Consciousness
 

What is it?

if you have to ask. you'll never know

No need to be an arse, i recently had a lecture on it and was just interested in other peoples takes on it.

l'innomable

What exactly the argument of ambiguity of what is consciousness?

Wikipedia gives this definition:

Consciousness is a type of mental state, a way of perceiving, particularly the perception of a relationship between self and other. It has been described as a point of view, an I, or what Thomas Nagel called the existence of "something that it is like" to be something.

I think every definition of consciousness inevitably becomes circular. Anything you can use to define consciousness must already exist within the consciousness you are defining, so essentially consciousness consumes everything. What is a "mental state"? What is a perception, or a way of perceiving? These things cannot be defined without some reference to consciousness. Therefore, consciousness cannot be defined, it defines. It cannot be reduced, it reduces. It is everything and nothing. Om.

consciousness is everything.

Actually... it is because you ask, that you then do know...

Also depends on how you categorize sensation (body vs. mind) and how that difference belongs to an individual pattern of experience.

sorry i was having a RHCP / louis armstrong moment. i still stand by my original comment but i should have elaborated.

when i say 'if you have to ask, you'll never know' it's because all you'll really get is other people's beliefs and opinions which will never really be your own answer, right?

in my view if someone wants a 'real' answer to one of life's big questions they need to be able to provide it to themselves. that ability becomes a reflection of their consciousness in my eyes, otherwise they're just a pedantic memory trick.

i guess you could call it individual metaphysical potential.