What is consciousness? What is this ineffable, subjective stuff—this thing, substance, process, energy, soul, whatever—that you experience as the sounds and sights of life, as pain or as pleasure, as anger or as the nagging feeling at the back of your head that maybe you’re not meant for this job after all. The question of the nature of consciousness is at the heart of the ancient mind-body problem. How does subjective consciousness relate to the objective universe, to matter and energy?
Consciousness is the only way we experience the world. Without it, you would be like a sleepwalker in a deep, dreamless sleep, acting in the world, speaking, having babies, but without feeling anything. You would feel nothing, nada, nichts, rien. Indeed, in the most famous deduction of Western thought, philosopher and mathematician René Descartes concluded that because he was conscious he existed. That was his only unassailable proof that he wasn’t just a chimera. Maybe he didn’t have the body he thought he had, maybe he had fake memories (premonitions of The Matrix), but because he was conscious he must exist.
Yet the questions go on. Are only people conscious? What about a fetus? What about a neurological patient in a persistent vegetative state, such as Terri Schiavo (who died in 2005), who can’t do much more than open and close her eyes? Although many are willing to accord sentience, consciousness, to our beloved cats and dogs, what about apes, monkeys, whales, mice, bees and all the other critters on the planet? Can a fly be conscious? What about artificial consciousness? Is your cool iPhone sentient? Can machines ever become conscious, as is widely assumed in so many science-fiction novels and movies?
Until recently, these questions were purely within the domain of speculative philosophy and fantasy. But over the past decades, science has been making huge strides in exploring the brain. An immense number of psychological, medical, neurobiological and physical stories about consciousness can now be told. Each Consciousness Redux essay will illuminate one facet of one of the most central, enduring and puzzling aspects of the world, subjective feelings.
I am a scientist who seeks rational explanations of ineffable consciousness and of how and why it arises in the brain. But I also realize that our universe is a strange place; there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in philosophy. So I try to be humble when it comes to one of the most mystifying aspects of this universe—that I wake up each day and find myself conscious, capable of seeing, touching, loving, feeling and remembering. I am not a zombie! Many different traditions besides the modern scientific one have provided answers, and we should not reject them out of hand but listen to them.
Unconscious Influences
As I write these lines, I am flying back from the annual meeting of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness that took place, this year, in Taipei, Taiwan. It’s a gathering of hard-nosed philosophers, neurologists, psychologists and neuroscientists concerned with consciousness. One of its high points is an annual award, named in honor of the father of American psychology. The 2008 William James Prize for Contributions to the Study of Consciousness went to Naotsugu Tsuchiya, a young neurobiologist from the California Institute of Technology. What had he done that caught the attention of the prize committee?
In 2005 Tsuchiya invented a technique, continuous flash suppression, which renders a picture invisible, hiding it from your conscious sight. Yet some part of your brain has access to the image and influences your behavior in untold ways. The way it works is simple. Say Tsuchiya wants to camouflage a picture of an angry male face. With the help of a split computer screen, Tsuchiya projects a faint image of this snarling guy into your left eye. Your right eye sees a rapidly changing set of colored rectangles, one on top of another. If you keep both eyes open, all you see are the ever changing series of colored patches but no angry face. The constantly flickering colors attract your attention in a way that the static portrait does not. As soon as you close your right eye, the face becomes visible. But otherwise you have no inkling that the face is there, even though your left eye has been staring at it for many minutes. You simply do not see it. So what is the big deal?
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12 Comments
Add CommentGreat article, consciousness and the subconscious are some of the most fascinating problems that continue to challenge our greatest thinkers.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm slightly confused about the conclusion, particularly the statement that "this experiment is scary because it seems as if people's sexual orientation could be inferred (statistically) from their unconscious attentional biases."
While profiling people based on their sexual orientation is problematic, I don't know that the root of the problem is their unconscious biases. The result stated in the article seems to suggest to me that people don't have a conscious choice about sexual orientation - it is out of their hands in this way. The real problem is that we might give preference to some sexualities and discriminate against others. If sexual orientation is not a choice - as many people will attest to - then perhaps we should not discriminate on its basis. I see this experiment as offering ammunition to those of us who wish to argue against discrimination and hatred, in this case that which is based on sexual orientation.
@bubblesblue
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf we consider what forms the unconscious thought processes in the first place, we can deduce that our perception of the world around us creates the underlying thinking that assists (and in some cases replaces) the conscious thought process. I wouldn't say that this study implies sexual orientation is out of our control since our consciousness forms our perception, which in turn affects the unconscious. If the conscious is made up of our world view, then our past experiences play a very big part in that makeup.
Where are the references? I appreciate the review of these studies, but some footnotes referencing where these studies were published would be fantastic.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSometimes I am scared by this sort of subconscious...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis article is interesting!
It makes me believe that people's sexual orientation is determined by themselves directly! So... it's natural that some people are gay or lesbian.
