What do we know of the human consciousness? What causes consciousness and how does it translate into the subjective experience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although we have learned a great deal about conscious states of mind, scientists actually know little about consciousness, human or otherwise. <\/strong>Modern science suggests that consciousness is likely the result of electrochemical reactions in the brain, but no one knows for sure how this translates into subjective experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep reading to learn about the current scientific stance on the human consciousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Consciousness is the combination of thoughts, emotions, and sensations that create subjective experience. For example, if you watch someone trip and fall, you may feel concern for the person\u2019s safety while another observer may find the situation humorous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two fundamental characteristics of consciousness: sensation and desire. <\/strong>Robots and computers carry out complex tasks but feel no sensations or cravings. Therefore, they don\u2019t possess consciousness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some claim that, if consciousness can\u2019t be explained, then perhaps the concept of consciousness needs to be discarded. However, this perspective ignores the validity of subjective experiences. For example, if someone\u2019s assaulted, they\u2019re going to have an emotional and subjective response to their experience. Negating consciousness as a whole denies their experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most popular theory of the 21st century states that, while consciousness has moral and social importance, it\u2019s likely just the byproduct of neural processes of the brain. <\/strong>Essentially, this equates consciousness to mental pollution. While this is a vague and poorly fleshed-out theory, it\u2019s the best scientists have been able to come up with in the 21st century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People have no way of knowing how consciousness is created or if artificial intelligence will one day gain the power of consciousness. <\/strong>After all, if consciousness is truly the byproduct of neural pathways and electric currents in the brain, what\u2019s stopping the same development from occurring with wiring and circuit boards?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 20th century, computer scientist Alan Turing developed a test to determine whether a computer was sentient, which he called the \u201cTuring Test.\u201d In the Turing Test, a subject talks with both a computer and a person. According to Turing, if the subject can\u2019t determine which is the person and which is the computer, then the computer should be considered sentient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though humans often claim to possess higher brain functionality, human and non-human animal brains function in a similar way. In fact, many animals can pass a modified version of the Turing Test. While this doesn\u2019t prove consciousness, it strongly suggests that animals likely experience consciousness in a similar way to humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Industries such as the agricultural industry reject this claim. <\/strong>By maintaining that animals don\u2019t possess consciousness, they can continue to disregard the emotional and social needs of their livestock. For example, if a cow isn\u2019t conscious of its surroundings, a farmer can argue that keeping it in a narrow stall isn\u2019t cruel because the animal will have no emotional response to its experience. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What do we know of the human consciousness? What causes consciousness and how does it translate into the subjective experience? Although we have learned a great deal about conscious states of mind, scientists actually know little about consciousness, human or otherwise. Modern science suggests that consciousness is likely the result of electrochemical reactions in the brain, but no one knows for sure how this translates into subjective experiences. Keep reading to learn about the current scientific stance on the human consciousness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":22993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,160],"tags":[269],"class_list":["post-33547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-science","tag-homo-deus","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Mystery of Human Consciousness<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Consciousnes<\/strong>s in Humans Versus Computers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Human Versus Animal Consciousness\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n