The Philosophical Concept of “consciousness”

Zarathushtra, a visionary giant, must be credited as the father of modern philosophical thought and opinions. Through his poetic hymns he transmits the prophetic notions of his Divine Revelation, leaving behind words of profound psycho-social significance, which have triggered off an endless chain of philosophical discussions on the matters of the mind and human conscious senses. The modern meaning of the word “Consciousness” is perceived differently in different disciplines. For the philosophical purpose of this paper let us make the meaning simple. The most fundamental aspect of “Consciousness” is the ability to sense existence/being. It is a notion that is recognised with the world around us and in our personal experience. It, naturally, follows on the appraisal that accompanies the experience of existence. The core sense of being “Conscious” involves a subjective condition of Access Consciousness, which occurs when we are able to access /to perceive through our senses the world around us in a generalised state of alertness or arousal. We are, therefore, able to respond /to imagine i.e. when we are not in deep sleep, in coma or under anaesthesia. Another form, a Phenomenal Consciousness occurs when we are aware that we have a subjective experience or feeling of phenomena /happenings /events around us. A third sense of (Objective) Consciousness is the awareness of a particular object or event of a conscious state. Zarathushtra’s words impart a clear insight into the reality of being. His concept of Reality is a physical world (‘out there’) of perceptual consciousness, which truly exists as our personal presence on earth. It is a clear notion of a lively, pulsatile, thriving entity – our being /our body /our person/our Self (Tanu), possessing the most superior (among all other pulsatile and moving creatures) thinking processes. The complex mental interaction of our bodily nervous system recognises the world, outside the body, impinging on it. Our superior thoughts, naturally, rationalise and induce involvement in life matters through meaningful experiences, which, in turn, build up, within, the quantum of awareness resulting in the attainment of SelfKnowledge leading to a Clear Insight. Such life experiences lead to the formation of a pleasant memory, which sharpens the Intellect, enriches the life of the person and society and adds to the development of the Personality, which is the Individuality – a composite of our physical self and our Immaterial Self. As time passes, regular Self-Appraisals (decision making by the rational evaluation of the Self /commitment of choice by the Individuality) are bound to follow in the rationally thinking mind. Silently, the imbibed aura of Self-Knowledge begins to permeate (as it were, seep) through to influence and contribute to the rich evolutionary purpose of our consciously experienced existence. Zarathushtra, clearly, has it no other way since he sees nothing illusory in life. Allow me to discuss each of these evolutionary stages of our Self in the process of our growth, consciousness and existence: -