| Description |
As modern society lies in fragments amid the information age, we find ourselves surrounded by technology, overwhelmed by media, and driven by consumerism. We are increasingly docile as technological change has enforced a complex culture nourished by media, speed, and ultimately, devoid of real experience. The obsession with maintaining a modern image of success has diminished our reflective capacity. Consciousness is clouded with information and hypnotized by the media. In turn, a certain inner turmoil has been created. As people realize they have lost the ability to experience their conscious existence, renewed interest in consciousness research has arisen. While research in the sciences has worked to explain the world around us, the mystery of human consciousness has yet to be defined. A range of disciplines are researching the nature, function, and underlying mechanisms of consciousness. The field of consciousness studies is at a very early stage and is characterized by relatively undeveloped theories primarily driven by the sciences, however, researchers are finding it a difficult topic to approach purely from a scientific standpoint. Not much is known about the various qualities and dimensions of human experience. Traditional academic institutions involved in researching consciousness such as University of Arizona and the University of Newcastle in Australia support cross-disciplinary conversations between cognitive science, neuroscience, Philosophy;, arts, and humanities. Recently, a shift in the field has begun that is is pushing the arts and humanities to the forefront of the search for a new understanding of consciousness. The Center for Consciousness Studies will focus on exploration of consciousness within the arts and humanities then provide for cross-pollination of these ideas to other scholars in the field. In order to produce a broad conceptualization, scholars outside of the arts and humanities will be invited to the Center for Consciousness Studies for conferences, lectures and further collaboration. The goal is to inspire new methods and new understandings from their interaction. |
