Experiencing Consciousness

At its most basic level, the question of consciousness revolves around what makes sentient beings—like humans and animals—aware of their experiences. It’s widely accepted that the brain plays a crucial role in consciousness. For instance, when we see, hear, smell, or think, our brain is active. And if the brain is damaged, people can lose consciousness.

However, while scientists agree that the brain is involved in consciousness, the mystery lies in how exactly it produces this awareness—if it does at all. The brain is made up of about 100 billion neurons, which communicate through electrical and chemical signals. These neurons also receive input from various receptors in the body, like those in our eyes, ears, and skin. Scientists understand how these neurons transmit information, but simply transmitting information doesn’t explain consciousness.

Consciousness isn’t just about processing information; it’s about experiencing it. For example, when we see a color or feel a touch, we don’t just recognize it—we experience it in a conscious way. This gap between understanding brain function and understanding consciousness is what theorists call the “explanatory gap.” While we know a lot about how the brain works, we still know very little about how it creates the conscious experience.

This mystery sets consciousness apart from other scientific puzzles. Not only do we lack explanations for how consciousness arises, but we also struggle to even imagine what a satisfactory explanation might look like.

Some recent theories have tried to connect consciousness with quantum physics. One idea suggests that consciousness might arise from the brain’s ability to integrate information from different senses into a single experience. But even this doesn’t explain why we have conscious experiences at all.

The difficulty in solving the mystery of consciousness has led some scientists and philosophers to propose that we might be thinking about it all wrong. They suggest that our fundamental assumptions about the brain could be incorrect.

A few experts have even proposed that consciousness might not originate in the brain at all. Instead, they suggest that consciousness exists outside of us—like a force of nature such as gravity or electromagnetism—and that our brains simply tap into and use this external consciousness.

On the other hand, some scientists believe that consciousness is just an extraordinarily complex process that we don’t fully understand yet. They think that with more research and knowledge, we will eventually solve the puzzle.

Consciousness remains one of the most profound mysteries, blending science, philosophy, and even quantum physics, as we continue to search for answers to this deeply complex phenomenon.