Consciousness is the state or quality of awareness, or, of being aware of an external object or something within oneself. It has been defined as: sentience, awareness, subjectivity, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind.

Human self-understanding changes with time, and so also human consciousness deepens.

--- Pope Francis

The human consciousness is really homogeneous. There is no complete forgetting, even in death.

--- D. H. Lawrence

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjfaoe847qQ

Hi Raja,

ad 2 - I advocate a new approach called "The Consciousness System". Thus not only neurons are a basis but as well the sense organs and parts of the brain that carry thoughts, emotions, reasoning etc., in one word the human mind.

ad 4 - There is something called Artificial Consciousness, that would be what computers could have as some sort of an equivalent of consciousness. AI on the other hand tries to implement parts of the mind. Thus the mind and consciousness are different entities.

ad 5 - strange question ;-) - are you referring to concepts such as enlightenment? I would say for the individual there may be nothing "behind", for humanity it is nature that is behind. Consciousness is part of nature, not only human nature. I claim that consciousness belongs to the first principles because without consciousness there would be almost nothing, at least no observer to take note of it.

ad 6 - difficult to say. This kind of question inspired probably Luc Besson in his movie "Lucy". I doubt that his kind of idea is the answer though. I would say that full awareness is the answer. Meditation shows that awareness may grow, when learning to be fully aware in the present moment. People who do not know meditation may be preoccupied by their mind and think they perceive something that actually didn´t happen or they may focus on one thing and miss more important things that are available.

Cheers

Hans

In considering question 1, "Is consciousness the sole right & property associated with human brain only?", the following link might be useful:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_consciousness

Dear Raja N A Khan,

Look the links. May be useful.

http://disinfo.com/2013/08/how-the-human-brain-creates-consciousness/

https://www.quora.com/Is-consciousness-an-emergent-property-of-the-brain-or-a-fundamental-property-of-matter

Regards, Shafagat

Dear all,

Consciousness is not specific to the human brain, it is the capability of all creatures of nature that have life. Every life is innately conscious of the environment in which it is in, it senses when danger or good is around. It is through consciousness that all creatures survive, adjust themselves for a situation of today or to the challenges of the future, defend it self or attack. But there is a level or degree of consciousness, from elementary or simple consciousness to hyper or super consciousness, the latter being that of a human being. 

However AI can be seemingly equipped with some elementary level of quasi consciousness and do things we want them to do more effectively in that capability but  still that capability is not innate but  based on data/information  computation through algorithms that are built in the system, unlike the human consciousness, conscious of self and outside of us, as far as our imagination takes us across the universe with no input data and without data crunching. Machines are not even conscious of themselves and will not be conscious of their environment without input data and processing algorithms.    

Dear All

Thanks a lot for very nice and helpful contribution along brain storming. 

What are the Basics of Consciousness in Universe ?

Hope the answers of other fellow researchers will continue to add for further deep down diversity of understanding.

Many thanks 

Regards,

Raja

Consciousness can be a resultant of an Integrated Systematic Approach (ISA) for designing and combination of fundamental forces & powers etc ?

We all are born initially with the observation of our Eyes & Mind & to passage of time .Our mind remains energy forces with our brain ,with our inner urge & divinity within us joining with our conscious mind which may help us to recall whenever we desire .

With the same time our memory ,Intelligent ,achievement of the knowledge ,our divinity force within us not the same for every human being as it is also the resulting fruits of our past action of previous lives .

In this line i have my presentation under the captioned '' Brain Power'' which i feel it may result with the relevance of the question & as such i take liberty to submit herewith the same for your perusal & also our valued readers 

What is consciousness? Confidence in the interpretation of Descartes? I belong to those who define consciousness as perception of a human being and the resulting behaviors. The sensation, the mental processing for no one is available except for the people themselves.

Thanks for asking

Michael Lersow

Hi Napoleon,

your denial of the role of the brain goes too far. The brain plays an extraordinarily important role for human consciousness. Even though we do not know where phenomenal consciousness is located, we know much about our sense organs and the parts of the brain they are related to. If any of these parts gets impaired the respective function of consciousness suffers.

I have been involved in major efforts to define consciousness and to bring different theories together. This brought me to suggest a new term called the "Consciousness System". Applying that a number of questions disappear, because we address what we know by specific terms, and leave other parts of the consciousness system to such terms as phenomenal consiousness, of which we also know a lot, but e.g. not its location, physical substrate or mechanisms. We just know about it from using introspection and other methods that are intersubjective.

