Consciousness
The subjective state of one's awareness and knowing β our personal version of the universe. Indescribable. Cannot be measured, verified, or transferred.
How We Say It
konΒ·shΙsΒ·nΙs
Where It Comes From
From Latin conscius β knowing with. From com- (with) + scire (to know). Originally implied shared knowledge. The introspective sense β awareness of one's own mental states β was developed by John Locke in the late 17th century as a foundational philosophical term.
How It's Been Used
Central to philosophy of mind, neuroscience, and the unresolved 'hard problem' of how subjective experience arises from physical processes. Used loosely to mean awareness or presence. Expanded in social movements β 'consciousness raising,' 'class consciousness' β to mean recognition of structural conditions one had previously taken for granted.