Final answer:
The integration theory of consciousness pertains to our experiences and awareness of self and the environment, questioning the emergence and purpose of consciousness. It is akin to a system feature of the brain and is central to understanding the continuous flow of thoughts, sensations, and dreams.
Step-by-step explanation:
The integration theory of consciousness explores the complex phenomenon that allows us to experience and be aware of the world around us and ourselves. Consciousness, as defined by thinkers like Christof Koch and in sources such as the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, encompasses not only direct experiences, like a tune stuck in your head or the pain of a toothache, but also the awareness and understanding of these experiences. The theory seeks to explain not only what consciousness is, but importantly why it exists and how it emerged.
Consciousness is likened to a system feature of the brain, in the same way liquidity is to water. The entire system, not just a part of it, contributes to the conscious experience. This system feature leads to our awareness of both internal stimuli (thoughts, emotions, physiological sensations) and external stimuli (sights, sounds, and interactions). The concept of the stream of consciousness, or the continuous flow of thoughts and sensations, is a crucial aspect of this theory.
Famous theorists and philosophers have offered explanations for consciousness, linking it to the hard problem of consciousness which addresses why and how subjective experiences arise from physical brain processes. This enigmatic question is one of the central problems in the fields of philosophy and cognitive science. Dreams are another aspect of consciousness, where it is proposed by individuals like Michio Kaku that dreaming involves testing and establishing relationships between information in memory.