Cheers

Hans

Just for all of you, who may not be aware that Consciousness Science exists: there is a huge effort since the last few decades, involving thousands of colleagues around the globe.

Check out our scientific organisation called ASSC and their publication, as well as the Journal of consciousness studies and The Science of Consciousness, a conference that is offered each year alternating between Tucson, Arizona and another location that changes and rotates to various countries. That is just a very small part of what is going on, but certainly a good starting point.

Science has its ways and the basic way is to look first what has been seriously done on this topic. Do a research on how many scientific articles address consciousness.

So no need for everyone to invent the wheel...

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308494227_Consciousness_is_Quantum_Computed_Beyond_the_Limits_of_the_Brain_A_Perspective_Conceived_from_Cases_Studied_for_Hydranencephaly

Hi Hans,

I have no doubt that a Consciousness Science exists, but my feelings come and go with and without science. One can analyze and assign behaviors and also influence, but all this does not affect the inner feelings of a human being. One must distinguish between the general rules of conduct and individual. These often differ extremely in this particular case, what only proves that you could not generalize feelings.

Have a good day

Michael Lersow

Thanks for the invitation. Regarding the first question, there is an interesting quote:

'Mind is consciousness which has put on limitations. You are originally unlimited and perfect. Later you take on limitations and become the mind.'

-Ramana Maharshi

Dear Raja,

I agree with Subhash that consciousness is the awareness of a subject. (I would not include resultant behaviour which is merely our evidence for the awareness.) Sub hash gives various levels of sophistication of awareness and the answers to questions about consciousness will vary according to which level you are interested in. There may be awarenesses that do not include a concept of self.

I also agree with Michael that the only awareness we can ever confirm directly is the one here now for 'me'. So all answers to your questions are speculations based on reasonable extrapolations. That is not unusual in science but we need to recognise it.

I think your question 2 is the most interesting. What we ought to be able to do is to pin down the extent of the structure that has this awareness, assuming it is not just here and now but occurs in similar instances in other heads or even elsewhere. As Descartes was able to deduce, the aware structure does not seem to be the whole body (liver and toenails are not involved) or indeed the whole brain, because we know much of the brain is involved in output (motor cortex) or co-ordination (cerebellum). Descartes was wrong about the pineal but he was almost certainly right to guess that an aware subject is a dynamic unit associated with a very small part of the brain that receives signals about the world and does not function simply by collisions between lumps of matter.

Descartes's key mistake was probably to assume that there is only one aware unit in a brain at a time. We have no reason to think that. So, with modern neurobiology, the obvious candidate for an aware unit is some dynamic unit associated with the receiving domain of an individual neuron. No other structure has an input that signifies patterns in the world so it is likely that the neuron is the only relevant structural unit for the actual awareness, although the content of the awareness will depend on the complex processing int he brain.

I vey much doubt that anything in a computer has awareness similar to ours because there are not units with the complex sorts of inputs that neurons have. So I would forget about AI. Intelligence and consciousness are very different concepts.

Dear Raja,

Doctors opinion is that reticular formation in the middle of brainstem collects signals from different body organs and send impulses to cortex causing arousal. Consciousness in different systems of knowledge takes different meanings and perspectives. Your enquiry about particles is very interesting. From a religious point of view, I have reasons to believe that particles have also some kind of awareness. I am not sure what science is telling about this point. I believe that maximum level of consciousness can be reached through sincere praying. I think that prophets got maximum levels of consciousness. Psychological sports like yoga and meditation improves consciousness and self control of humans. I believe telepathy is a fact. Also mothers having a special kind of consciousness towards her children is another point to think of.

Hi Napoleon,

you state that it were an erroneous assumption that the brain generates consciousness. Now there are many definitions of consciousness. If you have a look at my project about consciousness and ontology, you see somewhat how I want to bypass some of the difficulties in terminology.

Also you bring up the idea of creation, which is highly problematic.

So if you now say that the brain is very important, we may be less apart in our views.

Still the brain generates consciousness, definitely, no error possible, in as much the brain is responsible for the content of what we consciously experience. Take the brain out of the equation, just for arguments sake. What would be left to experience?

