Dynamics Of Consciousness: Tributaries Of a Conscious Mind

Abstract

Consciousness is one of the most elusive aspects of the human mind. The mysteries raised by its puzzling nature have been analyzed and scrutinized by philosophers, neuroscientists, and psychologists alike for many centuries. This paper will analyze many of the scientific and philosophical theories and ideas that have been postulated to explain the nature of consciousness. The theories included consider a range of possible constituents of consciousness, including structures within the brain, neural correlates of consciousness, qualia, the Global Neuronal Workspace, evolutionary factors, and more. This essay also takes into account how studying disorders of consciousness can give insight into how consciousness functions. This information is used to support the idea that consciousness is best understood by studying it in terms of the factors that influence it, and that it cannot be examined effectively when it is isolated as a static concept. The goal of this paper is to lend evidence to the idea that consciousness is a dynamic and fluid process that consists of many states, and is influenced by many internal and external factors.