P.S. I mean.. not directly
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI dont think this experiment conclusively proves or even addresses the possibility that subconscious tendencies are innate rather than acquired. Salivation is a subconscious bodily function, arguably especially so in animals, yet Pavlov famously proved it can be triggered through conditioning.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt would be interesting to continue this experiment and see if through extensive conscious indulgence in uncontrolled sexual fantasies a person can condition himself to acquire a subconscious predilection for the object of his fantasy. For example, we might flash-suppress the word porn and compare the reflexive reactions of those addicted to pornography to those for whom it has no appeal. We could do something similar to evaluate other types of addictions: gambling, controlled substances, etc. Does the subconscious mind work in the background to fulfill the urgent needs of the conscious mind? If so, is this work done by the subconscious adaptable as needs change?
There are practical applications. This can be useful in measuring the degree to which a convicted pedophile has overcome his attraction for children, to ascertain his suitability for early release or the need for additional incarceration and/or psychological treatment. Treatment methods can be readily evaluated and modified accordingly.
The notion of choice is illusory. Both conscious and subconscious thoughts and actions are reflexive responses to both internal and external stimuli. The only difference between instinctive and non-instinctive responses is that with instincts the neural programs were largely layed out before birth, but with experience-based responses (viz. intelligence) the neurons that mediate the responses have formed their connections after birth based on the organism's experience.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisso, do lesbians just not participate in studies? or are our results too complicated to bullet point?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisit is disheartening to see straight men = x, straight women = y, gay men = y
therefore: some conclusion about human sexuality in which lesbians do not exist
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The Origin of Consciousness.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this================
Descartes said: "I think , therefore I am"
Buddhist monk says "I think not, therefore I am"
==========================
Consciousness is real but nonphyslcal.
Consciousness is connected to physical reality .
================
There are many theories explaining the origin of consciousness.
Here some of them.
1)
"God" "blowing" "consciousness" "into man"
"whom he created from clay"
2)
20 billions years ago all matter (all elementary particles,
all quarks and their girlfriend antiquarks, all kinds of waves:
electromagnetic, gravitational, muons….) –
all was assembled in “singular point”.
Then there was a Big Bang .
Question: when was there consciousness?
a) Before explosion,
b) At the moment of explosion,
c) After the explosion.
It is more probable, that it existed after the explosion.
Then there is a question: what particles (or waves)
were carriers of consciousness?
Mesons, muons, leptons, bosons (W+, W- , Z) ,
quarks, …gluons field ….. ets …?
On this question the Big Bang theory does not give an answer.
But can it be that consciousness was formed as a result
of the interaction of all elementary particles, all waves, all fields?
Then, on the one hand, the reason for the origin of the Big Bang is clear:
everything was mixed, including consciousness, and when it is mixed
then it is possible to construct all and everything.
But on the other hand, it is not clear:
why farmer John can think simply, clearly and logically.
3) Ancient Indian Veda approve, that origination of consciousness
is connected with the existence of spiritual, conscious particles – purusha .
4) Modern physics affirms that the Quantum of light
is a privileged particle as in one cases,
it behave as a particle, and in other case, acts in a way which causes a wave.
How is a particle capable of creating a wave?
The behaviour of Light quanta (dualism ) is explained simply.
A quantum of light has its own initial consciousness.
This consciousness is not rigid, but develops.
The development of consciousness goes
“from vague wish up to a clear thought”.
===================================
Consciousness and the Quantum Physics.
Dualism of consciousness.
The Problem of Knowledge .
Quantum Theory of Consciousness:
Our computer-brain works on a dualistic basis.
Some psychologists compare our consciousness with iceberg.
The small visible part of this iceberg is our consciousness.
And the unseen (underwater) greater part of the
Some psychologists compare our consciousness with iceberg.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe small visible part of this iceberg is our consciousness.
And the unseen (underwater) greater part of the iceberg is
our subconsciousness. Therefore they say, the man uses
only 10% of possibility of his brain.
And if it so, why doesn’t anybody teach us how
to develop our subconsciousness.
I think it is because there are few people who understand
that the processes of subconsciousness are connected
with quantum processes. The subconsciousness theory
closely united with quantum theory.
These quantum processes which take place in lifeless
(inanimate) nature also take place in our brain.
Our brain can be the laboratory in which we can
test the truth of quantum theory.
===== ========
"The conflict between right and wrong is the sickness of the mind"
- Chuang Tzu
The conflict between right and wrong can be explain
by the theory of “Quantum dualism of consciousness” .
===========.
Our computer-brain works on a dualistic basis.
===============.
Brain of a man approximately consists of billions and billions neurons.
All of them form the system that manages human body.
That is why, it is of no wonder, that with the work of all the
sixteen milliards neutrons of brain, a man cannot catch a single impulse of
Electron, Quantum of light, his God:
(mass of electron is equal 10^-31 kg., charge of electron is equal 10^-19 k.)
Quantum of light, Spiritual particle, which had created us, turned out to be under control
of the material existence. However, the spiritual particle aspires to establish its supremacy
over material nature. And the possibilities to reign over material nature are limited.
The expansion of the possibilities of the development of spiritual particle is connected
with the creation of specific (vacuum) conditions. These conditions are reached
as a result of constant religious practice.
