Hey reader! Today we are going to explore the idea of consciousness, where our inner experiences are. As you are reading this post, you are likely conscious. You are perceiving these words and comprehending their meaning. You are also likely noticing your surroundings: the computer screen, the room around you, and even the sounds happening around you. Besides your surroundings, there is much more to consciousness than meets the eye (or that meets your mind).
While it may seem like a simple concept, consciousness is very hard to define. Some people, including John Locke, describe consciousness as the perception of your inner thoughts and what goes on inside of our minds. Some see it as the reflection of your own feelings and thoughts, and what they mean. To some people, consciousness is the essence of being human. To me, consciousness is my ability to control my actions and thoughts. I think that our free will as human beings goes hand in hand with consciousness. The idea of consciousness is very subjective, so feel free to come up with your own definition of consciousness!
In our last Digital Revolution class, we had the opportunity to watch a very interesting PBS documentary called “Your Brain: Perception Deception”. This documentary dives into the topic of consciousness and the notion that our brains construct our perception of reality. One aspect of consciousness that the documentary covers is the idea that consciousness is very subjective. Everything we see, hear and feel is molded by our brain’s interpretation of sensory information coming in. Another aspect of consciousness that the documentary explored was the use of illusions. According to the documentary, these illusions show the gaps between reality and subjective perception. For example, one of the illusions illustrated in the documentary was a photo of a checkerboard with a cylinder casting a shadow on it. Although the checkerboard appeared to be a pattern of white and dark gray, it was revealed that both of the squares were the same color. This showed an example of a “gap” that your brain fills in.
Although the documentary explored many different aspects of consciousness, it still did not go over a few things which left me with some questions. One thing that the documentary did not go over was the consciousness of other animals besides humans. I wonder what other species may exhibit signs of consciousness? Another question that I was wondering after watching the documentary was: when does consciousness develop in humans? I wonder at what age we begin to show signs of consciousness. Another thing I wondered after watching the documentary was: can artificial intelligence become conscious one day? I think it would be very cool to see an AI become conscious.
Overall, consciousness is a very fun concept to think about and the mysteriousness of it is very interesting. Many people are in disagreement over a definition of consciousness, so it is best for an individual to come up with a definition of their own. Watching the documentary “Your Brain: Perception Deception” opened my eyes to the exploration of consciousness, and I recommend it to anyone looking for something interesting to watch!
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mind/202010/introduction-consciousness