Understanding Of Consciousness Research Articles

Опыт повседневности и проблема онтолого-эпистемологического статуса структур научной рациональности

The experience of everyday life is defined by quite specific value-oriented goals, whereas the “inventions” of scientific rationality (mathematics, mathematical natural science, techno-science) remain neutral with regard to the needs of human existence. The resulting possibilities and numerous facts of using scientific achievements in subjective individual or group interests necessitate the search for conditions that allow reliance on axiologically meaningful, intellectually traditional, and perceptually experienced “axioms of common sense”. Difficulties in interpreting structures of reflective thinking of scientific rationality in terms of cognitive practices of everyday experience are substantially minimized in the context of their analysis as expressions of the conflict between “naturally arisen” and “artificially created” (K. Marx) formations of consciousness, taking into account some ideas put forward in the concepts of the “life-world” (E. Husserl), techniques of expressing objectivity in acts of consciousness (R. Descartes, E. Husserl), and “language games” (L. Wittgenstein). In conclusion, the integration of everyday life experience and scientific rationality offers fertile ground for philosophical inquiry and theoretical synthesis. By elucidating the ontological and epistemological dimensions of cognitive structures, we can deepen our understanding of human consciousness and its role in shaping our perception of reality. Further research in this area promises to shed light on the complex interplay between subjective experience and objective knowledge.

Intentionality and Autonomy in Husserl’s Phenomenology: A Comprehensive Analysis of Conscious Decisions and the Transcendental Ego

This essay embarks on a thorough exploration of Edmund Husserl’s seminal contributions to the philosophical discourse on consciousness, with a particular focus on the dynamics of conscious decisions within the framework of phenomenology. By delving into Husserl’s nuanced examination of consciousness—its temporal structure, the nature of self-awareness, and the foundational concept of intentionality—the analysis reveals the intricate ways in which Husserl posits the transcendental ego as the nexus of meaning, judgment, and perception. The discussion illuminates how Husserl’s theory of intentionality and the intentional act’s matter and quality serve as the cornerstone for understanding the will’s engagement with the world. Through a detailed exposition of Husserl’s ideas on the phenomenological reduction, the essay articulates the active role of consciousness in constituting reality and the ethical dimensions underpinning the exercise of free will. The paper argues that Husserl’s insights into conscious decision-making challenge conventional views by framing free will within the contexts of knowledge, ethical deliberation, and the ego’s autonomy. This essay contributes to the ongoing dialogue between phenomenology and contemporary philosophy of mind by highlighting Husserl’s profound impact on our understanding of consciousness, agency, and the existential significance of human decisions. Keywords: Edmund Husserl, Phenomenology, Conscious Decisions, Transcendental Ego, Intentionality, Free Will, Consciousness, Epistemology, Temporality, Rationality, Autonomy, Phenomenological Reduction (Epoché), Intersubjectivity, Self-awareness

Beyond the Pump: A Narrative Study Exploring Heart Memory.

The field of organ transplantation, particularly heart transplantation, has brought to light interesting phenomena challenging traditional understandings of memory, identity, and consciousness. Studies indicate that heart transplant recipients may exhibit preferences, emotions, and memories resembling those of the donors, suggesting a form of memory storage within the transplanted organ. Mechanisms proposed for this memory transfer include cellular memory, epigenetic modifications, and energetic interactions. Moreover, the heart's intricate neural network, often referred to as the "heart brain," communicates bidirectionally with the brain and other organs, supporting the concept of heart-brain connection and its role in memory and personality. Additionally, observations from hemispherectomy procedures highlight the brain's remarkable plasticity and functional preservation beyond expectations, further underscoring the complex interplay between the brain, body, and identity. However, ethical and philosophical questions regarding the implications of these findings, including the definition of death and the nature of personal identity, remain unresolved. Further interdisciplinary research is needed to unravel the intricacies of memory transfer, neuroplasticity, and organ integration, offering insights into both organ transplantation and broader aspects of neuroscience and human identity. Understanding these complexities holds promise for enhancing patient care in organ transplantation and deepens our understanding of fundamental aspects of human experience and existence.

