Three States of…Consciousness?

The Three States of...Consciousness

“how could anyone think that consciousness in an entirely different medium would remain unchaged, as if it had no connection with embodiment?”

When considering the question posed by Hayles in chapter 1 of How We Became Posthuman (“Toward Embodied Virtuality”) with regard to the relationship between the state of consciousness and embodiment I am reminded of my elementary school science class.  At some point as an elementary school student in the midst of lunch and recess our science teachers break out a few beakers of colored water, maybe a hotplate, and of course an ice cube tray to begin demonstrating for us the different ways in which we can perceive matter (in this case water) in a particular form.  We learn that matter is anything that has mass and takes up space, and can embody three different forms:  solid, liquid, and gas.  Soon we discover that there are a variety of ways in which matter (in any of these forms) can be manipulated to change its properties as well as our perceptions of it.  Just as matter and its properties can be changed based on the state in which it occurs, so too can the state of our consciousness and perceptions based on the medium in which information is presented.  Through this elementary school science lesson we better understand the relationship that exists between consciousness and embodiment.  This lesson suggested that form or embodiment (as the case may be) influence and affect properties or perceptions with regard to [one’s] state of being.   

Hayles stated that “[t]he posthuman is an amalgam, a collection of heterogeneous components, a material information entity whose boundaries undergo continuous construction and reconstruction.” (Hayles p. 3)  She described the constant changing state of consciousness as a transformation of awareness and ultimately one’s state of being.  She suggested that this transformation is natural if it occurs free from the will of others.  Hayles stated that the “posthuman is “post”…because there is no priori way to identify a self-will that can be clearly distinguished from an other-will.” (p. 4).  Upon first reading this I perceived these transformations as being a proverbial software upgrade; however, Hayles said that the defining characteristic of becoming posthuman lies in the construction of subjectivity (a concept on which I am still not entirely clear).  I believe the connections that exist between embodiment and consciousness are found in the way humans process raw information.  It seems that consciousness cannot remain unchanged if it exists in different states.  If information is being constantly being perceived in different states then consciousness is forever being changed.  What stands out for me is the idea of one’s perception of this information being uninfluenced by the perceptions of others.  I mean it seems that so long as autonomy exists in one’s thoughts and perceptions he is on his way to becoming posthuman because he is continuously redefining his constructions of subjectivity. The problem with likening this transformation to a software upgrade is that even the machine is manipulated or influenced by the will of others.  I think this is where a disconnect in the relationship between consciousness and embodiment exists.  Like the ideal Jain we should sit and be affected by our environment without being influenced by the things or ideas that emerge out of our changing environment.  Apparently it’s not that elementary after all.