One of my favourite books is a textbook, Consciousness, An introduction by Susan
Blackmore, which takes you on a fascinating journey through the brain and its
functions, a universe that science hasn’t managed to unravel. We know more
about space than we do about the human brain.
Inspired by this book, which I will certainly mention in
future posts, because it also tackles other interesting subtopics, I would like
to share a few little exercises to help you improve your ability to live
consciously. Because let’s face it, how many times a day do you stop and think
about what is going on in your head?
The first exercise the author suggests is seemingly a simple
one. Seemingly, because you’ll soon realise it’s anything but easy and obvious.
You don’t need pen nor paper, you don't even need to make time for it. All you
need to do, is ask yourself “Am I
conscious now?” throughout your day. Then analyse your answer. What makes
you say you are conscious? Does this question raise other questions? If so,
which ones? Was this an easy exercise? Did you forget to ask yourself this one
"simple" question at some point? Or did it come spontaneously?
Then, try to define
consciousness. Any definition, even the silliest, will do. Quite a challenge,
isn’t it? Did you link consciousness to physical processes in the brain? If so,
how do you explain that these physical processes give rise to subjective experiences? If everyone’s
brain works in the same (mechanical) way, why do we all experience things
differently? Why are no two (emotional) reactions the same?
Good luck!
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