Consciousness 5: My views on consciousness (v1.0)

I looked at consciousness a bit and wrote 4 essays in my blog. But I did not really find the subject illuminating or thinking about it too fruitful, and it did not grab my interest as a subject worth further study on my part using methods I use. 

Here are the 4 essays. 

Consciousness 1: The neural correlates of consciousness (neurological perspective) (v1.0)

Consciousness 2: Evolution and consciousness. (Evolutionary perspective) (v1.0)

Consciousness 3: Who am "I"? (Psychological and Eastern philosophical perspectives) (v1.0)

Consciousness 4: What is self-consciousness? (western philosophical perspective) (v1.0)

What is the understanding I personally took away?

I personally think that only you subjectively can know about your consciousness. 

Deducing consciousness, say of a dog looking at a mirror and gauging its reaction to his image to make inferences about its consciousness is far less persuasive. 

Is AI conscious? A google AI researcher was fired for claiming so after his interactions with goggle's AI. It was a big scandal. Trying to gauge the consciousness of an entity based on the interactions with that entity is fraught. AI can sound like real people in every way.

What is observable and deducible through interactions about somebody else's or some entities consciousness if anything? If nothing, is it even a valid study subject for scientists? Science is anchored on observations. 

Of course, if a neurologist can pinpoint how consciousness works and what it is by the study of the brain that is a valid scientific undertaking. 

And consciousness is of course a good subject for philosophers to chew on!! But I am increasingly moving away from philosophy as an area of interest since I am not good at it and cannot effectively wield its tools or apply its methods.  

But consciousness is a hugely difficult subject for both philosophers and neurologists. Also, evolution scientists have their take on it. Very hard subject all around. BUT I have no doubt I am conscious and that is workable enough for me!!! 

I know I am conscious from a western sense - the sensory consciousness and psychologist’s self-awareness. I know what I feel. I know what I sense. I know what I experience. I know what I think. I know I exist as Jayaram. 

I don’t know much about the eastern approach to it - about another non changing “true” consciousness distinct from the sensory one, that "illuminates" the sensory one. 

If as Eastern Philosophy says, there is an unchanging true self/consciousness distinct from the sensory consciousness, the absolute only person who can find it is me in myself. Rigorous training only guides and channels this self-discovery. But it is Mine and mine alone to discover by myself. Not ready to embark on this. Happy my sister does it for herself. 

Thinking, sensing, feeling and experiencing are things you just know but it is very hard to describe what is it you know. Also, self-awareness is something you just know but can’t easily describe. 

I know I am conscious. It is a very good working assumption for me to assume that other humans are too. That is the basis of social interactions, relationships, formation of societies, etc.

If only what I know about the universe is what I sense, is the universe real and what we sense, accurate? I believe it is because besides our senses, we use a huge array of instruments to sense the universe. As an example, we just see visible light, but we sense the complete electromagnetic spectrum with instruments.  

As I told a friend who was studying this, I am more a meat and potatoes guy with a diet of science, math, and demonstrable facts.