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.

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. U

    On alien abduction, grays, and consciousness

    Hello, I'm new to this part of the forum and thought it might be fun to poke a stick into the hornet's nest (so to speak). Lot's of folks have alien abduction stories to tell, and lots of these stories have unsettling similarities. Some of these similarities are the apparent ability of...
  2. P

    Is consciousness completely unpredictable?

    In the material universe we know, through science we have discovered all kinds of natural laws. But suppose we discovered that consciousness itself is more fundamental than matter, or that consciousness can exist independantly from the physical. I have heard people say that science would...
  3. P

    Does consciousness have a size?

    Does our consciousness have a size? If so, what size would that be? If not, does that mean that it is everywhere or nowhere(nonlocal)?
  4. T

    The Illusion of Continuity: Is Consciousness Just a Series of Discrete Flashes?

    I'm sure this has already been discussed before, so feel free to provide a link to past discussions. What if a person is annihilated, and then an EXACT replica of him is created. Since it's exact, the new person should have the same memories as the old one. So would being annihilated and...
  5. V

    Consciousness as an active part in modern physics

    Hi,after some PM discussion that went into this direction and a short check, I want to persent here a summary of some of the ideas involved concerning a link between the consciously experienced subjective world and physics. First of all, it is probably interesting to find out the controversy...
  6. C

    Medical EM fields: a plausible correlate of consciousness?

    http://www.surrey.ac.uk/qe/pdfs/cemi_theory_paper.pdf I approached this initially with extreme skepticism, especially since it seemed impossible considering the myriad em fields we're immersed in without any perceptible effect on our consciousness, but I ultimately walked away viewing this...
  7. Q_Goest

    Tools for Consciousness, Control Volumes

    This thread contains section 2 and part of section 1 of a 5 section paper I'm writing regarding consciousness. Section 2 is intended to create a more general theory around something used in engineering called "control volumes". I've also included part of section 1, the abstract, to provide a...
  8. G

    How consciousness propagates through time

    I have worked on this and would like some feedback. Sorry if the thread does not match the quality standards of this forum. This is my second attempt, and if it don't work just drop a message that I'll delete it ASAP or move it to a proper forum. Thank you for anyone that will take the time for...
  9. T

    Consciousness, Determinism and the Many Worlds view

    There are a few threads about determinism here and a few about interpretations of quantum mechanics, so I thought I'd start one that combines them. Determinism is nicely defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy as: Ref: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/determinism-causal/"...
  10. P

    Medical Moving consciousness inside the brain

    Is it possible to move ones own consciousness inside the brain? For example is it possible to move it to the left or right a little bit, or to the back, or even down the brainstem?
  11. Loren Booda

    Exploring the Boundaries of Consciousness

    What is beyond consciousness?
  12. M

    Can physics fully explain consciousness?

    Does modern physics need to expand its current ontology to cater for the existence of qualia and consciousness, or is it possible that these phenomena could be explained entirely within our current physical framework of matter, energy, space and time (or possibly strings)?
  13. L

    Do I have a future? The ever-changing nature of consciousness.

    We don't know what part of the brain experiences events (I think). it probably goes throgh change, as other parts of the brain do (neurons move, make connections, change things). The question is: will my awareness change in such a way that my future experiences will be experienced by another...
  14. C

    Mysticism and the epistemology of consciousness

    Note: This post has been split off from this thread. -hypnagogue ------ Your principle objection seems to be to the knowledge claims of mystics and meditators. It's a reasonable objection, and one I made for about forty years, but it does not hold up to analysis. This is because those...
  15. H

    Chapter 13: The Consciousness Hypothesis

    Having constructed a new theory of causation that culminated with the introduction of the Central Thesis in chapter 12, we are in position to offer a promising new account of what human consciousness is and what causal relationships it shares with the physical. Recall the definition of the...
  16. N

    Expansion of Consciousness

    Expansion of Consciousness ( from http://brainmeta.com/index.php?q=expanding-consciousness ) We are the Universe conscious of Itself Introduction The evolution and expansion of consciousness is inevitable. With the expansion of consciousness comes new ways of seeing reality...
  17. N

    Collcetive consciousness and collective pray(for Sceptic,Ivan and others)

    1.I don't know if you have heard about this,but scientists supposedly tested thousand people who prayed in church for minimizing crime in Detroit(I think it was Detroit or some other city).The supposed result was that has been minimized for about 20% to 52% in each part of the city. Does this...
  18. R

    QM & Consciousness: Feynman's Unanswered Questions

    The universe is quantum mechanically. But no one understands quantum mechanics, as Feynman put it. On the one hand the pivotal role and accuracy of QM in describing nature. On the other hand the inability to interpret QM (1. quantum reality- what is a superposed state? 2. measurement problem-...
  19. R

    Exploring Consciousness: From Atoms to Inanimate Objects

    Since my brain is made of atoms I question as to whether atoms are conscious, at least in the brain but possibly even in inanimate objects, possibly varying levels of self awareness.
  20. F

    How are consciousness and energy related?

