What is Awareness?

Aug 20, 2006 10:06 AM

Pink :

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Awareness as in accumulating knowledge of what it is that controls one's life?
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What a novel idea?
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:)

Aug 20, 2006 1:41 PM

Jerry Lopper :

I don't know that I'd use the word controls; perphaps I'd say ...of what it is that is going on in one's life, or ...of what it is that triggers behaviors in one's life.

Aug 20, 2006 2:08 PM

Pink :

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Do you mean the knowledge or the awareness <i>"triggers behaviors in one's life."</i>?
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Aug 21, 2006 5:34 AM

Jerry Lopper :

Behaviors stem from beliefs. So it's what we believe about events, people, etc. that triggers our behaviors.

Awareness helps us to monitor behaviors and the beliefs that triggered them by raising consciousness. Once conscious of the process, we can reflect on our behaviors and (hopefully) recognize the underlying belief(s) that triggered or sponsored the behavior(s).

Aug 21, 2006 8:12 AM

Pink :

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So, indirectly, you are saying that beliefs control behaviors.
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Beyond that, when we are aware of THAT reality, we are able to put ourselves in a position to question our behaviors in such a way that we might be able to further question our beliefs?
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I'm thinking about the similarities between lifetime presuppositions and long term goals. Humans tend to believe in presuppositions in the same way they believe in their goals. It's an hypothecation. Are you aware of any studies on the subject?
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Aug 22, 2006 4:35 AM

Jerry Lopper :

Yes, I'm saying that beliefs cause behaviors; behaviors result from beliefs.

How does a presupposition differ from a belief? I don't see a distinction.

Goals do relate to beliefs (presuppositions?) in that we will only strive to accomplish something that aligns with our beliefs. Goals are an end point, a target destination, for some new or modified behavior. But still related to beliefs.

If I have a goal to reach a certain weight, which requires that I eat smaller portions, less fat, etc., the goal and my eating behavior modification must be supported by a belief that the target weight is better form my health, or I'll feel better about myself, or be more attractive, etc.

Aug 19, 2008 3:29 PM

Guest :

Evolutionary awareness must have occured at some point, but this awareness absolutely cannot be the awareness that allows energy and matter to literally observe itself.

Because everything in the universe is really limited by this:

1. Energy and matter only move or have the potential to move.
2. Energy and matter only transform or have the ability to transform.
3. Despite what one's subjectivity tells them, transformation only changes the shape, the way something moves, and the way something affects something else.

That makes the entire physical universe limited to movement, or rather, location over different dimensions.

So, yes, energy and matter can organize itself into an intelligent being over a long series of processes, and later gain an evolutionary awareness, that is a collaberation of cells working together to make an animal feel centered, thus giving it the desire to defend itself.

How we as human beings can comprehend being does in fact make sense with all the brain cells we have, but the fact that we actually do have an awareness is bizzare, and somewhat irrelevant to science, other than the fact that we can observe that its here.