The problem of consciousness definition

In most of the intro psych textbooks, the definition of consciousness is woefully inaccurate. I often hear the definition as something like “Awareness of our selves and our environment.” ACK! That is way to limited and vague. Of course, a reasonable treatment of consciousness requires more than a 40-page textbook chapter.

The blog Developing Intelligence offers a link to an article that provides an interesting taxonomy for defining consciousness.

Developing Consciousness: Are you conscious? 17 criteria for consciousness:

A recent article by Seth, Baars & Edelman argues for a core set of 17 properties that are characteristic of consciousness, and could be used in the “diagnosis” of consciousness in humans and other animals.

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Dana C. Leighton, Ph.D.

I am a social psychologist, broadly interested in the psychological basis of peace and conflict. I am working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a Program Analyst, leading our survey research to better understand how our disaster response is promoting equity in service delivery, workforce readiness, and recovery and mitigation efforts.

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