(no subject)

[novapsyche]

So... what is consciousness?

Comments

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

I'm personally rather fond of the quantum theory of consciousness presented by Stuart Hameroff and Roger Penrose.

http://www.quantumconsciousness.org/

[sarahmichigan.livejournal.com]

I think it's related to, but different, than self-awareness.

Let me think about it some more. Hmmm...

[davehogg.livejournal.com]

The ability to interact with your surroundings, not just respond to them.

[redivivus-fate.livejournal.com]

don't even get me started. :)

[padpedpladuk.livejournal.com]

Consciousness is a highly controlled and coordinated flame.

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

Isn't responding to something a type of interaction?

[mr-quackenbush.livejournal.com]

the question conceals a grammatical error and conflates concepts which ought not be conflated.

[davehogg.livejournal.com]

You can have involuntary responses - flinching from a pinprick or the like. Interaction implies something more voluntary.

[j-brannan.livejournal.com]

that's an easy one.

it's the state of mind between beers.

:-P

[droid-1.livejournal.com]

That's as opposed to being unconcious. No, wait...

Being able to make decisions...

Being awake...

If one is concious of what one is doing then one remembers what one did, so it obviously has to do with memory...

But seriously, there's this weird thing your mind does when you're thinking about something, it repeats whatever it is over like a delay loop, providing time, or a longer time for that thing to be "observed" by the mind, so that the thing can be remembered. Memory requires a certain amount of time be spent on whatever is being remembered. Memory requires time to form. So when you're concious, you have your "loopback" tape going.
In dreams you don't remember most things you think, because the tape isn't going.

I think maybe actively processing incoming sensory data for the purpose of acting on whatever is necessary to be acted on. Such as an approaching tiger, for instance.

[tmbgman.livejournal.com]

Consciousness is the ability to say no.