There are many approaches that describe what consciousness is in completely different ways. Accordingly, there is no single definition of this concept in science; philosophers, psychologists, and esotericists are still trying to reveal it. Scientists define consciousness in completely different ways, each describing its content in its own way. So, for example, R. Kart said that consciousness is an undeniable, self-evident reality of every person, his mental experiences. According to him, you can doubt any object or phenomenon, except that "I" is "I".
Over time, this term has become associated with the scene on which
unfold those life situations, actions that a certain subject experiences. M. Weber pointed out in his works that consciousness is light, which finds its embodiment in different degrees of clarity of some understanding. It can be "woven" from the meaning and meanings of words.
Thus, this concept is defined in different ways: it can be expanded or narrowed, taken as a basisreal experiences or consider consciousness as a source of mental activity. At the same time, one should not forget that consciousness is a quality of the psyche that appeared on the evolutionary ladder exclusively in humans.
Considering this term in philosophy, we can talk not about mental activity, but about the way in which a person relates to the world and to the subject. Thus, consciousness is always there. It has no beginning, cannot stop or disappear. These philosophical concepts, the world and consciousness are two sides of a single whole.
To fully understand the term, it is necessary to consider several levels. But first it is necessary to give a precise definition. Consciousness is the highest form of reflection of reality, peculiar only to people and associated with the dynamic development of the brain function that is responsible for speech. It controls almost all processes. The basis of consciousness is knowledge. That is, it is a subjective image of the real world.
In the context of this topic, there are several main points.
- Consciousness is a reflection of reality, the highest form, which is associated both with the development of speech functions and with abstract thinking, human logic.
- Basic, its base is knowledge.
- This form of reflection of reality is primarily a brain function.
- For the development of consciousness, active knowledge of oneself and the world around is necessary, as well as work.
- The described concept takes place innarrower areas. For example, ecological consciousness is the one in which a cognitive, holistic form of interaction is manifested within the framework of the “man-nature” system.
Thus, “consciousness” is a category in psychology about which there is no consensus. At the same time, in most cases it is considered as the highest mental activity, which is a product of the development of mankind in a historical context. It arose as a result of productive joint activity and communication of people through language.