The ability to evaluate the surrounding world, draw conclusions about it and take certain actions is directly related to consciousness. It is this that is the basis of all human cognitive activity, it is thanks to consciousness that humanity has reached all current heights.
The exact definition of consciousness still does not exist. According to one of the interpretations, consciousness is the ability of a person to assess his state and characteristics of the world around him and to take certain actions based on the analysis of the incoming information.
Traditionally, consciousness is inextricably linked with the thought process. “I think, therefore I am,” the French philosopher Descartes said at one time. And he was right, because it is thinking that makes a person who he is, allows him to consider situations from different angles, draw certain conclusions and act in accordance with them.
How a person learns the world
Modern man thinks in words, but this is nothing more than a habit. You can think in images, this way of thinking is much faster and more accurate. Moreover, thinking in images is inherent in every person, just the habit of thinking in words usually takes over.
The most important quality of a person as a conscious being is the ability to analyze the emerging situation. Which, in turn, allows him to learn about the world and gain experience. The process of cognition is especially evident in children - when faced with a world that is still unfamiliar to him, the child actively explores it. What is it - so beautiful, purring? Touch, touch … Soft, fluffy. Ay !!! And scratching so painfully!
So the child learns that the cat not only purrs pleasantly, but can also scratch. All other cognitive processes take place in a similar way, the differences are quite insignificant. Somewhere the object of research can be touched, somewhere only observed, in some cases its characteristics can be judged only by indirect signs. Regardless of this, a person's consciousness is actively looking for opportunities to understand, comprehend, understand. Solve existing riddles, transfer something incomprehensible to the rank of known, studied.
Consciousness patterns
It would seem that a person's consciousness provides him with all the opportunities for effective cognitive activity. But in practice, a serious difficulty arises associated with one of the features of the work of consciousness - the creation of patterns of perception by it.
Remember, you probably had to find yourself in a situation where the light in the apartment is turned off, but when you enter the room, out of habit, you reach for the switch. At the same time, you know that there is no light. This is just one example of how templates work, the most trivial. But there are many templates in a person's life. Some of them are useful, survival directly depends on them. For example, the driver automatically reacts to traffic signals and changes in the situation on the road, all this is deposited in his mind at the level of reflexes. He doesn't need to think to make the right decision.
Working for survival, patterns of consciousness at the same time limit the cognitive ability of a person. They deprive him of the opportunity to doubt certain familiar things, do not give him a fresh look at the world. An example familiar to many: in an apartment there is a quartz watch, each second movement of the hand is accompanied by a rather loud click. You can listen - and not hear these clicks, consciousness blocks them like an unnecessary extraneous sound. To hear the clock, sometimes you have to make significant efforts - at some point, the sound suddenly becomes audible again, literally bursts into the ears.
The ability to look at the world with a fresh look plays a very important role in the processes of cognition. Well-known brainstorming sessions, during which participants are allowed to express even the most delusional ideas, are a good example of breaking down perception stereotypes. Without being bound by restrictions, people put forward a variety of ideas, some of which turn out to be revolutionary.
The more liberated the consciousness is, the more effective the process of cognition. Anyone who is able to look at the world with a fresh look will always find a lot of new and unknown, make the most amazing discoveries.
