What is Consciousness:
As awareness It defines the knowledge that an individual has of his thoughts, feelings and actions. As such, the word comes from Latin consciousand this in turn is a calque of the Greek συνείδησις (syneídesis), composed of the prefix συν- (syn-), which means ‘with’, and είδησις (eídesis), which translates ‘knowledge’, that is: with knowledge.
The awareness It is the ability of human beings to recognize themselves, to have knowledge and perception of their own existence and their environment. In this sense, consciousness is associated with mental activity that implies control by the individual over their senses. Thus, one conscious person is the one who has knowledge of what is happening with her and her environment, while the unconsciousness It means that the person is not able to perceive what is happening to them or what is happening around them.
On the other hand, awareness It also has a connotation as to sense of duty, as a reflection on behavior and one’s own actions. Hence, it also has an ethical character, since it allows the individual to distinguish between what is good and what is bad, so that when acting he can conduct himself according to his moral values.
Consciousness or consciousness?
When to write awareness and when consciousness? The doubt about whether these words are interchangeable in all cases is common, however, there are contexts where this is not possible. For example, when we want to use them in a moral sensereferring to the ability to discern between good and bad, between right and wrong, what is accepted is to use the form awareness: “After what the president did, his awareness “He’s not going to leave him alone.” On the other hand, when used with the sense of perception or knowledgeboth forms can be used, although the use of the simpler writing is recommended awareness: “He drives as if he had no awareness of the risks.”
Moral conscience
The moral conscience It is the one that tells us if the actions or attitudes we take are correct or incorrect. As such, moral conscience is supported by the set of moral values held by the individual. Values are what guide the behavior and actions of people, and those who are governed by them try to act well, correctly, in accordance with their principles. The absence of values, on the contrary, implies a void of conscience according to which the individual will not feel compelled to act in this or that way. For his part, he who, despite acting conscientiously, acts badly, begins to experience what we call guilty conscience.
Historical consciousness
The historical consciousness It is one that allows an individual to perceive himself as involved in a collective future, participating in a particular moment in time and in the history of a society. As such, the historical consciousness It gives the person the ability to understand that everything that happens today is the result of a set of actions carried out in the past. In this sense, the historically conscious individual is also capable of realizing that his own actions and those of others who coexist with him in his time will have consequences in the future on the lives of other people.
Consciousness in Psychology
For the Psychologyas awareness It is called the act by which a person is able to perceive himself in the world. In this sense, consciousness implies the fact that an individual becomes aware of what is happening around him, outside of the Self, as a result of a set of reflections on his own actions and the realities present in his environment. .
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