The Human Consciousness

[cowardly dj]

One of the most interesting things for me about humans is their conscious. It has been a huge debate by some of the ?great minds? and scientists for a long time.


In all the articles I have read about consciousness it seems to always be defined by all scientists as ?"being self-aware?. I on the other hand have formulated my own theory about consciousness.

Being self-aware does not constitute a consciousness as far as it being the only attribute to define it. I am sure that animals are aware they exist to a certain degree.(though I can not prove that it is just my thought)

They eat when hungry, sleep when tired, they know things that is usually attributed to instinct. Instinct to me is just another name for aware that you have needs.

So when I think of consciousness I see it as multi-staged.
1. You are aware that you exist.
2. You are aware that others are aware that you exist.
3. You are aware that others are aware that they are aware that they exist.

Now that may sound funny on paper but give that some thought. We are aware that other people know we exist. Animals do not spend time worrying about their looks in hopes to affect what other people think about hem. We groom ourselves, go on diets, work-out etc. Why? We know other people are aware of us, and want that awareness to be of a nature that will give them a positive awareness of us.

Think about that for a while and then tell me what you think.

[tiddles]

Re: The Human Consciousness

i like thinking about this stuff sometimes. every now and then i try to read Kant's Crititque of Pure Reason. sometimes i get through the 1st 5 pages. heavy shit

[Kamal]

Re: The Human Consciousness

Yes, its the greatest unknown event believed to have happened 50,000 years ago i.e. what caused man to stand upright, start walking around and gain a sense of self consciousness. Surprisingly, there's been some sort of life on this planet for about a billion years and they seemed brain dead for nearly 2,950,000 years

[Huggie Smiles]

Re: The Human Consciousness

mmmmm.........beer.

[toasty]

Re: The Human Consciousness

Animals do not spend time worrying about their looks in hopes to affect what other people think about hem. We groom ourselves, go on diets, work-out etc. Why? We know other people are aware of us, and want that awareness to be of a nature that will give them a positive awareness of us.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

I think awareness, at least as between us and other animals, should be described in terms of a matter of degree. For example, I have a dog at home. He does groom himself (although who knows why), but there is no question in my mind that he cares about what I think of him -- although not in the vanity sense. He is constantly seeking our affection, approval, and praise and will change his behavior accordingly. He also seems acutely aware of our emotions and even our physical condition (e.g., if we're ill), and adjusts his behavior accordingly.

Anyway, the point is that I don't think that awareness or consciousness separates us from animals in a bright-line sort of way -- more looking to the extent of awareness.

[RiseandShine]

Re: The Human Consciousness

this is called body-mind duality. remember "i think therefore I am" (Montaigne)
in addition to this and to explain why you would groom yourself: your representation of yourself could not exist without what other think of you = you think of yourself through the ideas and feedback from others and you reference yourself through your social experiences.
The "i don't care what the others think" idea is good because it pushes you to take decisions but it's a lot of bullshit
on another aspect, just to go the theory line, since (the 80s), there has been a growing interest for "embodiment" which means understanding the body and the mind by looking at their meaning through their experience

[palmer]

Re: The Human Consciousness

Read up on "Omega Point."

[fletcher]

Re: The Human Consciousness

palmer, your avatar absolutely rocks

[cowardly dj]

Re: The Human Consciousness

If you really sit and think, the consiousness is in a realm of its own. It is actually unlike anything else in existence. It consists of pure thought.

Ever wonder where that "voice" in your head comes from. When you think, you can hear youself thinking. It is like you are talking in your mind. That to me is a profound occurance and I think about it alot.

You are talking to yourself inside your mind right now. As you read these words they are "heard" in your mind like with a voice.

As I type them the words come out as I type them. When I get to a word and I lose track of the keyboard I sp-e-ll them out in my head as I type with that inner voice.

It trips me out sometimes.

[floridaorange]

Re: The Human Consciousness

Do you consider yourself a Born Again Christian, Christian Scientist, or non-denom, or other? My conscious is curious.

[cowardly dj]

Re: The Human Consciousness

Do you consider yourself a Born Again Christian, Christian Scientist, or non-denom, or other? My conscious is curious.

Church of Christ non-denom

[palmer]

Re: The Human Consciousness

You are talking to yourself inside your mind right now. As you read these words they are "heard" in your mind like with a voice.

Actually... if you've ever tried to up your wpm one of the things you'll learn is to stop the inner monologue.... . It takes twice as long when you read like that.

[neoee]

Re: The Human Consciousness

I am sure that animals are aware they exist to a certain degree.

I think your wrong. I once read an article in Time which indicated that humans are the *only* ones with highly developed frontal lobes and as a result the *only* species that can contemplate their own deaths. I think this would pretty much define consciousness.