All this fuss about consciousness

Brigitte raises an interest point about consciousness (based on this article:
http://www.slate.com/id/2275645/pagenum/all/ )

The writer here is going on about the 'problem' of what he describes as big-C consciousness - ie the consciousness beyond that mental phenomenon that neuro-scientists study.

Like many experts in this field, he refers to "inside" and "outside" consciousness - meaning the consciousness you experience and the consciousness that can be observed (by a third party). Yet like almost all the well-known experts in his field, he has no idea of what he is talking about. I don't mean that assessment to be as harsh as it sounds, but it is true that they have no idea. No one has any idea.

First, because they're dealing with a topic that that has never been adequately or even approximately described or defined. Second, the "inside" and "outside" perspectives they write about are virtually the same -- both "me" perspectives; either the experiencer, or me the third party observer.

Many, or perhaps most long term meditators, implicitly understand that BOTH of these perspectives are "outside".
The meditator understands that the pure experience of consciousness - which many of us know and experience on a regular, sustainable and predictable basis - has nothing to do with cognition, concepts, emotion, illusion, delusion, and certainly nothing to do with philosophy.

I could tell you what it does have something to do with. But if I do that I'll never finish my book on the topic.

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