Consciousness
Q: Is everthing conscious?
A: The apparent fact that only specific brain circuits are associated with consciousness suggests that consciousness is not a universal quality of matter. On the other hand, brain mechanisms limit consciousness. Were this not the case, our capacity for conscious processing would be totally overwhelmed.
A: Many individuals suffering from ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder) are unable to effectively screen out extraneous stimuli (e..g, sights, sounds, thoughts) resulting in attention being pulled every which way. Delirium is similiar. In both instances, effective frunctioning is greatly hampered. Insomnia is the inability to reduce all consciousness.
A: There is probably minimal or no consciousness during certain non-dreaming stages of sleep. Most, but unfortunately not all people are not conscious during surgery. Because their muscles are paralyzed they are unable to communicate their plight. It is presumed that this horrendous problem could be prevented by EEG monitoring during surgery. However, what is often done is drugs to prevent memory of being awake during surgery are often administered along with the anesthesia.
The intensity of consciousness varies.
A: To alter an old saying, nothing intensifies consciousness like a walk to the gallows. Threat, opportunity and novelty intensify consciousness. Most of us experienced the sensory world much more intensely when we were children and everything was novel.
A: Yes. As novelty becomes old hat we habituate and no longer orient to the stimuli.
Q: Why is consciousness reduced?
A: Conservation of limited processing power and conservation of energy. Consciousness costs energy. The additional brain function associated with consciousness is expensive. To emphasize this, gram for gram, brain can cost 22 times as much energy as muscle.
In addition, once an effective routine is developed, conscious tinkering with the response runs the risk of doing more harm than good. Think of the proverbial caterpillar who could not walk when thinking about its legs, or you struggling to recite a phone number that you routinely dial automatically.
Q: Does consciousness serve a function?
A: Since consciousness costs energy, if it didn't serve a useful function it would not exist.
A: Consciousness underlies all pleasure, all ecstasy as well as horrendous unspeakable agony. It therefore seems probable that these carrots and sticks serve a function, which may be related to the more obvious function of over riding automatic responses and enabling the generation of novel responses. Other complex systems function similarly. Modern aircraft and manned spacecraft operate on autopilot unless a novel situation arises, at which point a pilot takes over.