As this is a rethorical question you must want to address a different aspect of consciousness without clearly saying which one.

You wanted me to read you post again attentively. So I have to come up with your embarrassing idea that the brain may (not) be involved with the creation of the brain...

In a scientfic context the idea of a creation of brains is basically banned because we know that brains have evolved.

Cheers

Hans

World is a multi-dimensional reality. At lower level it is full with unconsciousness and competitiveness. At higher level it is full with beauty, bliss and divinity. Focus on higher dimensions. ― Amit Ray, Walking the Path of Compassion

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308494227_Consciousness_is_Quantum_Computed_Beyond_the_Limits_of_the_Brain_A_Perspective_Conceived_from_Cases_Studied_for_Hydranencephaly

Article Consciousness is Quantum Computed Beyond the Limits of the B...

Thanks for your invitation. In my experience -living with two sides of brain working along alll my life, I think consciousness is yes  a kind of connection of both sides , frequently represented by brain and hart, so when they get a conection in a higher level, out of our own body, (the quantum level?) as a solution about any idea, so they build a new energy -the consciousness- that push  (adrenaline?) to take a good action for ourselfs and for others. I hope this answer make sense.. Regards

All archaeological, geological, anthropological and biological evidence suggests that at some point in the evolution of life arose sensitive matter and reactive phenomena and environmental stimuli (unicellular and multicellular organisms), as a result of "chance and the need "arose (evolved) a structure with one or more cells sensitive to extreme environmental phenomena (now called neuron); continuing with the effect of chance, trial and error and successful experiments of nature, a more complex structure, group of cells formed in a complex multicellular organism also an elementary nervous system arose.

Finally, with a great evolutionary leap, we vertebrate species animals, spine and skull and inside, spinal cord and brain, respectively.

Again another great evolutionary leap and we have to pre-human anthropoid or probably a tree shrew as ancestors of ancient man and modern man, Homo sapiens. At the present time the man lives on earth with other non-human living beings, which are higher vertebrates and have central nervous system (brain) and peripheral (spinal cord and nerves).

After this long preamble necessary to justify and substantiate an emergent property in humans and apparently a result of complex interaction of group general neurons specialized to perceive and process large amounts of information, which translated into ideas and thoughts, they generated Basic Consciousness Human.

Consciousness, transcendental ability of Homo sapiens, is what allows realizing our separate I of nature, and learn from these phenomena to live and survive in nature but not mimicked her, even more a product of learning, to intervene and modify their environment protection and food for him, for his descendants and for their peers.

A more evolved once, he learned that he had inner life (feelings, emotions, ideas, thoughts and ability to transmit them to their peers through a language or dialect elemental (emergence of human communication.). And so, millennium after millennium, we today the world organized continents, regions, countries, towns and cities, institutions, societies, culture, traditions, morals, values, ethical principles and norms / rules of human coexistence.

All this product of the superior capabilities of the human being, called Intelligence and Consciousness. After the result of inter-acting in such capacity, operation is as Art, Ethics, Morals, Law, Policy arises; in short, the humanities, and also Science and Technology, with all further developments in this, we are indispensable to civilized, harmonious, warm and quality life in contemporary society.

A Biophysical of relativistic and quantum physics l level, we understand the complex workings at the molecular and elementary particles of our neurons and synapses level, organized in networks within the Central Nervous System (brain, cerebellum, pons and medulla oblongata) and System peripheral nervous (spinal cord, nerve roots and peripheral nerves and visceral).

Certainly this Biophysical level and Relativistic Quantum, you can understand the functioning of the nervous system, particularly the brain and its creations in the form of knowledge and technology in the scientific field; or spiritual, religious and artistic experiences of the humanities. But despite everything, we could not directly measure the Consciousness, if anything only at the level of sleep, wakefulness and coma.

Finally, there are basic and experimental scientific evidence that certain higher non-human vertebrates, have learning ability, feelings and emotions, apart from Consciousness, much like the human being. In this regard, see works like "The Intelligence of the Brutes" and those who think and feel the animals, the latter work of Carl Safina [ "Beyon Words" What animals Thinks and feel "] Edit ..New York. Williams Morrows 2016.

Greetings to all.

