Then I Am Myself the World summary

So, what do we mean by “consciousness?”

According to the neurophysiologist Christof Koch, who’s spent decades studying consciousness, it boils down to this – experience. To be conscious is to experience things.

As conscious beings, we have so many different types of experiences. Let’s go through some of them now, so we can appreciate just how complex and amazing our consciousness really is.

First off, we have the obvious – the five senses of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste, which help us to experience the world.

We also have our imagination, though the ability to imagine and visualize things can vary hugely from person to person.

Another form of consciousness is something called interoceptive precepts – experiences associated with physical sensors. They keep us anchored in the physical word, and keep us alive. Hunger, for instance – it tells us that we need to eat.

Then we have emotions – the basics like anger and anxiety, as well as more complex, composite states like saudade – a Portuguese word that captures the longing for something that’s been lost forever.

But senses and emotions only form part of our conscious experience. We also have self-awareness, and meta-consciousness – the ability to reflect on an experience. 

Then there’s dreaming, daydreaming, and zoning out. Our minds are constantly wandering.

Finally, we have another category of conscious experience that relates to the loss of self. This can happen through flow state, meditation, or something more extreme, like a psychedelic trip, or even a near-death experience.

These states of consciousness are particularly interesting, so we’ll look at them in more depth later.

But for now, let’s take a moment to appreciate how incredible it is to be conscious at all. We all have an intimate understanding of what life feels like.

Which leads us to another question. Do you and I experience life in the same way? Do we share the same reality? 

The short, and maybe surprising answer, is “no.”