Sociology

Harres conception of consciousness is a derivative of Wittgenstein theory of language game. According to him, consciousness is a manifest relation between a person and an intentional object. In Wittgensteins framework, consciousness is a definitive pattern in which things are animated as persons. Characteristically, consciousness is only reserved for higher order organisms like humans. The question whether consciousness is a distinct characteristic of humans is a subject of philosophical and scientific inquiry.

Let us presuppose that objects exist apart from consciousness. Individuals live in a world of perception, of stimulus. Because individuals perceive an ordered and eternal world, the domain of the material becomes the domain of truth. As such, consciousness becomes a means for interpreting both the self and the world. In short, consciousness is but a mirror to acquiring knowledge  knowledge in the form of stimulus.

What is the implication of this interpretation First, the material world becomes exclusively the source of knowledge, as perception is limited only to perception. Second, the perceptual domain of another person, which will include many of the same objects that one can oneself perceive, constitutes knowledge at its highest form. Lastly, consciousness may be regarded as a nominal function of physiology  of the brain. The nervous system acquires stimulus from the external environment and transforms it into usable data. These data may be used for adaptation purposes. In general, the propensity of knowledge acquisition is also dependent on the mental state. Consciousness therefore is a mental state  to which knowledge about the self and the material world can be obtained.