Laying the foundations for a theory of consciousness: the significance of critical brain dynamics for the formation of conscious states.

Empirical evidence indicates that conscious states, distinguished by the presence of phenomenal qualities, are closely linked to synchronized neural activity patterns whose dynamical characteristics can be attributed to self-organized criticality and phase transitions. These findings imply that insight into the mechanism by which the brain controls phase transitions will provide a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanism by which the brain manages to transcend the threshold of consciousness. This article aims to show that the initiation of phase transitions and the formation of synchronized activity patterns is due to the coupling of the brain to the zero-point field (ZPF), which plays a central role in quantum electrodynamics (QED). The ZPF stands for the presence of ubiquitous vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field, represented by a spectrum of normal modes. With reference to QED-based model calculations, the details of the coupling mechanism are revealed, suggesting that critical brain dynamics is governed by the resonant interaction of the ZPF with the most abundant neurotransmitter glutamate. The pyramidal neurons in the cortical microcolumns turn out to be ideally suited to control this interaction. A direct consequence of resonant glutamate-ZPF coupling is the amplification of specific ZPF modes, which leads us to conclude that the ZPF is the key to the understanding of consciousness and that the distinctive feature of neurophysiological processes associated with conscious experience consists in modulating the ZPF. Postulating that the ZPF is an inherently sentient field and assuming that the spectrum of phenomenal qualities is represented by the normal modes of the ZPF, the significance of resonant glutamate-ZPF interaction for the formation of conscious states becomes apparent in that the amplification of specific ZPF modes is inextricably linked with the excitation of specific phenomenal qualities. This theory of consciousness, according to which phenomenal states arise through resonant amplification of zero-point modes, is given the acronym TRAZE. An experimental setup is specified that can be used to test a corollary of the theory, namely, the prediction that normally occurring conscious perceptions are absent under experimental conditions in which resonant glutamate-ZPF coupling is disrupted.

Exploration of Consciousness : A Bridge among Science, Spirituality, Psychology and Philosophy

Consciousness, a crucial phenomenon, captivates the minds of philosophers, psychologist, scientists, and thinkers across history. This article embarks on a journey into the multifaceted realm of consciousness, traversing various disciplines such as philosophy, science, psychology, and spirituality. At its core, consciousness encompasses the subjective experience of awareness, embracing sensations, thoughts, emotions, and self-awareness. Theories diverge on its origins, with materialists attributing consciousness to neural processes, while dualists advocate for a mind-body duality. Integrated Information Theory and Global Workspace Theory offer contrasting perspectives on the mechanisms of consciousness, alongside Higher-Order Theories and Representational Theories of Consciousness. Despite strides in understanding, the "hard problem" of consciousness persists, challenging the explanation of subjective experience. Interdisciplinary collaboration seeks to unravel this mystery, exploring consciousness' unity, diversity, and implications in cognition, decision-making, and ethics. This article delves into the evolutionary, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of consciousness, contemplating its implications for artificial intelligence and fostering dialogue among diverse disciplines. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, we embark on a quest to deepen our understanding of consciousness, a journey sure to captivate generations to come

Methodology of the value coordinate approach in the model of alternative understanding of consciousness

Methodology of the value coordinate approach in the model of alternative understanding of consciousness

