Consciousness is an intensively studied system of cognitive-computational processes, which in humans manifests on multiple levels: from the basic phenomenal awareness, the capacity for which we share with all sentient beings, to the collective culture and social consciousness that are unique to us.
In my talk, I will outline the emerging understanding of the levels of consciousness: the selfless sentience; the self as a tool of behavioral control; the self-consciousness made possible by language; and the dynamics of societies of selves. Along the way, I will show how conscience, or the internalization of societal norms, makes possible generic predisposition to cooperation and prosocial behavior, and how education for solidarity and class consciousness is the key to escaping the trap of the currently dominant political-economic system, capitalism, which threatens the very survival of the planetary ecosystem and of all the species that call it home.
Speaker
Shimon Edelman
Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and the author of several books, including most recently “Life, Death, and Other Inconvenient Truths” (2020) and “The Consciousness Revolutions: From Amoeba Awareness to Human Emancipation” (2023).
Recent publications
