> [!infobox] <s class="aside-in"><em>mentioned in 30 topics, 22 evergreens, 10 sources</em></s> #### <s class="topic-title">[[consciousness]]</s> Consciousness is: - the sense that you are living - the sense that you are leading a [[human experience]] - [[perception]] or observation of your thoughts - sentience or awareness of internal and external existence > [!wikipedia]- What is agreed about [consciousness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness)? > > Despite millennia of analyses, definitions, explanations and debates by philosophers and scientists, consciousness remains puzzling and controversial, being "at once the most familiar and [also the] most mysterious aspect of our lives". > > Perhaps the only widely agreed notion about the topic is the intuition that consciousness exists. Opinions differ about what exactly needs to be studied and explained as consciousness. Sometimes, it is synonymous with the mind, and at other times, an aspect of mind. In the past, it was one's "inner life", the world of introspection, of private thought, imagination and volition. Today, it often includes any kind of [[cognition]], [[experience]], feeling or [[perception]]. > > It may be awareness, awareness of awareness, or self-awareness either continuously changing or not. There might be different levels or orders of consciousness, or different kinds of consciousness, or just one kind with different features. Other questions include whether only humans are conscious, all animals, or even the whole universe. The disparate range of research, notions and speculations raises doubts about whether the right questions are being asked. > #### Other views of consciousness In:: [[Yoga|Yogic philosophy]], consciousness is the observer of thought, or the ability to observe. If something is observing the action of [[mind]], it must be outside the mind. [[Sakshi Bhava]] or [[mindfulness]] is the capacity to observe this objectively ^[[[notes - The Nature of Mind]]] We can see this exemplified in [[Vedic Psychology]], which does not include consciousness as part of it's model of the mind. Other philosophical disciplines may say that the ability to observe ones thoughts is instead [[self-awareness]] or [[qualia]], and that consciousness is an inherent state rather than an ability. Perhaps this is solved by making consciousness and inherent but variable ability: [[Consciousness is our capacity to introspect]] In:: [[eastern philosophy]], [[Consciousness is the fundamental unit of existence]] or [[Brahman]]. ##### ^dataviews > [!dataview]+ Related unlinked notes > > - [[Consciousness as awareness of experience]] > - [[Consciousness as the spark of life]] > - [[Experience and consciousness are linked through subjectivity]] > - [[Meditation is a practice to develop a stronger consciousness]] > - [[The ultimate goal of the mind is to keep thinking]] > [!dataview]- Other unlinked mentions > > - [[Being You by Anil Seth]] > - [[articleHow The System Works — The Enneagram Institute]] > - [[notes - Intro to Mantra Practice]] > - [[notes - Knowledge of the Mind]] > - [[notes - Metaphysics of Meditation]] > - [[notes - Panchakosha Theory]] > - [[notes - History of Meditation]] > - [[articleDifference between reincarnation in Hinduism and Bhudism]] > - [[articleKarma and Reincarnation in Hinduism]] > - [[worldview]] > - [[Emotional Mirroring]] > - [[Global workspace theory]] > - [[Hard problem of consciousness]] > - [[Higher-order theories of consciousness]] > - [[Kriya Yoga]] > - [[Panchakosha]] > - [[Tantra]] > - [[anesthesia]] > - [[behavior]] > - [[cerebral cortex]] > - [[idealism]] > - [[learning]] > - [[metaphysics]] > - [[mind-body dualism]] > - [[phenomenology]] > - [[philosophical zombie]] > - [[self-repression]] > - [[subconscious]] > - [[unconscious]] > - [[Monster of the Week]] > - [[Neuroscience]] > - [[Psychology]] > - [[anxiety]] > - [[self]] > - [[Anxiety should be a tool at your disposal not an impedance to your life]] > - [[Avoidance IS the most-efficient way of dealing with emotion]] > - [[Complex emotions are imperfect understandings of primal urges]] > - [[Gender is both an intrinsic experience and a necessary expression]] > - [[How to develop a meditation practice]] > - [[Human behavior is selective]] > - [[Identity is your understanding of yourself vs your interaction with the world]] > - [[Is there life after death]] > - [[Meditation helps us detach negative attachments]] > - [[Meditation is a practice to gain control over your thoughts]] > - [[Religion as a solution to existential dread]] > - [[We value our biggest insecurities because they protect us from the biggest threats]] > - [[Yoga is a wholistic philosophy of self-improvement]] > - [[You don't want to jump off the cliff you're just afraid of falling]] > - [[Your anxiety knows your insecurities better than you do]] #### Discussion [The Scientific Problem of Consciousness - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJhSSPO8Ulk)