What exactly is consciousness?

[oslove]

I like to introduce you guys to the what I consider to be the most immediately comprehensible idea of what is consciousness, namely, one word - awareness.

The opposite of awareness is unconsciousness.

There, do you guys now know what is consciousness?

Next, there are two kinds of consciousness or awareness, namely:

1. Active awareness or consciousness, i.e. that by which you can do something while you are conscious, for examples, you are conscious and aware that you are thirsty, so you drink something to quench your thirst, or you hear some noise so you go to find out what is making the noise.

2. Passive consciousness or awareness, it is to be aware but not being able to re-act to whatever you are conscious or aware of, for example you are feeling heat  in your body, but you are not able to do anything about it because you are paralyzed.

Lesson to be learned: man's existence as man is to be conscious or man's consciousness is his existence.

You can be alive but not existing because you are not conscious.

When you lost consciousness you have ceased to exist, when you if ever return to consciousness, then you have returned to existence.

Christians believe in resurrection from death i.e. from non-existence or unconsciousness to existence or consciousness; Hindus believe in reincarnation, that means return to consciousness hence to existence.

What they should find out is whether they when they get resurrected or reincarnated, will they get to know their identity?

 

[papageorge1]

4 hours ago, oslove said:

 

When you lost consciousness you have ceased to exist, when you if ever return to consciousness, then you have returned to existence.

 

 

But I believe a person can be unconscious at the physical level but still conscious at the spirit/astral level (as in the Near Death Experience). I don't think it is correct to then say the unconscious person ceases to exist. Consciousness in the spiritual view is eternal as it can not be created or destroyed. 

[lightly]

On April 13, 2021 at 11:43 AM, papageorge1 said:

But what experiences the illusion?

Our Being ?   (and our consciousness)  I think maybe there is our physical consciousness, a function of our brains,  And also,  our non-physical Being , in which our true awareness and life force resides .?   (I dunno, just wonder)  A plant  (or simple animal life)  has no brain,or consciousness , it doesn't need to think...yet it is aware ,in a way, of it's surroundings and reacts and responds accordingly.  It has life. It has Being.   I wonder if consciousness is above our surface ..and Being is without 'surface'.  ??

just a thought .  

 

 

  

Edited May 16, 2021 by lightly

[+Hammerclaw]

Consciousness is the interaction of a self-aware, sentient, thinking brain with it's environment and it's corporal self, through gestalt sensory input.

[psyche101]

On 4/14/2021 at 10:41 AM, papageorge1 said:

How does a bunch of atoms experience as a collective single consciousness? There’s a hard problem to still answer.

The mental workshop. Learn something about it.

[+Hammerclaw]

[oslove]

On 5/16/2021 at 9:43 PM, papageorge1 said:

But I believe a person can be unconscious at the physical level but still conscious at the spirit/astral level (as in the Near Death Experience). I don't think it is correct to then say the unconscious person ceases to exist. Consciousness in the spiritual view is eternal as it can not be created or destroyed. 

 

In which case he was conscious with the passive kind of consciousness, namely, not being able to re-act to what he was conscious of, because he was paralyzed but still capable of storing in his memory what he was aware or conscious of, that is why he could relate upon coming to active consciousness his memory of his conscious experience while in the state of apparent death.

I read that subjects of near death experience also report that they had the illusion or hallucination of being in a tunnel, and seeking to move to the tunnel's end from which there was a bright light coming from the outside.

For religiously minded persons, there was no hell nor heaven nor Catholic purgatory 'sighting' while in near death experience.

Would I be relieved or disappointed if ever I should encounter a near death experience?

 

 

 

[papageorge1]

8 hours ago, oslove said:

 

In which case he was conscious with the passive kind of consciousness, namely, not being able to re-act to what he was conscious of, because he was paralyzed but still capable of storing in his memory what he was aware or conscious of, that is why he could relate upon coming to active consciousness his memory of his conscious experience while in the state of apparent death.