Blue Brain Technology: Exploring the Potential of Simulating the Human Brain

We are already fascinated by what the human brain is capable of since scientists have used their intelligence to accomplish some very amazing achievements. Blue brain technology helps in the creation of a digital replicate based on that brain. Technical challenges arise when rebuilding complex tissues and defining virtual "realities," but the ethical considerations are more obvious. Is it possible to extract the essence of the "real" from the machine? Do we possess the technological capacity to redefine who we are? It is necessary to research the possible advantages, such as revolutionary Neurotherapy that can unlock the secrets of the brain and preserve personal intelligence for a lifetime, but philosophical research into what defines who we are is also necessary to move forward in this field. Is it simply a matter of muscles activating, or is there another factor involved? The Blue Brain Project challenges our ideas of what it is to be human, and it encourages us to proceed cautiously, morally, and in readiness for the revolutionary path that lies ahead. With a chance to completely transform our understanding of consciousness, identity, and what it means to be human, it is important that we responsibly. Develop and understand the ethical and philosophical implications of our research into human brain mapping. Keywords: Digital replicate, Complex tissues, Virtual realities, Neurotherapy, Brain mapping

BNST GABAergic neurons modulate wakefulness over sleep and anesthesia

The neural circuits underlying sleep-wakefulness and general anesthesia have not been fully investigated. The GABAergic neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) play a critical role in stress and fear that relied on heightened arousal. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether BNST GABAergic neurons are involved in the regulation of sleep-wakefulness and anesthesia. Here, using in vivo fiber photometry combined with electroencephalography, electromyography, and video recordings, we found that BNST GABAergic neurons exhibited arousal-state-dependent alterations, with high activities in both wakefulness and rapid-eye movement sleep, but suppressed during anesthesia. Optogenetic activation of these neurons could initiate and maintain wakefulness, and even induce arousal from anesthesia. However, chronic lesion of BNST GABAergic neurons altered spontaneous sleep-wakefulness architecture during the dark phase, but not induction and emergence from anesthesia. Furthermore, we also discovered that the BNST-ventral tegmental area pathway might participate in promoting wakefulness and reanimation from steady-state anesthesia. Collectively, our study explores new elements in neural circuit mechanisms underlying sleep-wakefulness and anesthesia, which may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of consciousness and the development of innovative anesthetics.

A multi-dimensional exploration of university students’ sustainable consumption and environmental awareness in Pakistan

As we continue the journey to evolve into an increasingly environmentally conscious world, understanding the factors that shape sustainable consumption and green behavior among university students is important because they will be our future innovators and leaders. This research delves into the nuanced dimensions of consciousness for sustainable consumption and ecofriendly behavior among university students in Pakistan. This study aims to capture important characteristics of university students and uncover the intricate interplay between these characteristics and sustainable consumption behavior. The study spans different universities, incorporating survey data from 441 students in various universities of Pakistan. Using the online platform of Google Forms, a 5-point Likert scale was used to gather responses of the survey questionnaires. The analytical framework of this study is employing rigorous statistical techniques of ANOVA and multiple linear regression. The findings indicate that ecological awareness significantly impacts green purchasing and sustainable consumption behaviour among the students of universities in Pakistan with some significant mean differences between boys and girls. This research extends its gaze toward a holistic understanding of consciousness for sustainable consumption of students of universities. The resulting narrative embarks on a journey to guide universities and societies in nurturing environmentally responsible citizens and cultivating a sustainable future for all.

Growing Confidence and Remaining Uncertainty About Animal Consciousness

While the study of consciousness has had a controversial history and, until recently, a pessimistic prognosis, recent views within the neuroscientific community suggest that a maturing if incomplete scientific understanding of consciousness is close at hand. The purpose of this essay is to specify the major points on which in my opinion there is widespread though not universal agreement, as proposed benchmarks for the current state of consciousness research across the phylogenetic spectrum. Most published definitions of consciousness boil down to a focus on it as a process arising in a nervous system engaged with a body and its environment, giving rise to subjective (personal) experience. A broad consensus on the phenomenology of consciousness sees it consisting at a minimum of (1) awarenessand focused attention, (2) unity of perception, (3) qualitative variations in content, (4) mental causation, and (5) a sense of self. There is also broad agreement that the substrate of consciousness requires sizeable, complex nervous systems organized into several hierarchical levels of processing. Further insight is gained by reconstructing the evolution of subjective phenomenological experience ― most likely from multiple origins, hosted by a diversity of body and brain architectures, and diverging into markedly different forms across the animal kingdom. However, three major mysteries about phenomenological experience that remain unresolved are (1) the neurological correlates of consciousness, (2) the apparent gap between phenomenology and mechanism, and (3) the process that monitors the brain activity admitted into consciousness.

