Throughout all of history, nobody has ever been able to come up with an agreed-upon answer for what consciousness is and where it comes from (Irvine 1). Before all that, let's define the word.
George Vithoulkas and Dafin F. Muresanu attempt to create a cohesive definition (primary source #2). They write that consciousness is defined as the part of the mind that processes information, understands it, and stores or disposes of it by making use of the senses, reasoning, imagination/emotion, and memory. While each of these processes have parts of the brain defined for them in neuroscience, the phenomenon itself is still under heavy debate. Additionally, they assert that moral responsibility is a part of consciousness, and because that is different for many people based on physical attributes, consciousness is likely to be at least partly based in physicalism. Lastly, recognizing the difference between the conscience (e.g. good/bad conscience) and consciousness is very important. In their own words:
con·scious·ness
/ˈkän(t)SHəsnəs/
noun
"Consciousness" is the function of the human mind that receives and processes information, crystallizes it and then stores it or rejects it with the help of the following:
- The five senses
- The reasoning ability of the mind
- Imagination and emotion
- Memory
Critique of this definition
The given definition seems to necessitate that memory, emotion, etc. are necessary to be conscious, which seems unlikely. Those who have suffered mental disorders that prevent them from forming memories, having emotions, receiving sensory input, etc. are still conscious. Additionally, it could be argued that a feeling of moral responsibility is not a required part of consciousness, again citing those with mental issues, like sociopaths. However, their argument for physicalism is valid, and certainly provides support for that argument.
Citation
Vithoulkas, G., and D. F. Muresanu. "Conscience And Consciousness: A Definition." Journal Of Medicine & Life 7.1 (2014): 104-108. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
Irvine, Ben. "The Paradoxicality Of Consciousness: A Sketch Of A Theory." Journal OfExperimental & Theoretical Artificial Intelligence 25.3 (2013): 389-405. ComputerSource. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.