definitions of conciousness

What is primary consciousness?

The direct experience of sensations, percepts, feelings, thoughts, and memories.

What is reflective consciousness?

Conscious thoughts about one’s own conscious experience, such as self-reflection or introspection.

What is phenomenal consciousness (Block, 1995)?

Sensory, mental, and bodily experiences that form subjective awareness.

What is access consciousness (Block, 1995)?

Mental information that is available for verbal report, reasoning, and control of behavior.

What is the relationship between arousal and consciousness?

Arousal refers to the general activation level of the cerebral cortex, but one can be conscious even at low arousal levels, like during dreams or locked-in syndrome.

How does executive control relate to consciousness?

Executive control involves top-down regulation of mental processes and behavior, often tied to agency and free will, but not necessarily equivalent to consciousness.

How is awareness defined in relation to consciousness?

Awareness is the state or quality of being conscious of something, but awareness can occur unconsciously as well.

What is sentience, and how does it relate to consciousness?

Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive, or have subjective experiences; it overlaps with consciousness but is not entirely synonymous.

What are qualia?

Subjective experiences with formal properties: ineffable (indescribable), intrinsic (essential), private (personal), and directly apprehended.

What is Daniel Dennett’s critique of qualia?

Dennett argues that qualia are mental constructs and not real entities, comparing them to fictional concepts like the Loch Ness Monster.

What is a working definition of consciousness?

Consciousness is subjective experience—what it is like to be oneself.