Humans attribute consciousness to animals but not generally to plants or minerals.
But even then we have only a vague notion of what consciousness actually is.
Obviously, consciousness suggests an awareness of our environment but this is also true of plants and microbes. Indeed, all living things needs environmental awareness if they are to continue to survive and thrive in this world. The question is: can this awareness be mechanical and blind, like a robot a human may construct, or is it more likely to be an awareness that is experienced by a sentient "I".
Another question is: is consciousness an attribute of being or is consciousness effectively the being itself. Many spiritual teachings point to objectless awareness as being the true nature of the self. But perhaps consciousness is but an attribute of self/being.
It is also said that there is "no self" (see Buddhism) but this generally refers to the notion of self that is constructed in the mind by a self-aware entity rather than the spacious awareness we mentioned earlier.
But even then we have only a vague notion of what consciousness actually is.
Obviously, consciousness suggests an awareness of our environment but this is also true of plants and microbes. Indeed, all living things needs environmental awareness if they are to continue to survive and thrive in this world. The question is: can this awareness be mechanical and blind, like a robot a human may construct, or is it more likely to be an awareness that is experienced by a sentient "I".
Another question is: is consciousness an attribute of being or is consciousness effectively the being itself. Many spiritual teachings point to objectless awareness as being the true nature of the self. But perhaps consciousness is but an attribute of self/being.
It is also said that there is "no self" (see Buddhism) but this generally refers to the notion of self that is constructed in the mind by a self-aware entity rather than the spacious awareness we mentioned earlier.