The term "consciousness" (co-knowledge) to the present moment of generalizations that arise from the development of philosophy, anthropology, psychology and other fields of knowledge of the humanitarian and natural direction can be understood as the highest level of mental reflection and joint action. Some naive anthropocentrists consider this level of development to be possible only in representatives of the human society. Meanwhile, scientists who are more familiar with the natural sciences would not begin to say so.
In the most general form, from a systemic-pragmatic point of view, consciousness is a collection of permanently changing sensations, sensory and mental images that appear before the inner eye of the conscious subject and predetermine his practical and mental activity.
The properties of consciousness are studied in some sections of psychology, as well as in other fields of knowledge.
Properties of consciousness in psychology
We can distinguish several basic psychological properties of human consciousness:
- Consciousness of the person (as a conscious subject) necessarily distinguishes the activity, most of all conditioned by the specific specificity of the internal state of the subject at the moment of action. In most cases, it can be said that the subject has a specific goal and successive vectors with activities to achieve the goal.
- Consciousness of the subject inherent intentionality, that is, the focus on some (not necessarily an object of the material world, not necessarily specific). Consciousness is always awareness (or awareness, and at the time of communication with another subject or group, even co-awareness) of any fact or thought.
- Consciousness is characterized by constant reflection, that is, the subject has a process of continuous self-observation. The subject can be aware of the very existence of consciousness and identification.
- Consciousness is mainly of a motivational and value character (at least, among Europeans). Of course, to the present moment the development of knowledge about man is naive, rude and flat, it would be in vain to think that consciousness is always motivated.
This mossy thought from the middle of the last century. However, it can definitely be argued that the real subject in our world always strives for the goal (even if the goal is the absence of a goal), it is bound to this attachment to a completely material living organism.
Among other important properties of consciousness can be identified such as: integrity, abstraction, generality, selectivity, dynamism, distortion, uniqueness and individuality. In general, it should be understood that although consciousness arises in our world only in real living thinking subjects, it is referred to the sphere of the ideal, since images, sensations and meanings can not be considered as material objects.