What is the nature of consciousness? When not fully conscious, what behavious or mental activities (such as perception, learning) may occur unchanged? What activities occur but function differently? What activities cease?

Sorry it took me so long to reply but I've been unconscios. So... ugh... what was the question again? Oh yea... don't worry about anything... it's all just a fig newton of your sick hallucination. Besides that... there are no left zebras lady! And if you don't stop tuggin on my tu tu I'm just going to scream!! But most importantly is the fact that we all share a common consciousness by which we are connected through our subconsciousness. Yea... it's just out there floating in the ethers... kinda like I was at the last Stones concert. Ugh... yea... anyway, your brain mind deals with the world the best it can with your 5 senses. Your subconscious deals with the hidden world and the Universal Intellegence that permeates the universe. How you control and coordinte the two exemplifies the level of peace and harmony you achieve on the physical plane of existence. Enlightened people have mastered this and use it daily. Wow.. I think I am losing consciousness again... Nope... just another brain fart.

First let's make some distinctions.
Consciousness refers to awareness during non-sleeping condition.
Unconsciousness refers to unawareness of the surrounding environment during sleep, coma, or any other state which might induce that unaware condition. Of course the degree of these states of mind vary. For example, we tend to experience REM, rapid eye movement just before we fall asleep and a growing lethargy which gradually prepares us for slumber.

There is also the matter of hallucination. We have to keep in mind that those who are hallucinating and out of contact with reality are not necessarily considered to be unconscious, they are usually considered to be perceiving their surroundings in a warped way unless the hallucinations become so severe that total disconnection from reality takes place. But even then the term unconsciousness isn't used in thise cases.

We can also look at the subject from a Freudian viewpoint of a tripartite human psyche of ego, id and superego. The ego is the one in charge during consciousness. The superego is the conscience which guides the ego. The id is the subconscious which includes submerged desires, and suppressed thoughts which remain beneath the conscious level while we are awake.

However, during unconsciousness or sleep, the ego and superego weaken and the id takes over causing us to dream dreams based on all these suppressed emotions and thoughts.

As for learning, the mind uses sleep to reorganize data and seek solutions to problems it ha faced during conscious hours. That's why we sometimes awaken with a solution to a problem or other perplexity after a brief sleep.

Consciousness
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness


BTW
Behaviors when one is not fully conscious might include clumsiness, incoherent speech, lowered moral inhibitions.

Interesting questions... oh wait, my subconscious is waving a note. . It says something about this sounding vaguely like homework?

Hmmmmm. (scratches chin)

[QUOTE=Starman;129363]For example, we tend to experience REM, rapid eye movement just before we fall asleep and a growing lethargy which gradually prepares us for slumber.

Go see a doctor if you are experiencing REM BEFORE you fall asleep. It is the 5th stage of sleep in a normal sleep cycle AFTER slow wave sleep. It is very near 1st stage sleep and is a very light sleep but you don't have REM outside of sleep.

[QUOTE=Starman;129363]We can also look at the subject from a Freudian viewpoint... [\QUOTE]

You have to be crazy to ever utter the above words. There is a small population that cares what Freud said. What is important is what he did for the science of psychology. Most of his theories have been passed off as rubbish or replaced by better theories by current professionals.

[QUOTE=Starman;129363]As for learning, the mind uses sleep to reorganize data and seek solutions to problems it ha faced during conscious hours. That's why we sometimes awaken with a solution to a problem or other perplexity after a brief sleep.[\QUOTE]

That is one theory of why we sleep. Don't state it as fact.