What is Consciousness?
March 23, 2009 at 2:59 am
(This post was last modified: March 23, 2009 at 3:02 am by Edward.)
All metaphysics aside, all whacked out new-age theories and wishful-thinking nonsense notwithstanding, what is consciousness?
Look, we know it's real. The existence of this forum proves it. But what is it? Is it self-reflection? I've been thinking that in its purest form, it must simply be self-awareness. But am I missing something?
And here's the real question, do animals produce it or do they receive it? That is, could consciousness be a kind of force similar to the physical forces in the universe?
One other question, hypothetically speaking, if precognition were a real phenomenon, what would that say about consciousness?
I'm stuck on this because it seems to me we won't make to many more strides forward in science or math until we acknowledge consciousness. So far, we just put it to the side and go about our measurements of non-conscious phenomena and never even consider that we must be conscious to make those observations and do the science in the first place.
Is nature trying to become self-aware?
Look, we know it's real. The existence of this forum proves it. But what is it? Is it self-reflection? I've been thinking that in its purest form, it must simply be self-awareness. But am I missing something?
And here's the real question, do animals produce it or do they receive it? That is, could consciousness be a kind of force similar to the physical forces in the universe?
One other question, hypothetically speaking, if precognition were a real phenomenon, what would that say about consciousness?
I'm stuck on this because it seems to me we won't make to many more strides forward in science or math until we acknowledge consciousness. So far, we just put it to the side and go about our measurements of non-conscious phenomena and never even consider that we must be conscious to make those observations and do the science in the first place.
Is nature trying to become self-aware?
