Human consciousness is defined as the ability to be self-aware, to think, analyze, desire, create, recall, and decide. In short, we are aware of our own existence and the existence of others. Human consciousness could not exist without electrical charges in our body’s nervous system.
In my former science classroom I was fond of reminding my students of a scientific fact: “All matter is electrical in nature.” The chairs and tables the students used, the equipment students needed for experiments in the science lab—even their classmates’ bodies—were composed of trillions of atoms and molecules containing protons and electrons. Protons possess a positive electrical charge; electrons possess a negative electrical charge. Student classrooms and their human occupants could not exist without attractive electrical charges holding matter together!
Several experiments illustrated the presence of electricity in the human body: (1) Static electricity generated on cold, dry days from scuffing shoes on a carpet caused small electrical shocks when students touched one another; (2) A student favorite experiment was an electrostatic generator capable of producing small electric sparks or hair standing on end when class members touched the generator’s metal sphere; (3) Inflated rubber balloons adhered to classmates’ bodies after they rubbed the balloons on their clothing. Static electricity experiments work not only on the human body, but also on ALL matter composed of protons and electrons.
The nervous system is one of eleven body systems. Our nervous system is the body’s communication network composed of many neural pathways through which electrical charges pass. Neural pathways are composed of a chain of many neurons (individual nerve cells) which communicate digital electrical messages to and from the brain. In 2017 Dr. Ben Carson expressed wonder about the human brain, the command center of the human nervous system and the “seat of human consciousness.” Dr. Ben Carson is a famous neurologist who performed complex brain surgeries, even on young people. Dr. Carson cites the existence of “billions and billions of neurons” (individual neural cells) which produce the brain’s unlimited potential. Carson was referring to the brain’s potential to produce human consciousness.
Our assertion that “All matter is electrical in nature” also relates to the presence of electrical charges pulsing through our bodies’ neural pathways. These electrical charges are not electrons. Instead, they occur in the form of ions — charged particles possessing either a surplus or a deficiency of electrons. The ions flow across cell membranes, producing a pulse of charge reversals along the neural pathway.
Famous consciousness guru David Chalmers states, “Consciousness is the most mysterious phenomenon in the universe.” Chalmers writes voluminously about the “hard problem of human consciousness.” Below we link a post discussing Chalmers’ concept of human consciousness:
https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2015/11/hard-problem-of-consciousness.html
Behavioral scientists such as David Chalmers are skilled at identifying the effect of consciousness rather than the cause of human consciousness. One reason consciousness is a “hard problem” relates to the impossibility of explaining consciousness in naturalistic terms. We are unable to explain consciousness phenomena in terms of electrical charges or natural laws. Professional scientists are also at a loss to explain a naturalistic origin for life itself. There are many opportunities to explain our physical and spiritual existence in terms of the acts of the supernatural, divine Creator of All Things. Consciousness, therefore, is a divine miracle.
Colossians 1:16-17: For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (ESV)
