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Which evolved first, consciousness or senses
- Thread starter FearGod
- Start date
As a non-dual (God and creation are not-two) Hindu, I think consciousness is fundamental and is the basis of everything else. The senses evolved to be used by consciousness when experiencing through a limited form/body.
The whole reality is made from consciousness vibrating at different speeds.
Therefore consciousness existed since before time, in pure infinity...
We're led to believe that senses are a series of signals passed around the body...
Yet what makes me question, is that in my NDE, i felt the waves of energy from God, thus had senses, so from where do we sense things.....
.......
Therefore consciousness existed since before time, in pure infinity...
We're led to believe that senses are a series of signals passed around the body...
Yet what makes me question, is that in my NDE, i felt the waves of energy from God, thus had senses, so from where do we sense things.....
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Senses have great survival value to critters lacking consciousness.
So senses came first.
Btw, I couldn't vote in your poll because my option didn't exist.
I, too didn't vote on the poll because it doesn't seem to be representitive.
Anything which has chemical receptors has a kind of sense. But not all organisms have even the most rudimentary nervous system. So unless you mean something different by 'consciousness,' then sensory capabilities evolved long before and independently from consciousness.
Anything which has chemical receptors has a kind of sense. But not all organisms have even the most rudimentary nervous system. So unless you mean something different by 'consciousness,' then sensory capabilities evolved long before and independently from consciousness.
Senses work without any need for full blown consciousness. For example our bodies can react without consciousness being involved. The brain works in a way that all the individual senses are combined to one single point of awareness.
Memory is a big part of consciousness which gives rise to going beyond a reactionary organism.
Who we are really depends on what we remember and without memory, sense awareness would simply be reactionary.
psychoslice
Veteran Member
Consciousness, or the Source, its the same thing.
FearGod
Freedom Of Mind
At what point do you think consciousness evolved and what makes an organism conscious and react accordingly?
Consciousness evolved because basic awareness already existed.
Here is an example of basic reactionary functions(lower level evolution) that have plants displaying aspects of sensory, long term memory and learning.
http://www.sci-news.com/biology/science-mimosa-plants-memory-01695.html
FearGod
Freedom Of Mind
What do you think the result would be if the senses evolved while consciousnesses didn't, do you think
the organisms would survived and evolved?
Liu
Well-Known Member
Depends on what one means by consciousness. I don't see how awareness per se could evolve from matter, so I assume it to have always existed. But one coherent consciousness combined with senses and mind, that is something that seems to be possible only due to matter being combined in a certain way and bringing the information from millions of cells together via a neural system, thereby forming a mind.
So if by consciousness self-awareness is meant, for that a mind is needed, and for that probably a body with sensual input is needed.
This also is one reason why I'm quite skeptical regarding the existence of spirits - how could there be a being having perceptions and a mind without a body to cause them?
Regarding the poll I'd rather tend to "I believe it was just kind of coincidence." but of course I don't know so I may as well vote that.
So if by consciousness self-awareness is meant, for that a mind is needed, and for that probably a body with sensual input is needed.
This also is one reason why I'm quite skeptical regarding the existence of spirits - how could there be a being having perceptions and a mind without a body to cause them?
Regarding the poll I'd rather tend to "I believe it was just kind of coincidence." but of course I don't know so I may as well vote that.
Awareness but no consciousness? Don't you need consciousness to have awareness? What's the difference between the two?
Liu
Well-Known Member
Since I alluded to this in my former post I'll reply to this question:
It's a bit difficult to describe, but I'd say awareness is this something which is one Self, the something which perceives everything - thoughts, feelings - and is but a silent watcher, only influencing by its mere presence.
(Self-)Consciousness, on the other hand, is the mind having figured out that it exists (in the sense of "I think, therefore I am") as a result of a thinking process. It is only shared by a certain number of species while awareness ('pure consciousness') might be even assumed to be present in an atom.
What is your definition of consciousness? Can a single celled organism be conscious?
A single celled organism can have the ability to detect light, or heat and react to that stimulus. Is that consciousness or an autonomic response?
I say that senses developed first. Senses that triggered an unconscious response that gave the organism a survival advantage were selected for. Senses evolved and became more subtle and complex. Consciousness evolved to better deal with the sense information. But you can see how this depends on your definition of consciousness.
(btw, you ask a question, but neither answer (senses came first or consciousness came first) is an option on your poll. What is up with that?)
In Vedanta, the philosophical part of Hinduism, the Consciousness and mind-senses are considered immortal and unborn, and intrinsic aspect of existence.
It is a matter of definition really.
Very few, except the Vedantists are open to the understanding that deep sleep state is dense-unbroken consciousness. Most talk about potential energy but they cannot come to terms with deep sleep being 'Dense Un-partitioned Consciousness', which is the precursor to Consciousnesses characterised by subject-object division in dream and in waking states.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Take away the senses. See what you have.
Take away consciousness. See what you have.
Take away consciousness. See what you have.
They are terms I like to use but your probably right. What I mean by awareness is simple awareness without the memory or being in the now. We have the ability to react to stimuli and not be conscious of it, many animals would be in a state of non-consciousness even if they seem aware. Cause I don't figure most animals can fathom what "now" entails. So I feel there is a conscious and non-conscious types of awareness.
Runewolf1973
Materialism/Animism
To sense something is to interact with the environment. To be conscious is to interact with oneself. Either way, both are forms of interaction, one being more complex or advanced than the other. Consciousness is the most highly evolved form of interaction.
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