Cogito Ergo Cogito!

I was just reading a mini-essay by an old high school buddy in which he describes some scientific research on the nature of consciousness. The scientists quoted in the essay claim that we cannot consciously control our bodies. The theory as stated is that all decisions are made subconsciously, and that our consciousness is informed about it as a courtesy. Something like a state legislature passing a bill and then the governor taking all the credit when he signs it.

Now, I'm not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV, but I've been pondering and studying the subject of consciousness for quite a few decades, and I have to disagree. I do believe that we have subconscious minds, and that the subconscious is responsible for a majority of the decisions made during our daily lives, with the conscious mind blithely going along. In fact, I'm sure that many creatures have no consciousness at all, and go about their tasks in a reactive, unreasoning manner. However, there are problems too ponderous for the subconscious to handle, and for that, I believe, we have this thing called consciousness.

Think about it. :) Most of the time you devote no effort at all to eating, walking, or buttoning a shirt. It's all habit and muscle memory. But what about the big decisions, like whether to order cheesecake or jello? That's not something you tend to leave to your subconscious minions. Instead, you ponder the calories of both items, the extent of your waistband and budget, the disapproval of your wife and the anticipated pleasure of the selected dessert. You consciously weigh the pros and cons, and consciously arrive at a decision, at which point the aforementioned minions carry out your orders and make the appropriate sounds to your server.

In my opinion, consciousness is like the conductor of an orchestra. He chooses what to play, monitors the performance, makes adjustments and directs individual actions. The musicians don't choose what to play and then inform the conductor, they take direction and make the appropriate music. The conductor is in charge, even if he's not playing the notes himself. At least... that's what I think.


Blog Tag: Opinion   Blog Tag: Consciousness   Blog Tag: Images