Consciousness

For a fascinating critical article exploring philosophical, scientific and other perspectives on "consciousness" (including the questions and difficulties raised by these various and often conflicting perspectives) see:

"The mental block

Consciousness is the greatest, most troubling mystery in science. Don’t believe the hype: the Hard Problem is here to stay."

http://www.aeonmagazine.com/being-human/will-we-ever-get-our-heads-round-consciousness/

Some of the comments after the article are also worth perusal.