In the boundless ocean of human consciousness, the development of its functions stands as a captivating marvel. Scientists, psychologists, and philosophers have been entranced by this topic for ages. This article is an intellectual exploration into the evolution of cognitive development and the functions of consciousness in humans. From the awakening of senses to the intricate ballet of thought processes, let’s dive into the depths of consciousness.
Education of Senses
Sensory Awakening – The Building Blocks of functions of Consciousness in material world
Sensing
Upon birth, humans are exposed to an array of stimuli. The five senses – touch, smell, taste, hear, and see – are designed to capture certain frequencies of energy, making them sensitive to specific kinds of input.
Deciphering the Senses
With the growth of the child, the senses keep feeding more detailed information to the brain, enriching the consciousness tapestry.
- Hear: Hearing develops into a significant sense due to its role in communication, fostering social connections and emotional bonds.
- See: Sight, the most dominating sense, is crucial for learning and navigating the world. It becomes a critical contributor to our consciousness as it feeds the most information into our brain.
- Taste: Taste, along with smell, plays a pivotal role in our survival
- Smell: sense of smell, which is closely tied to memory and emotions due to the olfactory system’s direct connection to the brain’s limbic system.
- Touch: Touch is fundamental to our interaction with the world, providing crucial information about our environment.
Identification of Sense with “Me”
As an infant continues to receive sensory input, there’s a gradual identification of these senses with the self. For example, when an infant feels hunger, they begin to associate the feeling with their own body. Over time, the infant starts correlating these sensations with their existence. This early association between sensory experience and ‘self’ kickstarts the formation of an individual identity.
Recording
The brain records these sensory experiences, storing them as memories. These memories, in turn, serve as reference points for future experiences, gradually forming a catalogue of the ‘self’.
Memory
With time, the stored sensory inputs are organized into memory. The brain creates neural pathways that become the structure for recall and recognition.
Sensory Identification and Pattern Recognition
As the mind becomes richer with experiences, the brain begins identifying patterns in sensory information, refining consciousness.
Education of Memory
Development of mental space – Cognitive Evolution in Consciousness
As we age, our brain starts forming thoughts that mimic our sensory experiences. This stage shows how thoughts are more than just inner voices.
Thought as Sense
As the child grows, thoughts start forming. These thoughts are an intricate play of memories, sensory inputs, and neural connections. Our brain generates thoughts based on accumulated sensory information. These thoughts function as an internal sense, simulating the experience of the external world within our mind.
Identification of Thought with Self
The child starts to identify with these thoughts, perceiving them as part of their identity. This process is crucial in the development of self-concept. Just as with senses, we start associating certain thoughts with our identity, a center point where experience generates.
Memory of Identification
This stage involves storing these identifications into memory. It aids in forming a continuous sense of self over time. We store these associations in our memory, thereby enhancing our mental self-image. This memory of identification forms an integral part of our self-identity and consciousness.
Experience of Thought
Experiences become more complex as they are now influenced not just by sensory input, but also by thoughts. This adds depth to the consciousness. We start perceiving our thoughts as an intrinsic part of our existence. The way we experience these thoughts—joyful, painful, neutral—shapes our emotional landscape and impacts our overall state of consciousness.
Decision Making for Thoughts
Similar to sensory input, the growing child now makes decisions based on thoughts. This reflects the evolution from a purely sensory-driven consciousness to a more sophisticated one.
Steering the Ship of Thoughts
Our memory acts as a compendium of our past experiences, thoughts, and identities. Being able to discern what thoughts to entertain or dismiss can have a significant impact on our state of consciousness. As we acquire more experiences, we learn to recognize the quality and utility of our thoughts. Accepting empowering thoughts and rejecting detrimental ones is crucial in navigating our internal world.
Education of Identification
Development of identification & The Power of Decision Making
Decision of Acceptance and Rejection of Sense or Thought
At this stage, the decision-making process becomes even more complex. Individuals are now capable of making conscious choices regarding which senses or thoughts to accept or reject.
Memory of Experience
The individual’s experiences are stored in memory, and these memories play a crucial role in shaping future decisions and actions.
Adaptive Decisions
The consciousness adapts and learns from past experiences. If previous experiences were beneficial, they are likely to be repeated. Otherwise, alternative actions might be taken.
Experience of function of Consciousness
The interplay of sensing, identification, and memory culminates in the experience of consciousness at a very basic level. This is the infant’s conscious awareness of their environment. As the child grows, it begins to be aware of these senses as experiences. mainly these experiences felt as either pleasant or unpleasant. The ability to perceive such experiences marks the initial blossoming of consciousness.
Education of Changing Identification
Fluidity of Consciousness
Options for Input and Output
At this stage, individuals recognize the myriad options they have for both input (senses and thoughts) and output (actions and expressions). As we reach a higher stage of consciousness, we understand that certain inputs are automatic and beyond our control. However, the ability to discern and choose our responses gives us a sense of mastery over our experiences.
Experimental Role and Output
Here, individuals may take on experimental roles by controlling their output in various situations. This is done to understand the effects and to develop new experiences. We gain the ability to control what we output into the world, be it our actions, words, or creations. This control is exercised with an understanding of the broader implications of our output on both our personal life and the world.
Memory of Changing Identification
This involves the storage and recall of the dynamic changes in identification as per the various roles and outputs experienced. With a higher consciousness, we are more open to experimentation. By trying out different roles and outputs, we can identify which ones align with our values and desired state of being.
Experience and Memory of Experience
The culmination of these functions leads to an enriched experience of consciousness that’s adaptable, dynamic, and multifaceted. The flexibility to adapt our identification depending on the situation demonstrates the fluid nature of our consciousness. This adaptability is crucial for personal growth and fulfillment.
Education of Consciousness
The Automatic Nature of Consciousness and Our Role
As we reach the peak of understanding the functions of consciousness, we need to realize that there is an automatic nature to consciousness. The myriad of inputs and outputs might lead us to believe that we can exercise complete control, but in reality, consciousness operates largely autonomously.
Automaticity and Control
While we can’t control the inputs or the automatic aspects of consciousness, we have control over our outputs to varying degrees – from thought outputs to sense outputs. Our senses, however, are inherently automatic; they are formed without our conscious control.
The Link
This leads us to understand that we serve as a link between the external world and our internal being. In this capacity, we are conscious, and the sense of being link is consciousness.
Playing Our Role
Understanding that consciousness is automatic, it’s essential to recognize that our outputs have specific roles in the world. These roles are governed by the evolved memory of experiences through experimenting with outputs. The term ‘our’ encapsulates the collective beings and not just the individual self, as consciousness is a link between the unidentified self and the senses.
Or Just Be
There’s a serene beauty in just being. The term ‘just be’ signifies our natural state as the link between beings and the world, or in other words, the essence of consciousness. Sometimes it’s essential to perform roles with the understanding that outcomes may vary. But in this understanding, there’s clarity – everything is in alignment with the flow of consciousness. Engaging in roles, from the senses to thoughts, is part of the conscious experience, but so is the state of just being, or not actively engaging in any role.
Consciousness – A Continuous Journey
The journey of consciousness and its functions is an intricate, evolving process. By understanding the automatic nature of consciousness and our role within it, we become attuned to a higher level of awareness. This awareness fosters a sense of unity, connection, and acceptance of the ever-changing nature of consciousness. This exploration has only scratched the surface of this fascinating subject. The more we delve into it, the more there is to discover.