent of substance dualism was Descartes, who cashed out the distinction between minds and bodies as follows: Minds are things that think but lack spatial magnitude, and bodies are things that...
  40. V

    Quantum theory, consciousness and existence

    Hi everyone I'm currently readig Bruce Rosenblum & Fred Kuttner's book Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness and studying to be an NLP practitioner as well as practising tai chi. There are lot more parallels in these three areas than I imagined there would be. I have a few...
  41. J

    Passive Consciousness: Exploring the Paradox of Human Decision Making

    Here's a brief explanation of the paradox between consciousness and laws of physics: Suppose there is a consciousness in a human's brains, that makes decisions about what the human does. Since muscles are controlled merely by nervous system, this means that the consciousness must somehow send...
  42. P

    Microbial consciousness, plausible?

    Everyone here knows that science has not figured out how the hell the brain does it, or even if it does it. Some scientists think microbes are conscious, that that they experience something. Here are two quotes from Lynn Margulis: Most peoples first reaction at this idea will be something...
  43. A

    What Are the Chances of the Consciousness Singularity Being Plausible?

    I've read too much about this on the immortality forum and I can't buy the idea... so, I ask you guys, what do you think are the chances of any of that being plausible? To remind you: http://brainmeta.com/index.php?p=singularity "The '''Consciousness Singularity''' refers to a...
  44. O

    Determinism and consciousness

    The truth of the matter is that most people who are into science see the universe as nothing but a blob of evolving energy and matter. They have an innate feeling that nothing conscious or alive controls how the universe works, and also that it has always been like this. In other words the...
  45. U

    Why am I controlling this body? - The mysterys of DNA and consciousness

    Why am I this brain and not another brain, I heard that if a sample of DNA was taken of me and I could be brought back to life in 1000 years it would be a copy of me but I wouldn't actually be me so to speak, Is this correct? Why am I not in control of someone elses body. To quote Richard...
  46. R

    RAD: Inanimate Consciousness: Ghost in the Atom?

    Leibniz proposed his philosophy of monads http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/world/modeur/ph-ryan.htm. Some physicist such as F. David Peat, Nick Herbert and writer Michael Talbot claim that in some sense, inanimate objects such as rocks, water and plasmas contain "consciousness". I know what...
  47. O

    One of those consciousness threads

    Ok so let's have a focused thread on consciousness, both in general and specific areas.. I will propose some questions, and the known speculations on them, along with my personal opinions. First off this is a tough area, one where we don't yet have a solution, so this thread might not give...
  48. T

    Medical Making the Consciousness Singularity a Reality

    Ok, enough wishy-washy fluffy talk of the Consciousness Singularity, how do we do this thing? I want details. No crystalline, chakra, or third-eye nonsense. Just suggestions rooted in hard facts. Here are some concrete ideas for bringing about the Consciousness Singularity: FIRST STEP...
  49. P

    Medical Consciousness exists to make itself unnecessary

    This guy (John Bargh) thinks that consciousness exists to make itself unnecessary: What do u think of this idea? I think it sounds good, except for the part that claims the purpose of consciousness is to make itself unnecessary. It seems more likely to me that the purpose is to make...
  50. P

    Please include a clear and concise title for your post. Thank you.

    Hello, Can consciousness effect material processes, telekinesis style? (mind over matter) There seems to be evidence to suggest that it can; http://www.princeton.edu/~pear/5.html edit by Ivan
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