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Comment by steveBK123 | Hacker News Reader

Yes I got a hint of this the first time I went under, my first memory of being awake was back at home, on my sofa, upstairs.

As my mom tells it, i walked myself to the car, behaved like a weirdo with my feet on the dashboard (never done this once in my life).. sprinted out the car, up the stairs, fell, got up.. went to the sofa, and fell asleep for a few hours.

So clearly I was not out for the entire period I had amnesia for. It makes me wonder what parts I was unaware of vs what parts I was aware but memory wiped.

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I think a fundamental aspect to consciousness is memory recall to be honest.

This line of thought gets kind of philosophical though because I often can’t recall my drive home from work - does that mean I wasn’t conscious? No! - highway hypnosis is yet another interesting consciousness (or lack of) phenomenon.

Consciousness is a continuum not, a binary state. There are also subconscious processes at work.

After a bit of practice you don't have to think about all the intricate actions you have to take to drive a car or ride a bike. Consciously you can focus on something else while other parts of you are aware of your surroundings and what you need to do to drive/ride.

Same with simply walking. Unless you're in unfamiliar/dangerous terrain, you normally don't have to think about where you're going to put your feet or your balance. Your subconscious awareness and competence takes care of all that.

It doesn't mean you're not aware or conscious on some level and to some degree, though.

> does that mean I wasn’t conscious? No!

Counterpoint: Yes! Why not? You didn't need to be conscious for it... I think that's how deep habits work. How would you define conscious in a way that you could count that?

This shows that memory isn't required for consciousness. We can be fully conscious while forgetting everything after a few minutes or less. Actually, when we look at a highly detailed photo or video this is pretty standard: We forget most finer details within seconds.

I think there is a difference between an already conscious being losing their ability to recall memories vs never having the ability in the first place. Maybe you can technically maintain the state of consciousness without forming new memories once you've already achieved it (for example people with Alzheimer's/other forms of dementia, but that is up for debate how "conscious" they are during it's most advanced stages), but getting to the point of consciousness in the first place doesn't really seem possible without some kind of ability to refer back to previous experiences.

Is there something special about memory, or is it just another tool for consciousness?

It seems like consciousness is the conductor and puts to use whatever it has access to (motor function, sensory inputs, memory). Any of those can be significantly impaired (limbs/senses lost, imperfect memory) and the conductor simply adapts and focuses on what remains.

Are people with superior memories able to attain higher consciousness than others? If not and it is a binary, conscious or not conscious, then what is the minimal ability in memory required to attain it?

In my view, memory is not a requirement for consciousness. It is required for learning a language to communicate about your consciousness but not for the process itself. You can be fully aware of yourself and your surroundings without referring to previous experience.

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