Consciousness

Abstract

Abstract Consciousness refers to a general state of a person; it is a particular capability found in living systems. Consciousness is at the center of the study of both objective and subjective experience; to experience existence is to be conscious. Fundamentally, consciousness is subjectively experienced from the first-person perspective. This chapter introduces the study of consciousness. It reviews the history of the study of consciousness, current concepts of consciousness, consciousness from an evolutionary standpoint, various concepts of consciousness and the brain, consciousness and memory, and the relationship between sleep and consciousness. It also reviews clinical situations in which consciousness is affected, and it summarizes recent views on the neurobiology of consciousness.