 

I would not call the Near Death Experience a 'passive kind of consciousness'. I would say it is actually a more alive consciousness without going through the dense and clunky physical body the consciousness is lighter and freer as reported. As this experience often occurs when no higher brain functioning is occurring, I even doubt the memory is being stored in the physical brain. This raises questions about 'what is consciousness' and 'how does memory work'. 

 

[oslove]

4 hours ago, papageorge1 said:

I would not call the Near Death Experience a 'passive kind of consciousness'. I would say it is actually a more alive consciousness without going through the dense and clunky physical body the consciousness is lighter and freer as reported. As this experience often occurs when no higher brain functioning is occurring, I even doubt the memory is being stored in the physical brain. This raises questions about 'what is consciousness' and 'how does memory work'. 

 

 

It's been enjoyable to write my thinking in this thread, though it takes time and labor.

I keep noticing that I and also others want to and care to share their opinions on issues, but to what purpose when being correct or right or more informed here, it does not count at all in the way of solving the problem of the present pandemic of Covid-19, or stop the killing going on between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

I have been to many net forums, most of the time to ask atheists what they know about God.

From my own part, at present I see God to be the permanent self-existent cause of man and the universe and everything transient, i.e. with a beginning and an ending.

At this point atheists will accuse me of trying to convert them back to their Christian faith, etc. etc. etc.

So, what does it serve for me and atheists to 'win' their or my argument pro God with me and against God with them, there is still the pandemic of Covid-19 and the Palestinians and the Israelis are still killing each other.

 

[papageorge1]

5 minutes ago, oslove said:

 

It's been enjoyable to write my thinking in this thread, though it takes time and labor.

I keep noticing that I and also others want to and care to share their opinions on issues, but to what purpose when being correct or right or more informed here, it does not count at all in the way of solving the problem of the present pandemic of Covid-19, or stop the killing going on between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

I have been to many net forums, most of the time to ask atheists what they know about God.

From my own part, at present I see God to be the permanent self-existent cause of man and the universe and everything transient, i.e. with a beginning and an ending.

At this point atheists will accuse me of trying to convert them back to their Christian faith, etc. etc. etc.

So, what does it serve for me and atheists to 'win' their or my argument pro God with me and against God with them, there is still the pandemic of Covid-19 and the Palestinians and the Israelis are still killing each other.

 

That answer was 'different'.

As for me there will always be various problems in the world but I am still fascinated with issues like God and consciousness. I have a philosophical bent.

Anyway, have a nice day.

[psyche101]

3 hours ago, oslove said:

 

It's been enjoyable to write my thinking in this thread, though it takes time and labor.

I keep noticing that I and also others want to and care to share their opinions on issues, but to what purpose when being correct or right or more informed here, it does not count at all in the way of solving the problem of the present pandemic of Covid-19, or stop the killing going on between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

I have been to many net forums, most of the time to ask atheists what they know about God.

From my own part, at present I see God to be the permanent self-existent cause of man and the universe and everything transient, i.e. with a beginning and an ending.

At this point atheists will accuse me of trying to convert them back to their Christian faith, etc. etc. etc.

So, what does it serve for me and atheists to 'win' their or my argument pro God with me and against God with them, there is still the pandemic of Covid-19 and the Palestinians and the Israelis are still killing each other.

 

As an Atheist I don't give a rodents rectum about what you say or who you are trying to convince of what. You clearly are not a stable minded person, you are incredibly rude and you have no sense of discussion. All you talk about is your first cause fantasy. 

Nobody is accusing you of trying to change anyone. You're arguments and views are simply not good enough to take note of. Just old one track religious rhetoric. Nobody cares what you think. 

[+joc]

6 hours ago, oslove said:

there is still the pandemic of Covid-19 and the Palestinians and the Israelis are still killing each other.

Synthesizing........

Covid 19 kills people...people kill each other...

Something kills everything...everything dies.  Everything that lives dies and everything that dies lives.  It all works.  Es no problema Senor.