The Hint of Consciousness
What if you are more than a collection of cells and molecules?
Describe the image.
What do you think the artist is saying or questioning?
What is consciousness?
In simplest terms, consciousness is an awareness of ourselves: our existence, sensations, thoughts, and surroundings. There are many unanswered questions about consciousness, chief among them: where is it and what sort of a substance is it? Is “mind” a physical thing—a part of the brain? Or is it a non-physical entity—something like soul? Those who believe humans are a composite of the material and immaterial (body + soul, mind + matter) are called “dualists.” Those who do not believe in a dual nature are called materialists.
Would you say you are a materialist or a dualist? Why?
Among evidence for an immaterial nature are the following: An enduring sense of self, a unified experience of reality, a personal identity (I am an I), the immaterial nature of thought, a free will, dreams and imagination feel untethered to the body, and loss of bodily parts or function does not lead to a loss of identity.
Is there anything you would add to this list?
Can consciousness be explained by science?
The topic of consciousness is complicated, with many implications about birth and death, neuroscience, philosophy, and religion. Philosophers and theologians have written and speculated on this from antiquity, most saying that God gives consciousness. Until recently, scientists have been reluctant to jump into the discussion. Dr. Julian Musolino, a cognitive scientist at Rutgers University, and author of The Soul Fallacy, says that scientists approach this problem in three ways. The first is that we will never understand, “The Hard Problem” (https://appliedsentience.com/2014/08/26/the-soul-fallacy-an-interview-with-psychology-professor-julien-musolino/). This view suggests that humans are simply unable to comprehend consciousness much like an armadillo is not equipped to understand math. The second way is to say that eventually we will grow to understand it. There is a lot of research in physics, biology, and mathematics underway to try to explain and understand it. The third way is to deny it is a problem and the question will eventually go away.
Do any of these views make sense to you?
Spiritual and Philosophical Questions
Consciousness raises intriguing questions, not just for science but philosophy and religion. Here are two:
1. People are intrigued with the idea of consciousness because it is linked with the idea of free will. Free will is the ability to choose freely between different possible courses of action. If the biological brain—not a mind or soul—is the sole source of consciousness, then are people responsible for their actions?
What do you think?
If a person is not responsible for their actions what are the implications for society and human relationships?
2. The topic of consciousness also leads people to ask what happens to a person when they die? Is there life after death if our consciousness resides only in our brains? Religions have a dualistic perspective—that people are both material and immaterial. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity believe consciousness is connected to a God-given soul, which lives on after death and will be reunited with the body at the final resurrection. Hinduism and Buddhism believe the soul enters another body after death (reincarnation).
What do you think happens when you die?