Children’s reasoning about a basic aspect of consciousness

ABSTRACT In many cultural contexts, judging another as conscious or not has profound practical, legal, and philosophical consequences. However, little research focuses on how our ability to make such judgements arises. Thirty years ago a classic set of studies by Flavell et al. demonstrated that children do not develop a complex understanding of conscious ideation in others until age 8. We investigated whether children understand a more basic aspect of conscious experience at earlier ages: a person has conscious thoughts when awake in contrast to when soundly, dreamlessly asleep. We tested 211 3-to-13-year-old children, who watched video sequences, focally one where a person was asleep and then awoke. Children were half as likely to say the target was having thoughts while asleep compared to awake. Even the youngest children made this distinction, demonstrating that children as young as 3-years have at least a basic understanding of consciousness in others.

Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”

The aim of the following study is to offer a better understanding of the Turkish religious consciousness. Turkey is a secular country with a Muslim majority. Movie characters with different attitudes towards religion and their relationship to supernatural evil within Islamic cosmology will be examined. This will provide better insights into the religiosity among Turkish Muslims and their relationship with religious metaphysics in a secular world through the popular horror movie “Semum” (2008). “Semum” is unique by not utilizing jinn, but a devil as the chosen monster. By that, “Semum” conceptualizes an entity of what is perceived as evil in contrast to the moral greyness presented in jinn-horror movies. It reflects a supernatural world of good and evil to its audience, in which metaphysical questions are addressed. Turkey, as a Muslim-majority society, is less often examined when it comes to theological/metaphysical matters regarding the Islamic faith, than when it comes to social issues. For an accurate understanding, this paper first investigates the director’s own statements about his monster. Afterwards, Islamic sources will be compared to the movie’s depiction of said monsters. Next, the roles of the main characters and their relationships towards the demonic will be explained. By that, it will be seen how the roles of the characters allegedly deal with evil. It will be shown that secularism is considered to be insufficient to deal with possible threats to humanity. Yet, the director asserts that science and religion should co-exist to deal with mankind’s fears.

Stream of consciousness... Thought experiment t1

By demonstrating a thought experiment to stop the stream of consciousness, the concept of consciousness as a complex system with an ever-increasing number of constants is substantiated. Based on the results of the experiment, the principle of communicative uncertainty is derived, on the basis of which an understanding of consciousness is proposed as a continuum of subject-object dominants.

Growing Confidence and Remaining Uncertainty About Animal Consciousness

While the study of consciousness has had a controversial history and, until recently, a pessimistic prognosis, recent views within the neuroscientific community suggest that a maturing if incomplete scientific understanding of consciousness is close at hand. Most published definitions of consciousness boil down to a focus on it as a process arising in a nervous system engaged with a body and its environment, giving rise to subjective (personal) experience. A broad consensus on the phenomenology of consciousness sees it consisting at a minimum of (1) awarenessand focused attention, (2) unity of perception, (3) qualitative variations in content, (4) mental causation, and (5) a sense of self. There is also broad agreement that the substrate of consciousness requires sizeable, complex nervous systems organized into several hierarchical levels of processing. Further insight is gained by reconstructing the evolution of subjective phenomenological experience ― most likely from multiple origins, hosted by a diversity of body and brain architectures, and diverging into markedly different forms across the animal kingdom. The three major mysteries that remain about phenomenological experience are (1) the neurological correlates of consciousness, (2) the apparent gap between phenomenology and mechanism, and (3) the agent that monitors the brain activity admitted into consciousness.

