Philosopher on Consciousness?

Posted on September 20, 2007
Filed Under Society, Consciousness |

I came across a video the other day over at Steve Pavlina’s site (the video is at the bottom of this post, for those interested in viewing it). Although the video is from 2003, it is very interesting because it highlights how the academia view consciousness. It seems in the pursuit to identify consciousness, they have gotten it muddled up with awareness. Now I totally concede that quite often these things come down to how people associate with and define their words. That said, I think the issue here is very clear. As I have said countless times - people associate their thoughts with their consciousness. Likewise people also associate their senses with their consciousness.

What am I saying consciousness is then? Well I wouldn’t like to define it, because it isn’t that easily defined. But you can get an idea of what it is quite clearly for yourself. A rock is not conscious, it certainly exists but it doesn’t experience that existence. A tree or a plant exists - but do they experience that existence? As plants are alive - I would say yes, they do experience existence, albeit in a very different manner to us. Then we have animals, these certainly experience their existence, so now we can ask the question; ‘What is their degree of awareness of their experience of existing?’

That degree of awareness will range from animal to animal. Look at a sheep or a cow and that awareness seems pretty dull. Compare it to a dog or a cat though and there is certainly some sort of aware ’spark’ there.

So we could loosely say, Consciousness is the experience of existing.

Whilst awareness is the interpretation, knowledge and understanding of that experience. Our awareness is built on our many senses; hearing, taste, sight, touch, smell, thought, emotion etc. These senses allow us to interpret both our environment and our consciousness and then relate them to each other.

It is completely understandable to me, that someone would believe their consciousness to be their senses. Just as it is understandable that someone would believe that it is their thoughts that interpret these senses. But the truth is, people who are lacking a specific sense (blind or deaf etc.), generally aren’t considered to be less conscious are they? Their senses - or lack there of - effect their awareness and little more. It’s interesting at one point in the video Professor Dan Dennett muses on a picture of a thought bubble filled with text and images - and considers this to be a stream of consciousness. If you define consciousness as sense interpretation - then that would be true. Personally I view it as a stream of thought.

He goes to display illusions which fool the senses, claiming this says something about our consciousness. Keep this sense and thought trickery in mind as you watch and listen to him. He is very good with using his words and gestures to sway a crowd.