What is Consciousness?

The following was what I wrote for a third-year undergrad Philosophy of Psychology assignment. I got 9.5/10 for it...

It is difficult to go beyond the idea that consciousness is simply the product of brain functioning, for arguments along such lines are compelling and hard to convincingly argue against. But surely consciousness is more than that. To start with, no-one has yet offered a satisfactory definition of what consciousness is, and yet most people agree that it exists (Guzeldere, 1995).

In discussing consciousness we often speak of different aspects or types of consciousness, for example in words and phrases such as 'subconscious' or 'altered consciousness'. Perhaps the act of focusing on its different aspects causes a loss of perspective that drowns out the bigger picture.

My consciousness appears to encompass my present (including awareness, sensations, physical location, etc), memories, feelings/emotions, what I pay attention to internally and externally (intentionally and otherwise), and how I process this information. I can only direct my attention to one thing at a time, but somehow manage to complete larger projects and perform complex operations - because in reality my 'consciousness' contains these many things at the same time.

Consciousness is a total awareness - "I" am consciousness. As that, I draw on a wide range of resources from the physical body in order to interact with and function in the world, including my brain and five (six?) senses. My consciousness is therefore the consolidation of all my experience in the world and as a living being.

REFERENCE
Guzeldere, G. (1995). 'Consciousness:What It is and How to Study It', Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2, No. 1, pp. 30-51.