Talking About Consciousness in the Sciences and the Arts

The format and mediality of how consciousness is represented – in mathematical equations, neurological images, graphs, scientific essays, novels, or poems – on the one hand depend on the premises of what consciousness is and the ensuing methodology of investigation, and on the other hand communicate (only) specific aspects of the phenomenon we experience as consciousness. My essay will address the differences in concept and representation of consciousness in a secular-materialistic and spiritual worldview, with the examples of the science fiction neuro-novel Blindsight (2006) by Canadian author Peter Watts, and a selection of poems by the Indian mystic Kabir (1440–1518). On the basis of these literary negotiations about the potential and limits of verbal communication, the essay explores the problems of first-person reports in Consciousness Studies.