Mathematical exploration of consciousness through topological data analysis for decoding neurobiological states

In this paper, we embark on a groundbreaking journey to understand one of the most profound mysteries of the human mind: consciousness. Our approach is unique because we use a branch of mathematics called Topological Data Analysis (TDA) to explore the complex workings of the brain. Imagine trying to understand the shape and connections of a vast network of roads without a map; TDA helps us create that map for the brain’s activity related to consciousness. At the heart of our study is the belief that the patterns of how brain regions connect and communicate hold the key to understanding consciousness. By applying TDA, we’re able to see these patterns in a new light, revealing the intricate landscape of brain activity in various states of consciousness, such as waking, sleeping, and dreaming. We meticulously collected and analyzed brain activity data using advanced neuroimaging techniques. Then, using TDA, we mapped out the topological structures—essentially, the shapes and connections within this data—that correspond to different conscious experiences. This mathematical lens allowed us to uncover hidden patterns and relationships within the brain’s activity, offering fresh insights into how consciousness emerges from the complex interplay of neural signals. Our findings not only deepen our understanding of consciousness but also demonstrate the power of mathematical approaches in unlocking the secrets of the human mind. This research paves the way for new explorations into consciousness and offers novel perspectives on how mathematics can help decipher the intricate workings of the brain.

Decoding Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence

The exploration of whether artificial intelligence (AI) can evolve to possess consciousness is an intensely debated and researched topic within the fields of philosophy, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. Understanding this complex phenomenon hinges on integrating two complementary perspectives of consciousness: the objective and the subjective. Objective perspectives involve quantifiable measures and observable phenomena, offering a more scientific and empirical approach. This includes the use of neuroimaging technologies such as electrocorticography (ECoG), EEG, and fMRI to study brain activities and patterns. These methods allow for the mapping and understanding of neural representations related to language, visual, acoustic, emotional, and semantic information. However, the objective approach may miss the nuances of personal experience and introspection. On the other hand, subjective perspectives focus on personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings. This introspective view provides insights into the individual nature of consciousness, which cannot be directly measured or observed by others. Yet, the subjective approach is often criticized for its lack of empirical evidence and its reliance on personal interpretation, which may not be universally applicable or reliable. Integrating these two perspectives is essential for a comprehensive understanding of consciousness. By combining objective measures with subjective reports, we can develop a more holistic understanding of the mind.

Directions for the Development of Social Sciences and Humanities in the Context of Creating Artificial General Intelligence

The article explores the transformative impact on human and social sciences in response to anticipated societal shifts driven by the forthcoming proliferation of artificial systems, whose intelligence will match human capabilities. Initially, it was posited that artificial intelligence (AI) would excel beyond human abilities in computational tasks and algorithmic operations, leaving creativity and humanities as uniquely human domains. However, recent advancements in large language models have significantly challenged these conventional beliefs about AI’s limitations and strengths. It is projected that, in the near future, generative AI models will adeptly replicate individual qualities, desires, beliefs, opinions, and the essence of human identity and consciousness to a degree that is nearly indistinguishable from that of humans. This lends support to the connectionist approach to understanding consciousness, suggesting an inherent similarity between biological and artificial neural networks. The discussion posits two innovative areas of scientific inquiry: “mathematical anthropology” and “multi-dimensional calculus of value.” The former suggests that viewing human nature through a mathematical and calculative lens not only preserves but enriches our understanding of the complexity of anthropological experience and its perceived contradictions. The latter hypothesis explores how mathematical models could facilitate various social interactions. The advanced simulation capabilities of neural networks suggest that traditional social and political frameworks face a growing vulnerability to AI-driven manipulations. This trend underscores the urgency of developing social interaction models that incorporate explicitly defined calculative rules. In conclusion, the paper advocates for a paradigm shift in how mathematics is perceived – not merely as a tool for computation but as a foundational science for crafting sophisticated models. In conclusion, the article advocates for transitioning from perceiving mathematics solely as a science of computation to viewing it as a discipline dedicated to constructing various formalized models, thereby deepening our insight into the complexities of human and social phenomena.

