On 11 December 2013 17:34, meekerdb <[email protected]> wrote: > On 12/10/2013 7:42 PM, LizR wrote: > > On 11 December 2013 10:24, meekerdb <[email protected]> wrote: > >> On 12/10/2013 11:54 AM, John Clark wrote: >> >> On Sun, Dec 8, 2013 at 7:33 PM, LizR <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> > One needs a rigorous definition of what consciousness is, to start >>> with, >>> >> >> Examples are usually preferable to definitions. >> >> > and then a theory that explains all its observed features, and makes >>> testable predictions. >>> >> >> But that's the beauty of consciousness theories, we can detect >> consciousness only in ourselves so there are no observed features that a >> consciousness theory must explain, >> >> >> Actually there are some observed features. A sharp blow to the head can >> create a gap in ones consciousness. Imbibing various substances that can >> cross the blood/brain barrier have somewhat predictable effects. Localized >> electrical stimulation of the brain produces repeatable effects, both in >> consciousness and somatic. >> >> If you're assuming there is more to consciousness than the sum of our > thoughts, experiences, memories, etc - then this *may* be a description > of features of the contents of consciousness, rather than of the thing > itself. > > > ?? Are you speculating that there are parts of consciousness we're not > conscious of? >
Not exactly. Consciousness has been *defined* as a "bundle of sensory impressions" - I think this was originally David Hume - but it has also been defined as something else, which I guess would be called the having of those experiences. If one defines consciousness as the sum of one's sense impressions and so on, then the things you mention above affect consciousness; if not, they affect the contents of consciousness, but in the latter case the only way that consciousness itself is affected is that it is either present, or not. Of course I may be following in the long philosophical tradition of splitting hairs here. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