Todas las evidencias arqueológicas, geológicas, antropológicas y biológicas, indican que en algún momento de la evolución de la vida, surgió la materia sensible y reactiva a los fenómenos y estímulos del medio ambiente (organismos unicelulares y pluricelulares), por efecto del "azar y la necesidad", surgió (evolucionó) una estructura con una o más células sensibles en extremo a los fenómenos ambientales (ahora la llamamos neurona); siguiendo con el efecto del azar, el ensayo y error y experimentos afortunados de la naturaleza, surgió una estructura más compleja, conjunto de células que conformaron en un organismo pluricelular también complejo, un sistema nervioso elemental.

Finalmente y con un gran salto evolutivo, llegamos a las especies de animales vertebrados, con columna y cráneo y en su interior, médula espinal y cerebro, respectivamente.

Nuevamente otro gran salto evolutivo y ya tenemos a los antropoides pre-humanos o probablemente una musaraña arbórea como antepasados del hombre antiguo y el hombre actual, el Homo sapiens. En la época actual el hombre convive en la tierra con otros seres vivos no humanos, que son vertebrados superiores y que tienen sistema nervioso central (cerebro) y periférico (médula espinal y nervios).

Después de este largo preámbulo necesario para justificar y fundamentar una propiedad emergente en el ser humano y aparentemente resultado de interacción compleja de grupo de neuronas generales especializadas en percibir y procesar gran cantidad de información, la cual traducida en ideas y pensamientos, generaron la consciencia básica del humano. 

La Consciencia, capacidad trascendental del Homo sapiens, es la que permite percatarnos de nuestro Yo separado de la naturaleza, y aprender de dichos fenómenos para vivir y sobrevivir dentro de la naturaleza pero no mimetizado a ella, aún más producto del aprendizaje, a intervenir y modificar a su medio ambiente para protección y comida para él, para sus descendientes y para sus semejantes. 

Una vez más evolucionado, aprendió que tenía vida interior (sentimientos, emociones, ideas, pensamientos y capacidad para trasmitirlos a sus semejantes por medio de un lenguaje o dialecto elemental (surgimiento de la comunicación humana). Y así, milenio tras milenio, llegamos a la actualidad del mundo organizado en continentes, regiones, países, pueblos y ciudades; Instituciones, sociedades, cultura, tradiciones, moral, valores, principios éticos y normas/ reglas de convivencia humana.

Todo ello producto de las capacidades superiores del ser humano, llamadas Inteligencia y Consciencia. Después, el resultado del funcionamiento inter-actuante de dichas capacidades, es como surge el Arte, la Ética, la Moral, el Derecho, las Políticas; en suma, las Humanidades, y además, la Ciencia y la Tecnología, con todos los desarrollos ulteriores que en el presente, nos son indispensables para la vida civilizada, armónica, cálida y con calidad, en la sociedad contemporánea.

A nivel Biofísico de la Física Relativista y Física Cuántica, entendemos el funcionamiento complejo a nivel molecular y de las partículas elementales de nuestras neuronas y sinápsis, organizadas en redes dentro del Sistema Nervioso Central (Cerebro, cerebelo, protuberancia y bulbo raquídeo) y en Sistema Nervioso Periférico (Médula espinal, raíces nerviosas y nervios viscerales y periféricos).

Por cierto que a este nivel Biofísico, Relativista y Cuántico, se puede entender el funcionamiento del Sistema Nervioso, en particular el Cerebro y sus creaciones en forma de conocimientos y tecnología en el terreno científico; o vivencias espirituales, religiosas y artísticas de las humanidades. Pero pese a todo, no hemos podido medir directamente la Consciencia, si acaso sólo a nivel de Sueño, Vigilia y Estado de Coma.

Finalmente, existen evidencias científicas básicas y experimentales que ciertos vertebrados superiores no humanos, tienen capacidad de aprendizaje, sentimientos y emociones, amén de Consciencia, muy parecida a la del ser humano. Al respecto, ver obras como "La Inteligencia de los Brutos" y los que piensan y sienten los animales, ésta última obra de Carl Safina ["Beyon Words" What animals thinks and feel" ] (Lo que piensan y sienten los animales) Edit..New York. Williams Morrows 2016.

Saludos a todos.

It is a good question for Dalai-lama!

Take a look at my latest article on this issue. It's in the e-journal "Animal Sentience" and can be accessed here. 

http://animalstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1124&context=animsent