Introduction

Consciousness has exercised the human mind since ancient times. Indeed, consciousness and the mind are inextricably linked. Today consciousness is viewed as a process rather than an entity. Of all the achievements of mankind investigating consciousness and the human mind is undoubtedly the most ambitious. Rita Carter says, ‘The human brain is so complex that it will probably never succeed in comprehending itself but it will never cease to try’.

The man in the street will have his own view about consciousness but we are most highly influenced by those who have studied their subject to great depth. Those who have studied different subjects have often come to conclusions which vary considerably. Some even consider that conscious experience is a delusion, therefore we will first consider these different points of view before trying to reach our own conclusions.

The impact of the world on our vision and the other senses is so impressive that few people have been inclined to question its reality. Since we do everything with our conscious experience it appears that, for the most part, our experience of our environment enables us to understand it very well. Our thinking about the world in which we live flows naturally from the experience of our senses, particularly our vision. Only occasionally do we encounter some experience which might make us query the reality of this. The relationship between the mind and the body is one such example. This is known as the epistemic gap problem and has puzzled men and women since ancient times. Despite the intransigent nature of the problem, at the end of the book we should see where the answer lies, considering many other things in passing and throwing some light on other problems.

Until recently it was assumed that philosophy had considered all the subjects that it was equipped to tackle. However, with recent developments in perceptual psychology a new field of philosophy has opened up. It is necessary to illustrate how this fits in with other relevant disciplines to complete the picture. After an introductory chapter discussing the limitations of the human mind the book considers what, by human standards, are great achievements. The approach of the book is to present the various aspects of consciousness in ways requiring as little scientific language as possible. For those readers interested in the scientific detail the bibliography is a valuable source. Beginning with the evolution of the mammalian brain, culminating in the human brain, the chapter considers the stages by which significant aspects of consciousness develop.  `how the mind develops its mental capabilities is the considered. This leads to an investigation of the structures of the brain which reductionists believe explains how it functions. The explanation of the stages and influences in the growth of individual minds is explored by the views of the developmental psychologist. This sets the scene for what follows, that is the historical development of the subject and the phases of interest and disinterest in consciousness. Individual differences such as the quality of conscious experience are described, with the evidence for this, since nobody can experience another persons consciousness directly.

Inevitably our conscious minds are influenced by, and influence, technology, particularly as societies advance. Various aspects of this interaction are therefore considered, leading naturally to the field of quantum theory with its phenomena of quantum weirdness. Quantum theory produces puzzles for the human mind but it is hoped will help clarify the functioning of the brain. Finally, in the light of all this information, the chapter on philosophy and consciousness considers what conclusions the mind on its own can reach.

Piaget was of the opinion that intellectual development could generally be put into three progressive stages. At this point you may consider whether a fourth stage can be distinguished. Great stress has been laid in this book on how the physical, such as structure, physiology and human chemistry, are intertwined with the conscious dimension. Many people are inclined to the opinion that human behaviour is dominated by our physical natures. This book will help the reader decide whether all behaviour is determined by physical factors or whether the functioning of consciousness has an influence in its own right. For example, how influential are the factors of faith and understanding, and is mysticism an intellectually viable proposition?The human race faces a very testing situation at the present time. The book therefore finishes with an afterthought.