Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I'm still astounded by all the different things people mean when they say "consciousness." I think a better term for the discussion surrounding Jaynes and his theory is "awareness"--understanding and conceptualizing reality via a semantic framework, rather than merely processing inputs and directing outputs.

The ego (or the default mode network, in which I hypothesize the ego "resides") basically connects those disparate parts of the brain and makes the leap to turn the brain from a few interacting modules into an integrated whole, giving rise to the sense of the self as we understand it today. This must somehow activate our self-awareness by us understanding not only that we inhabit a body, but that the mind doing so can also be identified.



Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: