Final answer:
Consciousness is our awareness of internal and external stimuli, experienced as a continuum from full alertness to deep sleep. Various levels of consciousness include wakefulness, dreaming, and altered states due to substances or meditation. The purpose and emergence of consciousness remain subjects of philosophical and scientific inquiry.
Step-by-step explanation:
What is Consciousness?
Consciousness is our awareness of internal and external stimuli. Internal stimuli include things like hunger, pain, and emotions, whereas external stimuli encompass the sensory experience of the environment around us, such as sights and sounds. The discussion about consciousness often involves understanding the different levels of awareness we experience, from being fully alert to deep sleep states.
Levels of Consciousness
We navigate through various states of consciousness regularly. This can be a continuum where at one end, we have full awareness during wakefulness, and at the other, we have low awareness levels during deep sleep. Other states such as daydreaming or intoxication show different levels of consciousness too. How conscious we are can be affected by our biological rhythms, such as circadian rhythms, which regulate our sleep-wake cycles.
Preventing unwanted changes in consciousness involves maintaining a healthy sleep routine, avoiding substance abuse, and managing stress levels. Consciousness is not something we acquire but an inherent aspect of our experience as humans. The question of 'how to get it' is therefore not applicable, as we all possess consciousness by virtue of being alive and sentient. The presence of consciousness allows us to interpret and respond to our world in sophisticated ways.
The Problem of Consciousness
Philosophers and scientists have long debated the true essence of consciousness and why it exists. Christof Koch suggests that consciousness encompasses all we experience, including the intangible phenomena known as qualia—the individual instances of subjective, conscious experience, such as the pain of a toothache or the love for a child.