So What is Consciousness, Really?: What is Consciousness?

Experts are quoted below. To summarize their reports:

• The belief that consciousness is something within the human brain (epiphenomenalism) is an outdated and scientifically disproven worldview, but it continues to be espoused by some, including some scientists.
• Consciousness is the “fabric of the universe.”
• It is a “primary principle of existence,” a “universal phenomenon.”
• It is the “eternal driving force for all that exists.”

Notably, these definitions are virtually identical to the definitions of aether (also called Quintessence, The Field, Space, The Void, Akasha, The Universe and Spirit).

Fabric of the Universe

Defining consciousness is a challenge. While some people describe it as awareness, others equate it with spirit. Even scientists disagree, with many believing consciousness results from brain activity while others describe it in an opposite sense, as a fabric of the universe that pervades all sentient (and perhaps non-sentient) beings. – Consciousness and Healing Initiative (CHI)

A Primary Principle of Existence

The findings of my research and contemporary consciousness research in general… are in radical conflict with the most fundamental assumptions of materialistic science concerning consciousness, human nature, and the nature of reality. They clearly indicate that consciousness is not a product of the brain, but a primary principle of existence, and that it plays a critical role in the creation of the phenomenal [experienced] world. – Stanislav Grof M.D., Ph.D.

The Eternal Driving Force for All That Exists

Consciousness, once thought to be only the product of brain chemistry, is now viewed as the eternal driving force for all that exists, that manifests itself through physical form in order to experience. – Edward F. Malkowski (ch. 2)