David Hume Quotes

Life is consciousness.

It seems to me that the real problem is the mind itself and not the problem which the mind has created and tries to solve.

Without consciousness there would, practically speaking, be no world, for the world exists as such only in so far as it is consciously reflected and considered by a psyche. Consciousness is a precondition of being.

The problem is we think we exist.

If I use the word consciousness, in our lab, in our institute, what we mean is the special quality of mind, the special features that exist in the mind, that permit us to know, for example, that we, ourselves, exist, and that things exist around us.

All thought of something is at the same time self-consciousness [...] At the root of all our experiences and all our reflections, we find [...] a being which immediately recognises itself, [...] and which knows its own existence, not by observation and as a given fact, nor by inference from any idea of itself, but through direct contact with that existence. Self-consciousness is the very being of mind in action.

Life in the true sense is perceiving or thinking.

I am thing that thinks: that is, a things that doubts,affirms, denies, understands a few things, is ignorant of many things, is willing, is unwilling, and also which imagines and has sensory perceptions.

We use concepts like "consciousness"---"mind"---"personality," but we don't really know yet what these things are.' He was shaking his head. 'Not really. Not at all.

Consciousness is the foundation of all thinking; and thinking is the foundation of all consciousness.

The great mystery of our consciousness is beyond our grasp.

I became really interested in the study of consciousness.

Without consciousness, space and time are nothing.

In Psychology we deal with minds and their processes, and leave out of account as far as possible the objects that we get to know by means of them.

Our nature is the mind. And the mind is our nature.

What's more valuable - intelligence or consciousness?

You are not a human being. You are not your body, you are not your mind, and you are not your soul. These are things that You have. The You that has these things - indeed, that has given your Self these things - is far bigger than any of them, and even all of them put together.

The realm of consciousness is much vaster than thought can grasp. When you no longer believe everything you think, you step out of thought and see clearly that the thinker is not who you are.

What do you think of the human mind? I mean, in case you think there is a human mind.

Do you even recognize your own consciousness?

This perceiving, active being is what I call mind, spirit, soul, or myself. By which words I do not denote any one of my ideas, but a thing entirely distinct from them, wherein they exist, or, which is the same thing, whereby they are perceived; for the existence of an idea consists in being perceived.

Whatever we know without inference is mental.

It's very interesting to think about the distinction with mind, which I just made in very general terms, but it can be made more profound when we think that there are many species, many creatures on earth that are very likely to have a mind, but are very unlikely to have a consciousness in the sense that you and I have.

I'm your mind", it claims. "You can't parse ME into dendrites and synapses

Also, where does your identity come from? Your memory, of course.