    I just read this and I wondered about it How are consciousness and energy related? We have three options: (1) Consciousness is a physical form of energy (even if it is very, very subtle energy); (2) Consciousness is a non-physical form of energy; (3) Consciousness is not any form of...
  21. A

    Exploring the Mystery of Consciousness: Why Am I Born This Way?

    I have a few questions that had been bothering me the past few days. First off, why am I born with this particular consciousness and why am i born this "way" as oppose to an infinite other possibilities? Is it because this is how the chemicals in my brain happened to arranged itself out of all...
  22. B

    Unlocking the Mystery of Consciousness: Electrical Impulses in the Brain

    how can a seires of electical imoulses in the brain generate consiusness
  23. P

    Implications of a single consciousness

    I have brought this discussion over from the thread discussing Chapter 7 of "A Place for Consciousness". I think it would. First of all, we aren't really sure how we act naturally in the world. I happen to think that we act the way we do because we are vehicles being driven by a consciousness...
  24. S

    Do aliens experience consciousness like humans?

    In defining consciousness as it relates to humans, is it reasonable to assume that extra terrestrial life having evolved to an equivalent or higher state will interact with the physical universe in the same way, put simply do you think aliens think/experience like us on a deeper level ?
  25. S

    Non-Human Consciousness: Exploring First-Person Experience

    I wanted to see if any of you had thoughts on the following: our feelings and emotions appear to be markers of old evolutionary imperatives (fight, flee, eat, etc.). The mind/body debate in philosophy got started before evolutionary theory was accepted (Descartes evidently thought animals were...
  26. S

    Does Consciousness Have Non-Causal Properties?

    If the physical world is causally closed, then there is a physical reason we talk about something called "consciousness." Any claims we might make that it can't be physically explained become somewhat outlandish, since the reason we make these claims can be. But even if the physical isn't...
  27. S

    The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological Approach

    The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological Approach, by Christof Koch "Product Description: Consciousness is one of science’s last great unsolved mysteries. How can the salty taste and crunchy texture of potato chips, the unmistakable smell of dogs after they have been in the rain, or...
  28. H

    Chapter 1: A Place for Consciousness

    In this opening chapter, Rosenberg touches on what phenomenal consciousness is and the philosophical problems it poses, and proceeds to develop a sketch of how his conceptual framework will place it within the natural order. What is phenomenal consciousness (also known as p-consciousness...
  29. S

    Self-reference and consciousness

    This is only a fragment of an idea, but I thought I'd post it to see if anyone else had thought about this and had anything interesting to contribute. We are parts of the universe, and we observe it. This is a kind of self-reference. Other examples of self-reference include those typically...
  30. Ivan Seeking

    Medical Consciousness And The Voices Of The Mind

    http://www.julianjaynes.org/pdf/jaynes_mind.pdf
  31. S

    What is the Hard Problem of Consciousness & Why is It Difficult?

    what exactly is the hard problem of consciousness? why is it hard?
  32. D

    What is the relationship between consciousness and the objects we are aware of?

    Having recently read a chapter of a book entitled "Consciousness and Its Objects", i have run into some confusion. The article in its most basic form questions what we are conscious of when we are, well, conscious. It continues to state that we are conscious of ideas which we acquire through...
  33. P

    Revisiting the Origin of Consciousness: A Cognitive Scientist's Perspective

    I am starting this thread because the other one with regard to consciousness is so long that I doubt I would be able to interject what my researches have found nor do I have time to read through all of it. Recently I read a book named The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the...
  34. R

    Nonlocality and consciousness

    I originally posted this under philosophy and someone suggested I go here though it may be a little speculative for some but here goes. I don't know how widely accepted in the physics community nonlocality is. From the double-slit experiment and Aspect's results it seems that nonlocality...
  35. Esnas

    Can Human Consciousness Fundamentally Change?

