Sunday, November 29, 2009
What is Consciousness?
It was revealed this week that for 23 long years, a Belgian man had been misdiagnosed as being in a permanent vegetative state of wakefulness, without awareness. This is where a patient with severe brain damage remains in a state of wakefulness without awareness.
In fact, the man had been conscious and aware the whole time but was just unable to move his limbs, make facial expressions or speak. He now uses a keyboard to communicate.
Now, What is Consciousness?
There is no consensus but one definition is that it is the subjective experience of awareness with wakefulness. But this sounds tautological. Clearly if it is a subjective experience, it can only be reported by the person who experiences it. That is, it cannot be plumbed by an externl observer.
Talk in my flooble chatterbox! ( if your can\'t tag on the screen!(: )
