"Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of internal and external existence."
The state of being aware of and able to think and perceive one's surroundings, as well as one's own internal mental states.
Epistemology: The study of knowledge and belief, and how they are formed and justified.
Ontology: The study of the nature of existence and reality.
Dualism: The theory that there are two separate entities, mind and body.
Materialism: The theory that everything can be reduced to the physical world.
Idealism: The theory that mind and consciousness are fundamental to reality.
Functionalism: The theory that mental states are defined by their function, rather than their physical properties.
Emergentism: The theory that mental states emerge from physical systems, but are not reducible to them.
Mind-body problem: The problem of how mental and physical states relate to each other.
Intentionality: The property of consciousness that refers to its aboutness, or ability to represent objects and states of affairs.
Qualia: The subjective, qualitative aspects of consciousness, such as the experience of seeing red or feeling pain.
Perception: The process by which we become aware of the external world through our senses.
Attention: The process by which we selectively focus on certain aspects of the environment, while ignoring others.
Memory: The ability to retain and recall past experiences.
Self-awareness: The ability to be aware of oneself as a distinct entity.
Free will: The ability to make choices freely, without being determined by external factors.
Consciousness in animals: The debate over whether animals possess consciousness to the same extent as humans.
Neural correlates of consciousness: The search for the underlying neural activity that gives rise to conscious experience.
Phenomenal Consciousness: The subjective experience of sensory information, emotions, and thoughts.
Access Consciousness: The ability to access and report on the contents of our consciousness.
Reflexive Consciousness: The ability to be self-aware, to introspectively monitor and evaluate one's own thoughts and actions.
Higher-Order Consciousness: Consciousness of our own consciousness, where we are aware of being aware.
Self-Consciousness: The awareness of oneself as an individual, capable of making decisions and having thoughts and feelings.
Collective Consciousness: The shared beliefs and values of a group or society.
Animal Consciousness: The subjective experience of non-human animals, which may differ from human consciousness.
Artificial Consciousness: The possibility of creating consciousness in machines or computer systems.
"Opinions differ about what exactly needs to be studied or even considered consciousness. In some explanations, 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."
"Some explanations [of consciousness] are synonymous with the mind, and at other times, an aspect of mind."
"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."
"The disparate range of research, notions, and speculations raises a curiosity about whether the right questions are being asked."
"Examples of the range of descriptions, definitions, or explanations are: simple wakefulness."
"It was one's 'inner life', the world of introspection, of private thought, imagination, and volition."
"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."
"Being a metaphorical 'stream' of contents."
"Being a mental state, mental event, or mental process of the brain."
"It has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguists, and scientists."
"Opinions differ about what exactly needs to be studied or even considered consciousness."
"Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of internal and external existence."
"Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of internal and external existence."
"One's sense of selfhood or soul explored by 'looking within'."
"Opinions differ about what exactly needs to be studied or even considered consciousness. In some explanations, it is synonymous with the mind."
"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."