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Consciousness is the essence of being aware and to realize the world around us. It is the window through which we understand our environment emotionally, artistically, scientifically, and spiritually. It is the state of awareness of an external object or something within the self. It is the ability to feel, to experience and a sense of selfhood at any given period.
Philosophers have studied the mind for centuries but have not been able to fully grasp the phenomenon of consciousness. Neuroscience in the recent years has made strides into understanding how the mind works. Here are some theories:
Cogito ergo sumThe 17th-century philosopher Rene Descartes proposed this theory that translates to “I think therefore I am.” It goes on to say that the mere act of doubting your own existence is enough proof of the reality of your own mind — there must be a thinking entity for there to be this though in the first place. It is not an easy concept to grasp, though.
Researchers have been investigating for the last two decades to discover the specific neurons responsible for conscious experience. They have discovered an area of the brain that acts as an on/off switch. This area called claustrum can be electrically activated to instantly turn on the individual to consciousness and back to unconsciousness.
This theory was developed by the Neuroscientist Giulio Tononi. He theorizes that consciousness starts with the integrated information, working backward from here can help understand the physical processes giving rise to the phenomenon. It says that consciousness is an integration of a wide variety of information and the experience cannot be reduced. What you experience happens fully. The brain weaves a lot of complex information from many sensory systems and cognitive processes.
This theory suggests that consciousness operates more like a computer memory which can bring up retained memory even after the experience has passed. The stored memory can be sent to other parts of the brain, and this act of broadcasting information is what represents consciousness.
Even though science has not been able to explain how consciousness originates, we all know it originates from the brain. The how is what no one knows till today, how a subjective consciousness can come from an objective matter.
I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.
It is an evolutionary advantage to help distinguish between self and non-self so as to increase survival chances. To anticipate the actions and expectations of others
This is the assumption that others have a mind since man can only assess the existence of their mind by introspection since no one has access to another’s mind. It is base on reciprocal social interaction observed in others and the understanding the emotions and actions of the other. Through this theory, one can attribute mental states of the other person and understand them.
It is an innate potential in primates like humans that needs social experience over many years to develop fully. Different people develop different levels of theory of the mind hence the varying levels of empathy.
In simple terms, it means putting yourself in another person’s shoes, seeing the world from their perspective and acknowledging that they have a different viewpoint from your own.
As identified by Simon Baron-Cohen, infants understand attention in others as early as seven months. This is a critical precursor to developing theory if mind. They already know that seeing is a form of attention when directed at them taking into account the other person’s mental state.
Daniel Dennett defined the intentional stance as an understanding that the other person’s actions are goal-oriented arising from specific beliefs or desires. At the age of 2 to 3, the toddler can discriminate intention and accidental actions. The ability of the infant to imitate another person lies in the theory of mind and some other social-cognitive abilities like empathy.
Around age 2-5 when children are learning a language, they also develop the theory of mind hence it being closely intertwined with language according to a meta-analysis by Milligan, Astington, & Dack, (2007). Children must learn the meaning of words while denoting the mental states of the speaker, therefore, facilitating the development of the theory of mind.
Being aware and being conscious are two different concepts even though the words may seem to mean the same thing.
Being aware is a sense of our physical perception; it is a physical-related expression, being aware of reality due to the five sensations, knowledge and cognitive abilities.
Being conscious, on the other hand, is a state of awareness where the physical world obstructs no more. It has a lot to do with spiritual interactions. One has to be aware before to be conscious.
Knowledge makes one aware of the world realities which in turn make you conscious. Humans make good decisions when aware but make better decisions when conscious.
We are the cosmos made conscious and life is the means by which the universe understands itself.
Collective consciousness refers to a social phenomenon or characteristics made by individuals acting as a group. It can then be referred to as collective decisions, collective efforts and so on. It is the values, attitudes, and beliefs of a group defining how things are to be done. It transcends individuals but bids the group socially. Collective consciousness originated when man began to live in groups. According to the philosopher of science, John Locke, in the beginning, the behavior of man was governed by rationality and reason and not by the courts, police, and other legal institutions. No individual had power over the other. The offended party had right over the offender and could either kill the offender or keep him as a slave.
With the growth of groups, there was the need to form institutions like family, property, money, and slavery, therefore, eliminating the laws of nature.
Other than these early groups, today people form groups for various reasons including:
GroupthinkIt is a model of thinking that individuals engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive group. The desire for harmony in the given group results in deviant or incorrect decision-making.
It goes on to suggest that when in groups the views of individuals are more likely to shift to the extremes. The risk tends to be less while in groups that how they look when the decisions are made individually. Since the view is held by many like-minded people, it tends to look less dangerous than when an individual thinks of it alone.
DeindividuationIt simply means the loss of one’s individuality and becomes lost in the group. The individual will go along with whatever the group decides whether it is rioting, cyberbullying or even lynching. Individuals experience a sense of anonymity while in the group.
These three illustrations go to show that even though our consciousness was designed by evolution, the culture we find ourselves in keeps redesigning it.
The first three levels focus on an individual’s personal interest, the satisfaction of physiological needs including security, safety, emotional needs for love and belonging and the need to feel good about themselves through developing self-pride and a positive self-esteem.
The fourth level focuses on transformation, the learning how to manage, master, and release the subconscious fear-based beliefs that keep us anchored at the lower levels of consciousness. In this stage, we develop a sense of personal authority and a voice. We have learned how to master deficiency needs and can let go of the need to identify with a social environment.
The upper three levels focus on the need to find meaning and purpose to life. These are actualization through making a difference in the world, self-less living, and learning how to become our own self-witness. In these stages, we develop an inner compass and become trusting of other since most of the fears are gone.
Consciousness is the state of being aware of an external object or something within. It is the ability to feel, to experience and having a sense of selfhood.
Higher consciousness, on the other hand, is the consciousness of a higher self or God, something bigger than our ego-self. It is the part of humans that can transcend animal instincts.
Each human evolves and grows in consciousness in clearly defined stages, each stage focusing on a particular existential need. The seven stages conform to the human ability of the individual to satisfy their needs at a given stage in growth and development.
Consciousness is only possible through change; change is only possible through movement.
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