    Since the evolution of homo sapiens it appears that there have been some shifts in human consciousness. There have been shifts from a consciousness of hunting and gathering to the eventual consciousness that gave rise to agricultural societies. From this we have rise to our present industrial...
  36. R

    Nonlocality and consciousness

    I don't know how widely accepted in the physics community nonlocality is. From the double-slit experiment and Aspect's results it seems that nonlocality seems to be a true attribute of the world around us. This being the case, if subatomic particles are "nonlocal" then so is my brain and...
  37. honestrosewater

    Facing Up to the Problems of Facing Up to the Problems of Consciousness

    Facing Up to the Problems of "Facing Up to the Problems of Consciousness" These are actually just problems I have which may be resolved with some clarification- I just couldn't resist that title. (Yes, I know, I'm SO original. :rolleyes: ) BTW I ended up asking more questions than I intended...
  38. H

    Group reading/discussion of A Place for Consciousness

    Group reading/discussion of "A Place for Consciousness" The purpose of this poll is to gauge forum interest in a group reading and discussion of Gregg Rosenberg's newly released book, A Place for Consciousness. I propose this endeavor because I believe the work is genuinely important enough...
  39. B

    Exploring the Universe: A Journey Through Space, Time and Consciousness

    Here's something I wrote, comment on whatever portions you'd like, I tried to put everything into one piece. Imagine the Universe right before the Big Bang. A small perfect sphere of energy. This ball then explodes, sending trillions and trillions of small particles out into nothingness...
  40. R

    Consciousness and the Periodic Table

    The only thing we know is conscious - ourselves - is a lifeform based on carbon, which is in group 4 of the Periodic Table.Silicon is too.Since silicon is found in computers this raises an intriguing possibility that computers could experience emotions and colours and sounds and so on.Silicon...
  41. Ivan Seeking

    Is Global Consciousness Connected? Investigating the GCP and its EGG Anomalies

    http://noosphere.princeton.edu/story.html http://www.boundaryinstitute.org/articles/EGG_Salad.pdf also see: http://www.boundaryinstitute.org/randomness.htm http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2320/is_3_65/ai_83262438
  42. A

    The Unification of Forces: Exploring the Physics of Consciousness

    If everything happening around us can be explained scientifically, then surely, the way we behave need also to be explained. Do we understand the physics behind consciousness.
  43. R

    Time vs. Consciousness: Exploring the Nature of Reality and Our Perception of It

    Do we experience the passage of time or the advance of consciousness - are we passively experiencing the universe or actively creating it?
  44. P

    Randomness/coincidence & consciousness

    coincidence & consciousness I was thinking that if you knew all information about the Big Bang, then you would be able to, with a powerful enough computer, calculate the future(you could calculate every action of every particle and the result of it on all other particles, till the end of...
  45. Loren Booda

    How are degrees of consciousness ordered?

    How well does the following represent an ordering for degrees of consciousness? 1. Being 2. Sensation 3. Action 4. Observation 5. Interpretation 6. Intercommunication 7. Participation
  46. E

    Stages in life of consciousness?

    Using the commonly believed logic that animals have "less" of a consciousness than a human if none at all, is it reasonable to assume that while our brains are still developing at an early age (up until about 16?), we were perhaps "less" conscious as kids as we are now? I've really thought...
  47. R

    Is Consciousness Just the Result of Electrical Activity in Our Brains?

    Consciousness: we know it occurs when there is electrical activity in our brains, but what is this thing "consciousness" that is associated with electrical activity? When we are asleep and unconscious we are not aware of space or time. So consciousness involves awareness of space and time...
  48. V

    Is consciousness a material phenomena?

    Or does it exist outside the physical universe? This is a little old, but it seems there’s a lot of confusion surrounding this topic. Not only that but it seems consciousness has only been brought back into science since quantum mechanics was introduced. Wasn’t sure where to post this so...
  49. P

    Human Consciousness Stored in Computer?

    Suppose I store all information related to my consciousness or mind - memory, personality, IQ level, knowledge, and etc. - into a computer (when we've that kind of tecnology, of course). Now this data is equivilant to everything of me. Then I give this computer a body for it to move and excecute...
  50. Les Sleeth

    An Empirical Inductive Method.Applied to a Panpsychism Model of Consciousness

    AN EMPIRICAL INDUCTIVE METHOD Metaphysics in philosophy has always had a big problem: evidence. The approach in the past was to assume facts a priori, and then for discussions to proceed rationalistically. Most thinkers now understand that with logic alone we discover little about the...
Back
Top