Consciousness as a Characteristic of the Human Being as a Whole: Elements of a New Approach

This article outlines a conception of human consciousness that regards the consciousness of a person as a characteristic of the person as a whole—reflecting her entire experience and being, both on a day-to-day basis and over her entire life This has three general aspects. First, the consciousness of the individual as he experiences it continuously throughout his life is inseparable from his “I,” and the individual may be regarded as “a single consciousness-and-‘I’ from childhood to old age.” Second, there is present in the individual something like “the Larger Mind of the Society and Culture” in which the individual grew up and lives, called “the Larger Mind of the Society in that individual” (cf. C. H. Cooley). And third, there are in the individual’s consciousness “fundamental metaphysical (ontological and epistemological) feelings,” “feelings of what is truth” in connection with life, the universe, and existence. The last section puts this overall approach in perspective in relation to the existing literature.