What is Consciousness?

Discussion in 'Philosophy and Religion' started by Meagain, Jul 10, 2004.

  1. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

    Messages:
    21,174
    Likes Received:
    15,402
    -Ken Wilber, Boomeritus
     
  2. Sebbi

    Sebbi Senior Member

    Messages:
    990
    Likes Received:
    0
    I am skeptical of that you are your consciousness. You can watch your thoughts, feeling, etc. But you can also watch your consciousness.

    I think it is hard to tell what implication this has, if any.

    Blessings

    Sebbi
     
  3. matthew

    matthew Almost sexy

    Messages:
    9,292
    Likes Received:
    0
    [​IMG]


    http://users.bigpond.net.au/marshan/book3.htm


    I liked the chapter on

    EXFORMATION[​IMG]

    This word is used by Tor Nørretranders in his book The User Illusion, published in Danish in 1991 and in English in 1998. He argues that effective communication depends on a shared body of knowledge between the persons communicating. If someone is talking about cows, for example, what is said will be unintelligible unless the person listening has some idea what a cow is, what it is good for, and in what contexts one might encounter one. In using the word “cow”, Nørretranders says, the speaker has deliberately thrown away a huge body of information, though it remains implied. He illustrates the point with a story of Victor Hugo writing to his publisher to ask how his most recent book, Les Miserables, was getting on. Hugo just wrote “?”, to which his publisher replied “!”, to indicate it was selling well. The exchange would have no meaning to a third party because the shared context is unique to those taking part in it. This shared context Tor Nørretranders calls exformation. He coined the word as a abbreviated form of explicitly discarded information, originally in Danish as eksformation; the word first appeared in English in an article he wrote in 1992. He says “exformation is everything we do not actually say but have in our heads when or before we say anything at all. Information is the measurable, demonstrable utterance we actually come out with”.
     
  4. Trixie

    Trixie Member

    Messages:
    45
    Likes Received:
    0
    You are aware of your own consciousness...you're contemplating it now.
     
  5. Bhaskar

    Bhaskar Members

    Messages:
    2,763
    Likes Received:
    4
    You are conciousness. However when you say you are aware of your conciousness, you are actually concious of the thought that I am concious, not conciousness itself.
     
  6. Trixie

    Trixie Member

    Messages:
    45
    Likes Received:
    0
    One can be more certain of his/her consciousness, rather than their unconscious awareness. Although, consciousness is all relative, you could be conscious in a dream, and be conscious of the fact that you have control over your logical thinking, and/or senses, which is of no coporeal sense. Yet be physically unconscious... The factors beind one's consciousness would be his or her state of being at the moment. A sixth sense perhaps. One knows he/she is conscious without having to think about it too deeply.
     
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice