Elusive Consciousness

SR No.: 007004
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Narendra Bhandari, Surendrasingh Pokharana, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 2015
Total Pages: 150
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

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Preface
The problem of consciousness has occupied the human mind ever since people started understanding the difference between the living beings and non-living bodies. There are two terms used in Indian philosophy to understand this concept. They are chetna and aatma. Their equivalent terms in English are consciousness and soul. However, in the modern science, as the term used is consciousness which is interpreted mostly as chetna or awareness but many times this is interpreted as soul also. Consciousness is also used in the context of anesthesia to be given before carrying out a surgical operation. The concept of consciousness has been extensively discussed in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism from various view points. Similar is the case in western philosophy where Socrates, Plato and Aristotle have also dealt with it in great detail. With the development of science in general and concept of reductionism in particular, need for a separate entity like soul different from matter has been questioned. But a concept of consciousness or awareness has become very popular. The researches in the fields of anesthelogy, yoga and mediation in general and developments of technologies like Electro Cardiogram (ECG) and Electro Encephalogram (EEG) have brought new meanings to the concept of consciousness. The models of brain and search of neurons and synapses and power of their connectivity have provided a new dimension to the concept of consciousness. Similarly the detection of four different types of electric waves like Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta waves in the brain have provided even more insight into this concept and has established that the gamma wave pattern (frequency in the range of 40-80 Hz per second) is closely related with consciousness.
A totally new twist was given to the concept of consciousness with the advancement of quantum physics, which showed that smallest particles of matter like electrons, photons and other particles behave both like waves as well as particles (e.g. the famous double slit experiment), depending on the type of experimental set up used to observe a predefined characteristic, that is if the experiment is set up to observe their wave aspect, then the wave aspect will be observed and if the experiment is set up to observe the particle aspect then particle aspect will be observed. The decision to observe a given property is entirely determined by the state of the mind of the experimenter, which is, in turn, determined by his state of consciousness. In recent times, concept of quantum physics has been also used to explain the phenomenon of consciousness itself.
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