Difference in meaning

Question

Hi everybody!Explain me please, what's the difference between the words "awareness" and "consciousness '' ?Best wishesThanks

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Check a dictionary and then ask us if you have a specific question (such as which to use in a sentence).
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/awareness

a·ware'ness n.
Synonyms: aware, cognizant, conscious
These adjectives mean having knowledge or discernment of something.

Aware implies knowledge gained through one's own perceptions or by means of outside information: became aware of a cooling in their relationship; was not aware that the legislation passed.
Cognizant is a formal equivalent of aware: "Our research indicates that the nation's youth are cognizant of the law" (Jerry D. Jennings).
Conscious emphasizes the inner workings of the mind or the direct experience of the senses as opposed to knowledge gained through information: "Was Darwin really conscious of what he had done as he wrote his last professional lines?" (Stephen Jay Gould). "She was clearly conscious of the beauty of the night, its stars and sharp cold" (Oliver La Farge).

CalifJim · Answer

Mary Petrusevichwhat's the difference between the words "awareness" and "consciousness '' ?

Whole books are written on this subject. If you're asking about the philosophical difference, then "awareness" is a functional notion, but "consciousness" is, in contrast, a phenomenal experience, a nonfunctional phenomenon. According to some theorists on the subject, consciousness is always accompanied by awareness, but it's not necessarily the other way round.

"Awareness can be broadly analyzed as a state wherein we have access to some information, and can use that information in the control of behavior. . . . Awareness of information generally brings with it the ability to knowingly direct behavior depending on that information" (Chalmers, The Conscious Mind, 1996)

Explaining awareness is the easier of the two problems. Explaining consciousness is the hard problem.

As is usual in philosophy, the explanation makes it even harder for us to understand the meanings of the words we started out hoping to explain.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Generally speaking, "awareness" is more practical and down-to-earth, while "consciousness" is more abstract and in-the-clouds. Some examples of usage:

He had an instinctive awareness of his surroundings and sensed potential danger in his situation. (Consciousness would not be used here.)

His lifelong search for a higher consciousness reached a climax when he journeyed to ancient city of Machu Pichu. (Awareness would not be used here.)

The rough texture of the mats at the entrance - as compared to the smoothness of the sidewalk outside - gives people an awareness that they've entered a different environment. (Consciousness cannot be used here.)

The soft harp music and subtle herbals scents gently stimulates the psyches of the attendees and makes them receptive to appeals to their higher consciousness. (Awareness would not be used here.)

Difference in meaning

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