Taking Prison to Court: Exploring the Judicial Review of Prison Decision-Making Through Supreme Court Judges in Israel

Abstract Scholars have criticized the gap between judicial work and the realities of prison life. In this article, drawn from qualitative findings from Supreme Court Judges in Israel, we analysed how such Judges negotiate their administrative judicial review over prison officials’ decisions. We found that through their judicial review, the Judges either bureaucratise, re-sentence the prisoner or reform prison life. Each theme imagines differently both the purpose of judicial review, as well as the values, emotions, legal ‘tool-kit’, and players (prison service, the claiming prisoners) involved in the review process. The findings move the scholarly focus of judicial decision-making from the quantity to the quality of punishment and expand the understanding of judicial consciousness regarding prison life.

Implicit versus explicit processing of visual, olfactory, and multimodal landmark information in human wayfinding.

Despite the predominant focus on visual perception in most studies, the role of humans' sense of smell in navigation has often been neglected. Recent research, however, could show that humans are indeed able to use their sense of smell for orientation, particularly when processed implicitly. In this study, we investigate whether implicit perception of olfactory landmarks enhanced wayfinding performance compared to explicit perception. Fifty-two people completed a wayfinding and a recognition task in a virtual maze at two times of testing 1 month apart. Participants either received olfactory, visual, or both cues at the intersections. Wayfinding performance was better for olfactory landmarks, which were not correctly remembered in the recognition task. In contrast, wayfinding performance was better when visual landmarks were correctly remembered. In the multimodal condition, wayfinding performance was better with landmarks being remembered at t1 and remained the same at t2. Our results suggest distinct implicit processing mechanisms within the olfactory system and therefore hold important implications for the nature of spatial odor processing extending beyond explicit odor localization tasks. The study highlights the importance for future studies to develop and employ further experimental methods that capture implicit processing across all of our senses. This is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of consciousness, as olfaction strongly influences our behavior, but remains largely latent unless deliberately honed through practice.

Evaluation of putative signatures of consciousness using specific definitions of responsiveness, connectedness, and consciousness

BackgroundUnderstanding the neural correlates of consciousness has important ramifications for the theoretical understanding of consciousness and for clinical anaesthesia. A major limitation of prior studies is the use of responsiveness as an index of consciousness. We identified a collection of measures derived from unresponsive subjects and more specifically their association with consciousness (any subjective experience) or connectedness (specific experience of environmental stimuli). MethodsUsing published data generated through the UNderstanding Consciousness Connectedness and Intra-Operative Unresponsiveness Study (NCT03284307), we evaluated 10 previously published resting-state EEG-based measures that were derived using unresponsiveness as a proxy for unconsciousness. Measures were tested across dexmedetomidine and propofol sedation and natural sleep. These markers represent the complexity, connectivity, cross-frequency coupling, graph theory, and power spectrum measures. ResultsAlthough many of the proposed markers were associated with consciousness per se (reported subjective experience), none were specific to consciousness alone; rather, each was also associated with connectedness (i.e. awareness of the environment). In addition, multiple markers showed no association with consciousness and were associated only with connectedness. Of the markers tested, loss of normalised-symbolic transfer entropy (front to back) was associated with connectedness across all three experimental conditions, whereas the transition from disconnected consciousness to unconsciousness was associated with significant decreases in permutation entropy and spectral exponent (P<0.05 for all conditions). ConclusionsNone of the proposed EEG-based neural correlates of unresponsiveness corresponded solely to consciousness, highlighting the need for a more conservative use of the term (un)consciousness when assessing unresponsive participants. Clinical trial registrationNCT03284307.