26 ■ FLOWtion of consciousness is phenomenological in that it deals directly with
events—phenomena—as we experience and interpret them, rather than
focusing on the anatomical structures, neurochemical processes, or un
conscious purposes that make these events possible. Of course, it is
understood that whatever happens in the mind is the result of electro
chemical changes in the central nervous system, as laid down over
millions of years by biological evolution. But phenomenology assumes
that a mental event can be best understood if we look at it directly as
it was experienced, rather than through the specialized optics of a
particular discipline. Yet in contrast to pure phenomenology, which
intentionally excludes any other theory or science from its method, the
model we will explore here adopts principles from information theory as
being relevant for understanding what happens in consciousness. These
principles include knowledge about how sensory data are processed,
stored, and used—the dynamics of attention and memory.
With this framework in mind, what, then, does it mean to be
conscious? It simply means that certain specific conscious events (sensa
tions, feelings, thoughts, intentions) are occurring, and that we are able
to direct their course. In contrast, when we are dreaming, some of the
same events are present, yet we are not conscious because we cannot
control them. For instance, I may dream of having received news of a
relative’s being involved in an accident, and I may feel very upset. I
might think, “I wish I could be of help.” Despite the fact that I perceive,
feel, think, and form intentions in the dream, I cannot act on these
processes (by making provisions for checking out the truthfulness of the
news, for example) and hence, I am not conscious. In dreams we are
locked into a single scenario we cannot change at will. The events that
constitute consciousness—the “things” we see, feel, think, and desire—
are information that we can manipulate and use. Thus we might think
of consciousness as intentionally ordered information.
This dry definition, accurate as it is, does not fully suggest the
importance of what it conveys. Since for us outside events do not exist
unless we are aware of them, consciousness corresponds to subjectively
experienced reality. While everything we feel, smell, hear, or remember
is potentially a candidate for entering consciousness, the experiences
that actually do become part of it are much fewer than those left out.
Thus, while consciousness is a mirror that reflects what our senses tell
us about what happens both outside our bodies and within the nervous
system, it reflects those changes selectively, actively shaping events,
imposing on them a reality of its own. The reflection consciousness
provides is what we call our life: the sum of all we have heard, seen, felt,