Zeman Adam
Peninsula Medical School, Mardon Neurorehabilitation Unit, Exeter, UK.
Neuropsychol Rehabil. 2006 Aug;16(4):356-76. doi: 10.1080/09602010500484581.
The concepts of consciousness and awareness are multifaceted, and steeped in cultural and intellectual history. This paper explores their complexities by way of a series of contrasts: (1) states of consciousness, such as wakefulness and sleep are contrasted with awareness, a term that picks out the contents of consciousness: these range across all our psychological capacities; the scientific background of the two concepts is briefly outlined; (2) consciousness is contrasted to self-consciousness, itself a complex term embracing self-detection, self-monitoring, self-recognition, theory of mind and self-knowledge; (3) "narrow" and "broad" senses of consciousness are contrasted, the former requiring mature human awareness capable of guiding action and self-report, the latter involving the much broader capacity to acquire and exploit knowledge; (4) an "inner" conception of consciousness, by which awareness is essentially private and beyond the reach of scientific scrutiny, is contrasted with an "outer" conception which allows that consciousness is intrinsically linked with capacities for intelligent behaviour; (5) finally "easy" and "hard" questions of consciousness are distinguished, the former involving the underlying neurobiology of wakefulness and awareness, the latter the allegedly more mysterious process by which biological processes generate experience: Whether this final distinction is valid is a focus of current debate. Varied interests converge on the study of consciousness from the sciences and the humanities, creating scope for interdisciplinary misunderstandings, but also for a fruitful dialogue. Health professionals treating disorders of consciousness should be aware both of its scientific complexities and of its broad cultural background, which influences the public understanding of these conditions.
意识和觉知的概念是多方面的，且深深植根于文化和思想史之中。本文通过一系列对比来探讨它们的复杂性：（1）意识状态，如清醒和睡眠，与觉知形成对比，觉知这个术语指的是意识的内容：这些内容涵盖了我们所有的心理能力；简要概述了这两个概念的科学背景；（2）意识与自我意识形成对比，自我意识本身是一个复杂的术语，包含自我检测、自我监控、自我识别、心理理论和自我认知；（3）对比了意识的“狭义”和“广义”，前者要求具备能够指导行动和自我报告的成熟人类觉知，后者涉及获取和利用知识的更广泛能力；（4）意识的“内在”概念，即觉知本质上是私密的且超出科学审视范围，与“外在”概念形成对比，后者认为意识与智能行为能力有着内在联系；（5）最后区分了意识的“简单”和“困难”问题，前者涉及清醒和觉知的潜在神经生物学，后者涉及生物过程产生体验的据称更神秘的过程：这最后一个区分是否有效是当前辩论的焦点。来自科学和人文领域的各种兴趣点都汇聚到对意识的研究上，这既产生了跨学科误解的空间，但也为富有成效的对话创造了机会。治疗意识障碍的健康专业人员应该既了解其科学复杂性，也了解其广泛的文化背景，因为这种背景会影响公众对这些病症的理解。
