The Essence of Consciousness

Abstract

One of the open questions of science is known as "the hard problem of consciousness." Its nature, effects, and origin, are the subject of debate not only among psychologists, philosophers, and natural scientists, but also in the wider reading public. This article focuses on the ways in which consciousness influences human identity, on its source as the creative principle of life in the universe, and on its ongoing role in the historical process by which humans are transforming the earth.