Comparison of such philosophical categories as consciousness and being is one of the main problems of philosophical theories and has many approaches to the study. In general, we can say that consciousness as a category of being is defined as a set of subjective images of the objective surrounding reality, thus creating a subjective reality.
Problems and features of consciousness as a category of being
In philosophical teachings, being is defined as an objective reality that exists independently of a person's consciousness. At the same time, being includes not only material reality, but also the result of a person's creative thinking, which, through the prism of his own worldview and attitude, creates an immaterial reality - a separate form of being. Thus, consciousness is the mental activity of a person, reflecting objective reality, i.e. being.
Consciousness as a person's ability to think and reason allows him to set goals and objectives, make choices, perceive incoming information from his point of view and draw appropriate conclusions, carry out constructive and creative activities. As a result of all these processes, human consciousness creates for him an individual reality - objective being. The concept of "objective being" is associated with the sensory perception of the world.
Consciousness as a form of being can be individual and social. The main properties of consciousness are the following: idealism, creativity, expediency, planning, awareness, controlled activity. The main feature of consciousness, which forms objective being, is the ability of a person to be aware not only of the surrounding reality, but also of himself as an individual.
Approaches to the study of consciousness as a category of being
There are two extreme scientific approaches to the problem of consciousness as a category of being:
- solipsism considers the consciousness of a person as the only reliable reality from his point of view, and the surrounding reality is considered as a result of the consciousness of the individual;
- physicalism defines consciousness as a product of being, and the independent existence of individual reality is denied.
The following directions of definition of consciousness are distinguished in relation to the category of being:
- the source of consciousness is the external material and spiritual world, reflected in the consciousness of a person by certain sensory images;
- Consciousness is defined as a result of a person's perception of the socio-cultural environment, forming the principles and aesthetic norms of a person;
- consciousness is identified with the inner spiritual world of a person, i.e. defined as the sum of an individual's unique experience.
- the source of consciousness is the informational cosmic field, the link of which is consciousness.
