A. B. Blohm Writes

Introduction 

Consciousness is assumed to be the most basic human function, shared by all people regardless of background. Despite this, the mystery of consciousness remains the subject of much debate. What does it mean to be conscious? Are plants and animals conscious? If not, what makes humans so special? The goal of this essay is to explain the origin of consciousness, what consciousness is, what it means to be conscious, and where the psychology of consciousness is projected to go.

Etymology

The word conscious was first documented in the late 1500s by the martyrologist John Foxe. The word is derived from the Latin conscius, meaning to be aware of one’s surroundings.

What is Consciousness?

Consciousness is an exceedingly difficult term to define, as many argue that the experience of consciousness is subjective, alongside the philosophical “hard problem” of consciousness. However, a simple definition is that consciousness is everything you experience (Koch, 2018). This includes the taste of your morning coffee, the jingle of a song stuck in your head, and the ever-flowing stream of thoughts in your mind.

The experience of these different sensations is called qualia (Koch, 2018).

The Origin of Consciousness

The question of consciousness first arose with Aristotle, who believed humans had two forms of consciousness: the logical and rational, and the wild, animalistic consciousness (Blackmore, 2018). A few hundred years later, Christians argued that the human soul, and therefore consciousness, is a level above that of animals. In more modern times, it is believed that human consciousness evolved around 200 million years ago (Blackmore, 2018).

Muniz (2016) explains that philosopher and psychologist Julian Jaynes argued that human consciousness evolved much later—after the time of the Homeric legends—and that individuals experienced “the voice of the gods” rather than their own internal monologue.

Jaynes further argues that the evolution of human consciousness, aided by language and writing, developed into the bicameral mind as we know it today (Muniz, 2016).

What Does It Mean to Be Conscious?

Consciousness is normally broken into two forms: higher-level consciousness and lower-level consciousness (Fedotov & Baidyuk, 2022). Fedotov and Baidyuk (2022) state that human consciousness begins at birth and stems from experiencing different forms of stimuli. Through these experiences, we can associate objects with their objective and subjective properties, which over time leads to higher-order thinking.

But how do objective experiences lead to subjective experiences? Blackmore (2018) notes that there are two main beliefs: one, that consciousness is a special, additional capacity that only humans have evolved; and two, that consciousness is simply brain activity shared with other creatures. This raises the question of whether animals are conscious.

Muniz (2016) explains that animals do not have conscious experiences in the same way humans do. If we set aside anthropocentric views, it is clear that many creatures have a form of consciousness but lack the ability to reason about their own experiences.

The consciousness that animals experience is an example of lower-level consciousness, which mainly focuses on autonomic processes such as breathing, blinking, or feeling pain.

Other States of Consciousness

One form of consciousness is the unconscious. Sleepwalking is a perfect example to explain how the unconscious relates to the conscious. Strate (2016) states, “Sleepwalking occurs when the unconscious mind takes over the body, but sleepwalking is also a metaphor. Being asleep symbolizes a lack of awareness and attentiveness. Along these lines, consciousness can be associated with our ability to actively think about phenomena, pay attention to our surroundings, and respond to stimuli from our environment. It is a state of being alert and mindful.”

This is another way of saying the unconscious consists of suppressed but always present thoughts—thoughts we may not even know we have. Sigmund Freud believed the unconscious actively engages in information processing and cognition. When the unconscious becomes conscious, the individual enters an altered state of consciousness (Strate, 2016).

Another altered state of consciousness can be seen in people with psychological disorders. Strate (2016) explains, “Autistic individuals are characterized by mind blindness, his way of referring to the failure to develop theory of mind. They do not see others as having minds like their own and have relatively little or no self-consciousness.”

This does not mean they are unable to respond to qualia or be cognitively aware of the world around them, but they respond in ways different from the average individual. This suggests that individuals with certain mental disorders are still conscious, but in an altered state.

The Future of the Study of Consciousness

The human mind is made up of series of neurons that carry messages between different brain regions. This is not too different from how a computer works, which transmits signals through relays, wires, and microchips. These similarities raise questions about what it means to be conscious and how artificial intelligence will impact our understanding of consciousness.

By our modern definition, computers would seem unable to become fully conscious. Muniz (2016) states, “In fact, they can solve any problem in a logical formula. However, computers cannot perform more functions than those performed by the brain of an animal. What happens here is that the brain has the properties of a biological organ.” Koch (2016) adds to this argument, stating, “A sophisticated simulation of a human brain running on a digital computer cannot be conscious—even if it can speak in a manner indistinguishable from a human being. Just as simulating the massive gravitational attraction of a black hole does not actually deform spacetime around the computer implementing the astrophysical code, programming for consciousness will never create a conscious computer. Consciousness cannot be computed: it must be built into the structure of the system.”

In other words, despite similarities between the human mind and machines’ ability to learn, machines can never gain sentience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, consciousness is an exceedingly difficult subject to study and analyze due to the philosophical hard problem of consciousness. However, with our current understanding, we can categorize and explain much of the world around us and how we experience it.

In this essay, I discussed the Latin roots of the term conscious and its origin. I explored the question “What is consciousness?”—how we experience the world and respond to qualia. I traced the origins of consciousness study from Aristotle, through the Homeric legends, to the modern-day bicameral mind. I examined what it means to be conscious by dividing consciousness into higher-level and lower-level forms, and how animals might experience consciousness. Next, I discussed altered states of consciousness and how people experience them. Finally, I considered the future of consciousness study and how artificial intelligence and large language models might influence our understanding.

References 

Koch, C. (2018). What Is Consciousness? Scientific American, 318(6), 60–64. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0618-60 

Blackmore, S. (2018). Decoding the puzzle of human consciousness: the hardest problem. Scientific American, 319(3), 48–53. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=6595642 

Fedotov, S. A., & Baidyuk, E. V. (2022). Communication as the origin of Consciousness. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 57(1), 20–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-022-09686-4 

Muniz, R. (2016, April). The study of consciousness: current status. [Review of The study of consciousness: current status.]. International Review of Psychiatry. http://www.tandfonline.com/ 

Strate, L. (2016). The Future of Consciousness [Review of The Future of Consciousness]. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 71(1), 33–54.