To perceive the universe, to perceive the spiritual essence, it is necessary
for the man to take possession of religious practice.
PRACTICE. THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES.
We pray the GOD and we do not realize that HE is inside us.
Each of us carries in him the SPIRITUAL PARTICLE
(QUANTUM OF LIGHT - AN ELECTRON).
But we do not realize that HE is inside us.
Behind the habitual forces of nature there is one force hidden - a spiritual one (h - e).
But ITS action is almost completely disguised with the other forces
(mechanical, electromagnetic, nuclear, chemical and others),
therefore it remains unnoticed in an ordinary processes.
But God never operates outside of natural principles.
There are the processes in which He reveals himself.
Therefore, His disclosing is a technical question.
How can we learn it?
For this purpose it is necessary to create the following effects in our computer-brain:
A). Nonlinear effect
B). Superconducting effect
C). Holographic effect
D). Vacuum effect.
Nobody, except us, can make this technical work.
Only we (by the constant, thin, internal practice) can create conditions for these effects.
This practice has called "a Religious practice".
In this lies an essence of Religion - to establish the communication
of a Human being with his Divine origin.
* * *
Our computer-brain works on a dualistic basis.
In a usual daily life all we do is done logically, under an influence of our feelings.
On the other hand, in a religious practice we learn to perceive and to operate:
1) Without the participation of the sense organs.
2) Without the participation of the logic mental processes.
When these conditions will be created, then the opportunity to operate will be given
to a QUANTUM OF LIGHT (AN ELECTRON), to OUR DIVINE ESSENCE.
We will acquire new forces, new abilities.
Once again.
An electron's mass is 10^-28gr . The size is 10^-13sm. A charge is 10^-19k .
With these characteristics it is hard for IT to appear.
Therefore it is clear, why we don't know IT in our ordinary life.
ITS cognition is achieved by a very hard, thin and laborious work.
This work demands of a person to be devoted to it.
=========================
Light quanta and consciousness / subconsciousness.
========================.
What is connection between light quanta and thought ?
Thought works by neurons interacting in our brain.
Thought is a program creating from combinations
of millions and millions neurons. So we must understand
the connection between light quanta and neurons in our brain.
Before to understand the connection between light quanta and brain
we must know what light quanta is , how brain works and then the
interaction between them.
My opinion.
1.
What is light quanta?
In wikipedia you can write:
It ( QED ) describes some aspects of how electrons, positrons and photons interact.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_ele...
But on my opinion the QED+SRT describe that an “electron, positron
and photon” are one particle – Light Quanta - in different conditions.
2.
Everybody knows that human brain works on two levels:
consciousness and subconsciousness. The neurons of brain
create these two levels. So, that it means consciousness and
subconsciousness from physical point of view ( interaction
between billions and billions neurons ). It can only mean
that the state of neurons in these two situations is different.
How to understand these different states of neurons.
3.
Every neutron has its own electric impulse.
a)
In the state of consciousness all milliards neutrons of brain create an
electromagnetic field , some program of the body’s behavior.
In this situation it is impossible to realize the power of light quanta.
b)
In the state of subconsciousness all milliards neutrons of the brain
stop their electric impulse and Light Quanta/Electron in this new
condition (superconductivity) has possibility to change old and create
new program of person behavior.
4.
And what is about the speed of Light quanta and thought?
a)
In the state of consciousness when the thought ( person reaction)
runs across the chains of milliards neutrons the speed of thought is
more less then speed of light quanta.
b)
In the state of subconsciousness then all milliards neutrons of
the brain stop their electric impulse the situation is different.
Free Light quanta can realize its power. The realization is going
with the speed c>1.
=====================...
#
Same Soul, Many Bodies:
Discover the Healing Power of Future Lives
through Progression Therapy (Paperback)
by Brian L. Weiss (Author) "EACH OF US IS IMMORTAL..."
http://www.amazon.com/Same-Soul-Many-Bodies-Progression/dp/0743264347/ref=tag_tdp_sv_edpp_i/104-6916870-9115928
=============================.
Best wishes.
Israel Sadovnik. / Socratus.
http://www.socratus.com
http://www.wbabin.net
http://www.wbabin.net/comments/sadovnik.htm
http://www.wbabin.net/physics/sadovnik.pdf
A subject I've been fascinated with for years. The more you know about it, the more questions it triggers.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFascinating article! Fascinating experiments! But somehow the heart of the matter still seems to elude: I suspect that the tools heing used are not quite adequate for the study of the 'brain-mind complex'. (The experiments do seem to provide some useful 'leads', but not sufficient of exploration of the brain-mind complex.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'd suggest that the works of Professor John N. Warfield into complexity in systems (and how we can cope with it) do provide us the practical means to help us more effectively explore human consciousness. More information about Warfield's seminal contributions is available at http://www.jnwarfield.com and from the "John N. Warfield Collection" of books, papers and presentations held at the library of George Mason University, Fairfax, VA (check out: http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/gmu/vifgm00008.tp).
-- GSC